MBA News: Kravis Pledges $100 Million for New Columbia Business School Campus

Columbia Business School (CBS) announced today that private-equity legend Henry R. Kravis (CBS ’69) has pledged the largest gift in the school’s history—$100 million—to construct two buildings (one named for Kravis) on CBS’s new Manhattanville site. CBS is currently housed in Uris Hall and Warren Hall, where shared space and converted rooms make conditions less than desirable. The new 450,000 square foot buildings are set to open in about six years and are estimated to cost a total of $500 million. CBS is the latest MBA program to announce a new multimillion-dollar building: MIT Sloan opened a new $140 million building this year; Ross opened a $145 million building last year; Wharton opened its $140 million Jon M. Huntsman Hall in 2002; Chicago Booth opened the $125 million Harper Center in 2004; Stanford will open its $350 million Knight Management Center next year; and Yale plans to open a $180 million building in 2013. Meanwhile, Kellogg has a site picked out and is eager to put a shovel in the ground.