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Donor-supported Spaces that Make the Micron Business and Economics Building Special

micron business and economics building

For more than a decade the Micron Business and Economics Building has been home to the College of Business and Economics and a home away from home for many students. We thank and recognize our donors for the opportunities they have made possible for students and the community. Here are 10 donor-supported spaces that make MBEB special!

1) Jackson Commons and Simplot Cafe – John Jackson and the JR Simplot Foundation

Cafe and the Jacksons Commons in Micron Business and Economics Building

The social heart of MBEB and a daily gathering place for students to study, eat, and connect between classes. Jackson Commons hosts a number of special events throughout the year, such as the Winter Warm Up, Bronco Day, and Career Fairs.

2) Idaho Central Credit Union Plaza – Idaho Central Credit Union

ICCU courtyard at Micron Business and Economics Building

Home to the much-loved COBE Cookout, the ICCU plaza is an outdoor social space where COBE students, staff, and faculty come to rest, eat, enjoy the weather, and take the occasional selfie with the bronze statue of former Micron CEO Steve Appleton.

3) Skaggs Hall of Learning – AJ and Susie Balukoff

Skaggs Hall of Learning, Micron Business and Economics Building

Skaggs Hall is a state-of-the-art, 252-person lecture and conference hall where we hold classes and host our Entrepreneur Connect Speaker Series, as well as several other large events. Skaggs is an important learning space for students both within COBE, and beyond.

4) Dykman Trading Room – Allen and Dixie Dykman

Dykman Trading Room in Micron Business and Economics Building

An experiential learning classroom with 12 Bloomberg terminals where our students invest and manage assets valued at more than over $800,000. The first student managed investment funds were created by donors Tim and Jill Schlindwein and Ryan and Michelle Relyea.

5 – Thompson Family Writing Lab – Fred and Joan ThompsonThompson Writing Lab in Micron Business and Economics Building

This specialized writing center provides our students with individualized, tailored support from highly-trained writing consultants so they can become better communicators and develop in-demand writing skills.

6) COBE Career Services – Phil and Anita Murelaga

COBE career services

A comprehensive career center offering resume writing, interview training and on-campus recruitment events. It is also home to the Bronco Corps internship program (founded by Dave Wali and the Gardner Company), the COBE Connect Room (supported by Mike and Ann Sadler) and the Atkins Law Career Closet.

7 – COBE Advising Services – Idaho Power

COBE Academic Advising Services

A dedicated advising suite that is home to 7 full-time advisors who provide our students with academic planning consultations to ensure they reach their professional and academic goals and graduate on-time and with less debt.

8) Imagination Lab – Randy and Lisa Hales and Chris and Barbara Petersen

imagination lab

A flexible, collaborative space where our students focus on team building, brainstorming and learning. Many special events are also held here, such as our COBE Advisory Council meetings and the COBE Outstanding Graduate and Outstanding Alumni Awards luncheons.

9) Named Classrooms – Various donors

Executive education room, Micron Business and Economics Building

Thanks to our generous donors, MBEB is home to some of the most modern, well-outfitted classrooms on campus. These classrooms feature collaborative, tiered-horseshoe or free-form designs, state-of-the-art audio-visual recording capabilities and advanced workstations for our students.

10) Named Team Rooms – Various donors

team room in Micron Business and Economics Building

MBEB also features collaborative team rooms throughout the building, where our students can meet with one another, work on group projects and host creative brainstorming sessions. These rooms also include electronic hookups, interactive displays and whiteboard walls for students to use while they work.

Some building stats:

  • 118,890 sq. ft.
  • $35.5M to build

    including furnishings and equipment
  • $19,676,075 in gifts (no state funds were used)
  • More than 1,000 alumni, businesses and friends gave to the building
  • 17 classrooms and labs, 26 student team rooms