Florida Tech’s Bisk College of Business Gets New Home
Growing College Expands into Larger Facility
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology’s Nathan Bisk College of Business is moving up—both in physical space and program prestige.
Home to some of the university’s fastest-growing academic offerings, the Bisk College of Business is expanding from its 5,800 square-foot location on campus to the 22,000 square-foot Babcock Oaks office building one mile north at 2202 S. Babcock St.
The purchase of this building was made possible by a new, generous gift from Nathan Bisk. The two-story, brick Babcock Oaks will become the headquarters for all business education programs and related community outreach beginning this fall, said Anthony J. Catanese, Florida Tech president and chief executive officer.
“This move would not have become a reality without the ongoing support of Nathan Bisk,” Catanese said. “Finding a more suitable home for our growing Bisk College of Business has been one of the priorities of our $100 million Create the Future campaign, and we are grateful to Mr. Bisk for making that future a reality. His vision and leadership serve as an inspiration to others.”
Bisk, the founder and chairman of Florida-based Bisk Education, is a national leader in continuing education and online learning and a member of the Florida Tech Board of Trustees. He presented Florida Tech with a $5 million gift in 2009 designed to enhance business offerings and strengthen online education, and the college was named in his honor at that time. The university continues to partner with Bisk Education on a range of well-respected online degrees, delivered through Florida Tech University Online.
A refurbished and renamed Babcock Oaks building will feature space for high-tech classrooms and a studio. There will also be shared space for students to create, collaborate on team projects and relax, said Ann Becker, dean of the Bisk College of Business. Previously, there were no classrooms in the business building on campus, as the college shared classroom space in separate buildings with other disciplines.
“We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to expand our physical space, and know that the benefits to our students will be real and immediately apparent,” Becker said. “We look forward to opening this new space as early as this fall.”
Becker said that, along with the college’s expanding outreach and programs, the new facilities will be critical to attracting high-achieving students. In an academic year, there are as many as 3,600 seats for students taking business classes. The approximately 150 classes taught annually are expected to double by 2023.
Becker said the timing is perfect, as the college is currently celebrating confirmation of the quality of its courses. Earlier this spring, the university announced that more than two dozen undergraduate and graduate-level programs in the Bisk College of Business earned accreditation by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), the leading outcomes-based, professional accreditation agency for business education at universities. Focused on excellence in teaching and learning, IACBE has accredited approximately 1,000 business and related programs both nationally and internationally.
The Bisk College of Business’s current campus home, built in 1982, will be repurposed for use by other university functions.
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