D Business: Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business Opens North of Little Caesars Arena
Wayne State University in Detroit Tuesday celebrated the opening of the Mike Ilitch School of Business. The school was made possible by a $40 million gift from Little Caesars Pizza founders Mike and Marian Ilitch, which was the largest in WSU’s history. “Watching our new home advance from inception to reality has been one of the most rewarding moments of my career,” says Bob Forsyth, dean of the Mike Ilitch School of Business. “Mike and Marian Ilitch’s historic donation has made way for our best and brightest students to thrive more than ever before. We are forever thankful for the philanthropy provided to our academic community.” As part of the project, new curriculum was developed at the business school, including new programs in sport and entertainment management, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation. The four-story, 125,000-square-foot building features a two-story atrium, an executive MBA suite, a full-service accounting lab, flexible spaces for tutoring and advising, and room to support local pop-up retail operations. Its 260-seat Lear Auditorium is equipped with audio video technology and the ability to accommodate full-sized vehicles for the university’s automotive partners. There is also a street-level finance and data analytics lab with a Wall Street-style LED stock ticker and interactive display wall, along with Bloomberg terminals and databases. “Mike and I were so proud to make the gift to build this school. It was one of the highlights of our careers,” says Marian Ilitch. “We were so excited about the positive impact it will have on the students, the university, the city of Detroit, and our broader community, for generations to come.”
