St. Thomas U. breaks ground for new business school complex

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

MIAMI GARDENS | St. Thomas University officials’ vision of the school becoming the leading Catholic university in the southeast took a giant leap forward recently with the groundbreaking for a new business school complex on the 144-acre campus.

“A state-of-the-art business facility for the next generation of business students will surely set us apart,” said STU president Msgr. Franklyn Casale at the groundbreaking ceremony Jan. 24. “The technology and advancement will position our graduates at the cutting edge of the business economy. The new complex is actually a mini-campus.”

The complex will consist of three buildings that will bear the name of Gus Machado, a philanthropist, friend, and former trustee of STU.

“What a model Gus is for our students,” Msgr. Casale said. “He is one of the most successful, entrepreneurial and ethical business leaders in our community. Students, look to this man for inspiration.”

Machado, 83, first moved to the United States in 1946 to attend school in North Carolina and later in Illinois. He moved to Miami in 1956 and acquired a series of used car dealerships. In 1982, he got his first franchise called Gus Machado Buick. He now owns two Miami-area Ford dealerships and has become a major force in South Florida philanthropy. He last set foot in his native Cuba in January 1960. The Machados called the new STU business complex a dream come true.

“He is making a big presence in the life of the next generation,” said his wife, Lilliam Machado. “Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon you have to change the world. We are convinced we will make a difference in STU.”

Machado’s transformative gift of $5 million to STU’s business school has not only given it a well-recognized and much-admired name; it also serves as the lead gift in the creation of the $21 million state-of-the-art complex.

Four years ago, the university launched a capital campaign to raise $100 million, said Jorge Rico, trustee and co-chairman of the business school advisory board. However, a building for the business school was not a consideration.

“Four years ago, former business school dean Tony Villamil and I felt strongly that the business school needed a building and it would be transformational, not only for the business school, but for the university,” said Rico. “With hard work, a lot of passion, persistence and some persuasion, the university’s leadership agreed that new business school buildings would become a priority.”

The structures will include a state-of-the-art classroom building, an administration building and the Center for Career Development. The 21st century complex will reflect the modern workplace, have open architecture, use multi-purpose spaces and combine a robust technology infrastructure with the functionalities needed to learn real life business practices.

The main building will house the Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, the Institute for Sports Administration, the Institute for Cyber Security Management, the Institute for Trade and Logistics, case study rooms, “smart” classrooms and computer labs, a global conference auditorium and a trading room with Bloomberg terminals and a student business incubator.

The main building will connect to the administration building via a “sky bridge” over a central courtyard. A third building in the complex will house the career development center, with interview rooms for prospective employers, training rooms, electronic job search services and offices for coaching current students as well as alumni. The university’s Business Commons and Office of Alumni Relations will be co-housed in the Center for Career Development.

“The business school will become the major feeder into our master’s level programs and our law school, not only helping those programs, but providing a robust pipeline of better prepared and equipped candidates,” Rico said. “Thank you, university leadership, administration, and faculty for making this dream a reality.”

Rico thanked architects Bermello, Ajamil and Partners for their “incredible, innovative and functional design,” as well as contractor NV2A Group.

Business School Dean Somnath Bhattacharya called the new complex a paradigm shift for the university.

“Paradigm shifts need infrastructural changes and transformative people,” he said. “I could go on and on about our students’ and alumni’s achievements. The infrastructure and technology poised to take shape over the next 16 months will provide a tremendous enabler to our success.”

Garrick Amedee, who is pursuing his MBA in global financial management, said the new facility will provide future students with more skills with which to enter the work force.

“The advanced technology will help future students and professors become familiar with innovative practices that surpass the teaching standard,” said Amedee. “Students will be able to enjoy activities in rooms designed for board meetings and with Wall Street tickers. I will return to see the completed buildings. Students will be fortunate to be exposed to this new environment.”

Several community leaders attended the groundbreaking, among them U.S. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and former Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula, whose teams practiced for many years on the STU (then Biscayne College) campus.

St. Thomas expects the new building to open in a year and a half.