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Open for business: O’Brien Hall era officially begins for Marquette Business

Less than two years after the first shovels went into the ground at the corner of 16th Street and Wisconsin Avenue, Dr. E. J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall is a flurry of activity, as students, faculty, staff and visitors usher in a new era for Marquette Business.

The largest fully donor-funded construction project in university history, O’Brien Hall is the new home for the College of Business Administration, Graduate School of Management and innovation leadership programs. The $60 million, 100,000 square-foot facility was built for the future with maximum flexibility and state-of-the-art, globally connective technology, anchoring the west gateway to campus. 

Marquette Business graduates students who have the knowledge to succeed, the principles to lead and the confidence to connect what’s good for business with what’s good for people. The college is ranked 108th among U.S. News and World Report’s Best Undergraduate Business Schools, and its specialty programs in accounting, finance, real estate and supply chain management are all ranked in the top 25 nationally. Marquette Business is home to six Centers of Excellence across a variety of exciting disciplines — each offers students unique applied learning opportunities, including meaningful interaction with industry, networking, case competitions and service.

“Today marks a proud moment in Marquette’s history, as Marquette Business students, faculty and staff begin the semester in their new home,” President Michael R. Lovell says. “O’Brien Hall will serve as a convening space and a major catalyst to grow the pipeline of future Catholic, Jesuit-educated business leaders for years to come. I want to thank our passionate Marquette alumni and friends and recognize their remarkable generosity — they truly were the difference in getting us to this important milestone.”

“Since good business — business with purpose — isn’t done in a silo, O’Brien Hall emphasizes innovative, collaborative spaces where our students are immersed in experiential learning and creative solutions every day,” says Tim Hanley, acting Keyes Dean of Business Administration. “Here, future accountants will team with aspiring marketers, and next-generation bankers will map balance sheets with up-and-coming developers. This truly is a game-changing facility for Marquette Business and the university.”

Highlighted by an open, welcoming atrium — the Wintrust Gallery — O’Brien Hall features collaborative classrooms and lab and study spaces, as well as a host of signature spaces, including:

  • Dr. Joseph P. Daniels Dean’s Office — Located in the second-floor Zurn Elkay Dean’s Suite, the dean’s office honors the beloved late Keyes Dean of Business Administration Dr. Joe Daniels. 
  • Swift Student Center — A centralized space for student services and advising, student success, and the college’s Business Career Center. 
  • Deloitte Foundation Innovation Lab and Pitch Pit — This space gives students an area to present ideas to faculty or partner companies and organizations. 
  • Baird Applied Investment Management Lab — Home to AIM, the college’s marquee investment and financial technology program. 
  • Perry and Sheila Vieth Centers of Excellence Suite — Home to Marquette Business’ specialty programs and centers, including nationally ranked programs in real estate and supply chain management.  
  • Fotsch Family Innovation Room — The Opus College of Engineering’s award-winning E-Lead (Excellence in Leadership) Program has its home base in this fourth-floor classroom overlooking Wisconsin Avenue with views of downtown to the east.

TMJ4’s Charles Benson hosts a news broadcast from Dr. E. J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall on the first day of classes in the building.

O’Brien Hall also offers an event space for the Milwaukee business community; a board room where students can present information in an environment modeled after a modern-day corporate board room; and a recording studio, a soundproof room equipped with lighting, cameras and a green screen for recording lectures or presentations.

A new Brew café makes its home on O’Brien Hall’s first floor. Offering a selection of cold or hot packaged food offerings, the full-service coffee bar welcomes guests inside and on its east-facing patio. 

Open to the entire campus community, the Brew is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Dr. E. J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall is the sixth completed major construction project in Marquette’s ambitious Campus Master Plan. The facility was designed by BNIM, Workshop Architects and GRAEF, and built by J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. 

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