Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/499026
MAY | JUNE 2015 BizEd 65 Design with Donors in Mind When it came time to replace a cramped, outdated 1919-era building, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration set out to raise US$84 million for a new 240,000 square-foot facility. But rather than approach donors after designs were complete, Donde Plowman, dean of the college, invited them to participate in the early conceptual stages. Designers from Advent, a Nashville-based design and branding firm, spent two days interviewing potential donors, as well as students, alumni, and university leaders. The goal was to learn what they thought the building's design should include. Advent vid- eotaped the interviews, so that Plowman and her team could use portions of the video, along with design sketches, to promote the project during the fundraising process. "Certain themes surfaced during those early conversations that got at the core of who we are as a college," Plowman explains. "The results didn't just inform the design, but also gave us a new language to use when talking about the school." While some expressed skepticism about how this approach would impact fundrais- ing, those early interviews identified core values and objectives that the school had not articulated before, says Plowman. For example, stakeholders—who ranged from the chancellor to the athletic director—highlighted the importance of the school's inter- national programs. That insight led to dual murals that feature Oxford University, a key partner for the College of Business Administration. Alumni revealed pride in the students' entrepreneurial spirit. That feedback led to the inclusion of a ten-foot graphic of three recent grads who started their own compa- nies. It also inspired a new tagline for the business school: "Start Something." Plowman believes that early engagement with potential donors also was key to the school's fundraising e•orts. The school raised almost all of the money before the groundbreaking held in March. In addition, the process introduced new donors to the college. "The vast majority of donors to this building had never given to the university before," Plowman says. "There's no question that facilitating conversations between the designers and the donors early on was crucial to the fundraising campaign." Slated to open in 2017, the building will serve 5,000 students. presentations, which they submitted to a central website for valuation profes- sionals to judge. Finalists were invited to Seattle to present their valuations in person to a board of professionals. The first-, second-, and third-place winners received prizes of US$5,000, $2,500, and $1,500, respectively. Manson's firm, Business Valuation Resources (BVR), co-sponsors the competition with the business school. BVR also provides students free access to proprietary private and public com- pany valuation data. Designing a competition around a topic about which students have little to no knowledge can be daunting, says Kierul. "There is a steep learning curve that requires changes in teach- ing and learning." Organizers must provide a lot of background material and support for students along the way. For example, Kierul made his syllabus and course materials acces- sible online to help students at all participating schools. Feedback from students, faculty, and the 21 judges who participated in the 2013-2014 competition was so positive that the Private Business Valuation Challenge will become an annual event. For the 2014-2015 competition, 25 teams analyzed data from a road construction company, and the finalists traveled to Seattle in April to make in-person presentations. Many of the students participating in this year's challenge also had access to local experts in their communities who acted as resources. ¦ "I¦have been pleasantly surprised at the reception we've gotten from the professional valuation community," Kierul says. "They've embraced what we're doing and have volunteered time and money to help. That support has meant more than¦I¦can say." For more information, visit www. bvcchallenge.org. A rendering of the new facility shows murals of Oxford University, a key international partner for the college.