The HNI Charitable Foundation has pledged $1 million toward the creation of a new state-of-the-art business education facility at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business.
The Muscatine, Iowa-based HNI Corporation is a leading provider of workplace furnishings and residential building products.
The foundation’s gift will help renovate Tippie’s John Pappajohn Business Building and the adjacent Gilmore Hall to create a single facility featuring new classrooms and learning areas. The estimated $60 million project also will provide first-rate technology and real-world experiences to prepare students for their careers.
The two-year expansion project was approved by the Iowa Board of Regents in August 2024. According to Tippie College of Business, it is being funded largely by private giving and should be completed by the fall of 2028. To date, nearly $25 million has been raised for the project.
In a news release Wednesday, June 25, announcing the pledge, the college praised HNI Corp. as a longstanding partner in the development and recruitment of talent from the University of Iowa.
Jeff Lorenger, HNI’s chairman, president and CEO, said the pledge will strengthen collaboration and help ensure Iowa remains a place where innovation, talent, and opportunity thrive. “This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to developing the next generation of leaders and strengthening the connection between education and industry,” Mr. Lorenger said in the release.
He called HNI’s support “an investment not only in the university’s future but in the future of Iowa’s business community.”
“The University of Iowa has long been a valuable partner to our company, and a vital component of our talent pipeline,” Mr. Lorenger added. “We’re honored to play a role in advancing its mission.”
The planned expansion comes as Tippie College’s enrollment is more than double what the Pappajohn building served when it was built in 1994, and enrollment is expected to continue growing, said Amy Kristof-Brown, the Henry B. Tippie dean, said in the release. In addition, classroom experiences are different than they were 30 years ago with more active learning and learning in teams, which is difficult to do in Gilmore Hall’s tiered classrooms, which were designed for lectures.
“This expansion will give our students room to grow, both academically and professionally, by creating space for everything from team-based capstone projects and innovative coworking space to industry partnerships through executives in residence and industry-focused student centers,” Ms. Kristof-Brown added.
Opened in 1910, Gilmore Hall originally served as the university’s College of Law and shares a courtyard with Pappajohn. More recently, it’s the home of the university’s Graduate College and academic departments.
The $60 million renovation will connect the two buildings with an atrium, adding new classrooms and laboratories, student gathering spots, expanded career services space, and faculty offices built around academic hubs.
“We’re creating a business campus where innovation, collaboration, and industry connections advance Tippie’s mission to deliver accessible, world-class education and thought leadership for the next generation of business professionals,” said Ms. Kristof-Brown.
