Queally Hall completed, lauded for innovation

The University of Richmond opened the doors of the new addition to the Robins School of Business, Queally Hall, this semester, advancing the school for business students and faculty alike.

Queally Hall had several donors, but it was named in honor of Paul and Anne-Marie Queally, both of whom were 1986 Phi Beta Kappa graduates. The new 33,000-square-foot addition to the Robins School, which cost $19.4 million, includes features that will provide new interactive learning opportunities for students.

Five principles guided and contributed to the building design: the sense of the community, discovery-based learning, collaboration, flexibility and the front door to the business community, according to the Robins School homepage.

Lou's Cafe, set to open on Feb. 1, is one feature that will help the new addition create a sense of community, said Becky Brooks, interior designer of the project.

Many students look forward to having easy access to food within the school, instead of walking to other dining facilities. While the cafe remains unopened, Maya Vincelli, assistant director of retail operations, posted a sign on the door announcing eagerness to serve sandwiches, salads, soups and more to the business school community and others.

"I'm looking forward to the opening of the cafe in the business school," said junior Tim Peters. "I'm taking all five of my classes in the business school this semester, and the cafe provides the option to grab something quick."

The cafe will help students and faculty create a sense of community by giving people a reason to stay in the building and will double as an impromptu study hall and meeting center for students, according to the Robins School homepage.

Brooks said that she hoped the new Moelchert Student Lounge, student organization space, and the new O'Maley Business Center would help students feel an additional sense of community.

In addition to its many features, Queally Hall consists of the Ukrop Auditorium, which accommodates 225 people and has advanced multimedia features. The purpose of the auditorium is to encourage other members of the Richmond community and friends of the university to gather in the Robins School, according to the Robins School homepage.

The second design principle Brooks sought for the space is the encouragement of discovery-based learning for the students and faculty. The Lessing Capital Markets Room and the Business Research Lab are two features that Brooks said she hoped would reinforce this principle and help the Robins School grow even further in its reputation as one of the top business schools in the country.

Other features of the new addition include the Center for International Business Programs, the Center for Professional Skills and Development, the Center for Active Business Education, eight new classrooms, three new conference rooms, seven new meeting and study rooms, dedicated space for student organizations, the Johnson Patio, Reynolds Board Room and new video and telecommunications technology.

The architects designed the building with the intention to connect the two buildings, using the tower to unify them, Brooks said.

"The idea of the addition is to marry the two buildings," Brooks said. "The concept was that you didn't want to feel like you were in two separate buildings."

Nancy Bagranoff, dean of the Robins School of Business, said: "I appreciate all of the hard work that was put into the new addition, particularly by Brooks, who worked on the interior design of the entire building, from picking out carpets and televisions to designing the layout of the new addition.

"I walk through the halls and there's a great buzz. I appreciate all of the staff and professionals who helped bring Queally to life."

To help students get acclimated to the new addition, volunteers assisted students to their classrooms and handed out maps of the building on Jan. 10, the first day of classes for the spring semester. In addition, the Robins School gave students cookies with the Queally Hall design and long-sleeved T-shirts to celebrate the opening day.

The faculty has had positive feedback and was excited about the new offices, especially now that the entire faculty was able to teach in the same building, Bagranoff said. There was also office space for visiting faculty, who had been previously housed in Weinstein Hall.

The academic atmosphere has improved because of the current setup in which all business professors and students take business classes in the Robins School, Peters said.

Jerry Stevens, professor of finance, said that he had been very happy overall, especially with the additional meeting rooms and the advanced technology.

"In the long run, this is an exciting way to educate people," Stevens said. "Over time, people are going to find the amenities to be a real plus."

And it is not just the faculty that are pleased with the building. Students are pleased with the final project outcome as well.

"The new building is a good step forward for the Richmond community," Peters said. "The Robins Business School is now nationally known as a top program, and the amount of business students at UR continues to grow."

The expansion of the business school sent a message to the students that the school was attempting to fulfill the need of higher availability of business classes and committed to the future of the business school with a larger, nicer building that could serve the students' needs, Peters said.

Chelsea Weinberg, a junior business administration minor, said she was pleasantly surprised by the facilities in the new building.

Weinberg said she had been concerned that when she left for her abroad semester the building would not be finished in time, and that perhaps the inconvenience of the temporary roads would not be worth it. But, she said that this had not been the case and that the new hall let a lot more light into the business school.

"I think if we have such a well-regarded business school, the facilities should reflect that, and I think we've gotten there," Weinberg said.

Similarly, Elizabeth McCarthy, a sophomore business school major, said that the new building had made the whole business school more efficient.

"The movement through the new lobby makes it feel like a world-class business place," McCarthy said. "The new classrooms feel so equipped, and I'm so excited to eat where all of my classes are."

The dedication and the donor recognition on March 30 will be chances for students, faculty and all members of the Richmond community to gather together and appreciate the final project.

Contact reporter Rachael Specter at rachael.specter@richmond.edu