Listen to this article 3 min
A gift from Marilyn Carlson Nelson is kicking off a transformation of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management campus.
The Connecting Carlson building project will revamp core spaces in the school that aim to improve student collaboration and opportunities for experiential learning. Carlson Nelson is the former CEO and chair of Minnetonka-based Carlson and is daughter of Curt Carlson, the business school’s namesake. Carlson Nelson was once considered one of the richest people in Minnesota.
The Carlson School’s flagship building will be named Marilyn Carlson Nelson Hall in recognition of her gift and decades of engagement and support of the school. She’s also been a longtime advocate for the hospitality and travel industry and women in business. The school did not disclose the size of her gift.
“It is my fervent hope that seeing my name on this flagship Carlson School building will attract and inspire more young women to seek business leadership as their opportunity to be a force for good,” Carlson Nelson said in an announcement of the project.
An event was held Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the project. The redevelopment encompasses about 70,000 square feet, or 25% of the building. It includes a transformation of the auditorium and atrium. Some classrooms will be revamped, including a new experiential learning suite and a larger analytics lab space on the first floor. Specific changes can be found on the Carlson School website.
Connecting Carlson is expected to cost about $40 million, which will be funded through donations. As of Tuesday, $24 million has been committed. The University of Minnesota is providing financing to move the project forward as the rest of the funds are secured.
Construction is slated to begin next December and end in fall of 2026.
| Rank | Prior Rank | Name / Rank in 2021 MBA program |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | University of Minnesota |
2 | 2 | University of St. Thomas |
3 | 3 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota |
