Building Innovation

Exterior of the Robert W. Plaster Center.

Rendering provided by WSKF Architects.

Park University is breaking ground for the future. Construction of the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center on the Parkville Campus, the new home of the University’s School of Business, will usher in a new decade of innovative business education at Park.

Significant funding for the project comes from the Robert W. Plaster Foundation, the Sunderland Foundation, the Goppert Foundation, an anonymous Kansas-based foundation and the Edward F. Swinney Trust. These contributions recognize Park’s role in preparing the next generation of U.S. business leaders.

“Park recognizes that employers are looking for students who can communicate, think critically and display integrity,” said Park University President Greg Gunderson, Ph.D. “We instill those qualities through real-world education by experienced faculty in small classes.”

The Plaster Center will expand that real-world education through several state-of-the-art laboratories. An innovation and entrepreneurship lab will provide the technology and workspace for planning and developing business concepts. A finance lab will allow students to make financial projections based on virtual simulations. A video lab will enhance distance learning opportunities, bringing business faculty faceto-face with students across the country.

Illustration of the interior of the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center.

While students will engage in instruction from multiple locations, this is the first time in Park’s history that all management faculty will occupy the same building.

“This creates opportunities for synergy and peer-to-peer engagement that will benefit all students,” Gunderson said.

The building will also house a lounge for commuter students and the Park Global Warrior Center, providing information and resources for service members and veterans transitioning in and out of the military. Relocation of the PGWC to the Plaster Center, which is being built on the east side of the Parkville Campus main entrance, reflects the University’s commitment to serving those who serve our country.