<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\tO<\/b><\/span>pened in August as the new home for the business administration and accounting programs and officially unveiled at Homecoming, Bemidji State University’s remodeled Memorial Hall is a new star attraction.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The 75-year-old building, built as a gymnasium and for many years used for large gatherings, has been reborn as a state-of-the-art learning center that links the main Birchmont Drive corridor to a newly expanded Central Plaza ringed by the Upper and Lower Hobson Memorial Union, Sattgast Hall and A.C. Clark Library. A spacious lawn and intersecting sidewalks where Sanford Hall once stood is now the Sanford Quad.<\/span><\/p>\n The project, which began in September 2014, was made possible by $13.79 million in bonds approved by the Minnesota Legislature, with strong support from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, Bemidji-area legislators and local officials. The money also financed renovation of Decker Hall as a new hub for student services.<\/span><\/p>\n “One thing that is clear to me is that the leaders of this community have rallied around Bemidji State,” President Richard Hanson said at the ceremony on Oct. 2. “I think we’re on our way, not just in terms of the College of Business, Technology and Communications, but in our other colleges and programs as well. It’s time to shine a light and encourage the teaching and learning that develops students every day.”<\/span><\/p>\n “Although this building is one of the oldest on campus, it is now the most technically advanced,” Strong said, pointing out its active-learning classrooms, community learning spaces, video conferencing capabilities and computer connectivity. “Ultimately, these features, both in terms of design and technology, are all focused on student learning.”<\/span><\/p>\n Strong also said the new building has been designed to meet LEED certification, using 20 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than conventional buildings.<\/span><\/p>\n “The new Memorial Hall is everything I hoped it would be,” Kittleson said. “When I proudly point out this building on tours as a University Ambassador, I always emphasize how it maintains a connection to the past as well as providing a completely modern atmosphere.”<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" O<\/span>pened in August as the new home for the business administration and accounting programs and officially unveiled at Homecoming, Bemidji State University\u2019s remodeled Memorial Hall is a new star attraction.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[958],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22304"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22319,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22304\/revisions\/22319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Dr. Shawn Strong, dean of BSU’s College of Business, Technology and Communication, and BSU students Lisa Kittleson, a senior marketing communication major from Young America, Minn., and Marie Schwinghammer, a senior accounting major from Bemidji, also spoke to those gathered in front of the front steps.<\/span><\/p>\n