RHODEN BUSINESS INNOVATION CENTER DISTINGUISHES CBA

RHODEN BUSINESS INNOVATION CENTER DISTINGUISHES CBA

The Rod Rhoden Business Innovation Center further distinguishes the College of Business Administration (CBA) by enhancing the delivery of knowledge to its students and expanding the vibrant relationships between the college, the community and the region’s businesses.

“WE ARE A PUBLIC INSTITUTION WITH A PUBLIC MISSION, AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY, THIS NEW SPACE ENABLES US TO DO THAT IN A MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL WAY.”

MICHELLE W. TRAWICK, PH.D., CBA DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS

Officially unveiled October 15, the Rod Rhoden Business Innovation Center is a 44,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art addition to Mammel Hall that houses programs and resources that focus on building the relationships that grow business and fuel the economy. It features an Entrepreneurship Lab that supports UNO’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising; along with the newly-formed School of Accounting; the CBA Scholars Academy; a new business activity center dedicated to public events; and the home for the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education (NCITE) Center of Excellence. The addition was paid for through a privately funded initiative, with lead gifts from the Mammel Foundation, Rod Rhoden Foundation, Union Pacific Foundation, Jack and Stephanie Koraleski, and Robert Stedman. It is named for Rod Rhoden, a 1967 business graduate of UNO who has been a leader in entrepreneurship and business for nearly 50 years. Since returning to Omaha in 1971, he has been a major investor in auto dealerships and real estate ventures in the area. He has interest in four auto dealerships in Omaha and Lincoln employing more than 300 people. In recognition of the Union Pacific’s contribution, the college’s outdoor gathering space is named the Union Pacific Plaza. Community-engaged research and service is enhanced through the newly designed and expanded Jack and Stephanie Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavioral Lab (CABLAB), and the addition of a 184-person business activity center. Faculty and graduate students in the Department of Homeland Security’s NCITE center conduct groundbreaking research and create relevant workforce expansion programming that directly impacts many sectors of the metropolitan community. The new space raises the bar for the School of Accounting, which was changed from the Department of Accounting in 2019.