Simmons welcomes the SOM to the main campus
Kelly Bell
Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: News
This semester, the Simmons School of Management (SOM) moved into a new building on the academic campus. SOM Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands described the move as "the most exciting change that's happened to the School of Management in decades."
Previously the Simmons management program was divided between two separate campuses: the graduate students and faculty at 409 Commonwealth Ave. and the undergraduate students and faculty in a wing of the Main College Building (MCB). Now the two branches are together in the new, environment-friendly building.
"Already, you can see new connections, new kinds of research, new collaborations, and just an energy among the faculty that's really phenomenal," Merrill-Sands said.
Merrill-Sands said she expects the building to give the management programs more of a presence on campus, and hopes more undergraduate students will consider management as a major. Last month the MBA program brought in its largest January-cycle class ever.
"The building is a powerful brand statement, and really reflects all the work we've been doing in strengthening both the undergraduate management program and the MBA program," said Merrill-Sands.
The new building is the first at Simmons to be built in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The LEED standards are a set of sustainability specifications that set the national standard for high-performance, sustainable, and energy-efficient buildings. Simmons has applied for LEED Silver certification and, if approved, will be the fourth highest education institution in the Boston area to have a building certified at the Silver level or higher.
"I think we will absolutely meet all the standards for the silver level certification that we're going for, and we'll certainly exceed it," Merrill-Sands said.
The new building consumes 34 percent less water and 38 percent less energy than a non-certified, like-sized building would. Some features include dual-flush toilets (flush up for liquid waste, down for solid waste), bike racks, electronically controlled heating and cooling systems, and recyclable collection areas throughout the building. Ten percent of the content of all building materials were from recycled materials, and 92 percent of the construction waste was either recycled or reused.
Previously the Simmons management program was divided between two separate campuses: the graduate students and faculty at 409 Commonwealth Ave. and the undergraduate students and faculty in a wing of the Main College Building (MCB). Now the two branches are together in the new, environment-friendly building.
"Already, you can see new connections, new kinds of research, new collaborations, and just an energy among the faculty that's really phenomenal," Merrill-Sands said.
Merrill-Sands said she expects the building to give the management programs more of a presence on campus, and hopes more undergraduate students will consider management as a major. Last month the MBA program brought in its largest January-cycle class ever.
"The building is a powerful brand statement, and really reflects all the work we've been doing in strengthening both the undergraduate management program and the MBA program," said Merrill-Sands.
The new building is the first at Simmons to be built in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The LEED standards are a set of sustainability specifications that set the national standard for high-performance, sustainable, and energy-efficient buildings. Simmons has applied for LEED Silver certification and, if approved, will be the fourth highest education institution in the Boston area to have a building certified at the Silver level or higher.
"I think we will absolutely meet all the standards for the silver level certification that we're going for, and we'll certainly exceed it," Merrill-Sands said.
The new building consumes 34 percent less water and 38 percent less energy than a non-certified, like-sized building would. Some features include dual-flush toilets (flush up for liquid waste, down for solid waste), bike racks, electronically controlled heating and cooling systems, and recyclable collection areas throughout the building. Ten percent of the content of all building materials were from recycled materials, and 92 percent of the construction waste was either recycled or reused.
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