When people think of Las Vegas, they often picture gaming or entertainment.
But the city’s economy extends well beyond that. Businesses across industries — from logistics and healthcare to tech and manufacturing — call Las Vegas home, drawn by a business-friendly environment, a diversifying economy, and a growing talent base.
That growth has made Las Vegas a place where businesses aren’t just launched, but built and scaled every day. Supporting that momentum is Lee Business School, UNLV’s largest academic unit and one of its fastest-growing, with more than 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students.
“Las Vegas is one of the most important centers for business and innovation in the world — a city where the global leaders convene to form partnerships and launch innovations — and UNLV sits at the heart of that momentum,” said UNLV Interim President Chris Heavey. “This is our moment to invest in a future where our students don’t just participate in that growth — they help lead it.”
Yet, as enrollment has grown and programs have expanded, the school’s current home in Frank and Estella Beam Hall has not kept pace. It was built in 1983 — long before the Consumer Electronics Show became an annual staple, before computers were placed in every student’s hands, and before The Mirage kicked off the city’s corporate boom with its new model for the modern mega-resort.
“We are bursting at the seams,” said Lee Business School Interim Dean Anjala Krishen. “There’s nowhere for our students to go.”
Through the Building Business Together campaign, UNLV is raising support for a new academic home for the Lee Business School, a four-story facility designed to bring students, faculty, and industry partners together more effectively.
A Building Designed for How Students Learn Today
Beyond simply adding more space, the new building is designed to transform the way business education happens at UNLV.
The current building lacks many elements that define modern academic spaces – collaborative areas, dedicated research labs, and technology infrastructure that supports emerging fields like AI and data analytics.
Most noticeably, it lacks places where students can meet and collaborate.
“There’s no community space here,” said Krishen. “There aren’t easy places for students to get to know each other, and there’s no space to connect with industry.”
Krishen said the new building will create spaces that make impromptu interactions easy.
“Right now, our faculty are physically separated from students,” Krishen said. “That means you don’t get those collisions where students run into a professor and start a conversation — that’s where a lot of learning happens.”
The building will also house six specialized labs focusing on financial markets, professional sales, computer teaching, data analytics, cybersecurity, and tutoring.
“For example, students in the professional sales lab will be able to practice sales pitches and be observed by the class through an observation window,” said Michele Brigida, principal and project lead with architecture firm Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto. “The data analytics lab will allow students to look at data immersively around the room and share information between computer screens.”
Technology will also be embedded in every classroom, with features such as writeable walls and interactive screens designed to support collaborative learning. Students and faculty will have access to a recording studio to produce podcasts or record lessons, reflecting the growing role of digital communication in business today.
Four Levels Built for Connection and Collaboration
Located at the corner of Maryland Parkway and Harmon Avenue, the new 130,631-square-foot building will serve as a visible front door to campus. Its four floors are planned around distinct themes that reflect how students will learn and collaborate.
The first floor, known as the Business Plaza, will be the most public-facing space in the building. It will include a 180-seat lecture hall, several specialized learning labs, and offices for Lee’s research centers and undergraduate programs.
“The entire project is student-centered,” said Brigida. But it will also be a statement to the business community. The business plaza is designed to engage the community. It faces outward and opens onto a plaza, and the design allows the school to host events.
A café with outdoor seating will provide the central gathering point missing in Beam Hall.
“I might be most excited about the café,” Krishen said with a laugh. “That’s the kind of space where people will naturally connect.”
The floor will also house the Career and Professional Development Center, placing career preparation at the center of the student experience.
The second floor will serve as the Learning Hub and will focus on teaching and academic programs.
This is where students will find classrooms designed for active learning, with flexible layouts and technology that support both in-person and virtual instruction.
Surrounding the classrooms are small study rooms, huddle spaces, and informal seating areas where students can continue discussions outside of class.
“We know students learn and study in different ways,” Brigida said. “Some want casual spaces to work together, while others need quiet rooms to focus. There will be spaces for all types of learning.”
The third floor, known as The Collab, focuses on teamwork and student life. In addition to classrooms, the floor will include quiet study areas, group meeting rooms, and an office for student organizations. Three outdoor decks offer additional gathering space for students.
“This level is about finding more moments to create organic meeting points,” said Brigida.
The Executive Hub on the fourth floor will be home to administrative offices as well as the executive program. This level will include a conference center with boardrooms and meeting spaces designed for industry leaders and guest speakers.
An additional two outdoor decks provide space for networking events and alumni gatherings, bringing business leaders directly into the academic environment.
A Front Door to Campus — and the Community
The building’s prominent location along Maryland Parkway is more than a matter of visibility — it reflects a deliberate effort to position Lee Business School at the center of both campus life and the region’s broader business community.
UNLV planners have prioritized placing community-facing programs along this corridor, creating a more accessible, welcoming entry point for industry partners and visitors.
“We want to highlight our schools that have community forward relationships,” said Deborah Bergin, director of planning and facilities partnerships for Planning & Construction at UNLV. “The Lee Business School relies on a lot of community partnerships for teaching moments, mentoring, and job opportunities, so there was something magical about placing their new building at the forefront of the campus.”
By placing the building at the edge of campus, the university is making a clear statement: Collaboration with industry is core to how the business school operates and how students learn. The increased accessibility will translate into stronger connections with local employers, creating more opportunities for internships, mentorship, and career pathways.
“There is no better research laboratory for business than Las Vegas, where corporations exhibit their entrepreneurial energy and vision every day," Heavey said. “We want the business school front and center and our students fully engaged to learn from the best and become the next generation of leaders.”
The university’s connections already have a measurable impact. According to research from UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research, UNLV generates more than $3.2 billion in total annual economic output and supports more than 20,000 jobs across Southern Nevada. Nearly one in five bachelor’s-educated workers in the region earned their degree at UNLV.
A new Lee Business School building will only help those numbers grow.
Looking Ahead
The new business building carries an estimated cost of approximately $180 million, with $80.9 million already committed through the state and university funds. University leaders are seeking to raise at least $60 million through philanthropy, with the remaining balance anticipated to be financed through bonds.
“We are extremely grateful to the Nevada Legislature and Gov. Joe Lombardo for allocating nearly $75 million toward this project,” said Krishen. “That investment reflects a belief in the importance of preparing the next generation of business leaders and strengthening the talent pipeline that will help drive Nevada’s economy forward.”
If fundraising continues on schedule, UNLV hopes to break ground in late 2027 or early 2028, with construction complete by June 2030.
For Krishen, the building represents an opportunity not just to expand, but to redefine the student experience.
“We want this building to be a place that brings people together, and where you can feel the energy from the moment you walk in,” she said. “A dynamic, engaging space that inspires students to collaborate and grow. That’s what we want this building to be.”
