MSU Dedicates $66 Million School Of Business Building In Essex County

Montclair State University now officially has a name for its new, $66 million building… The Mimi and Edwin Feliciano School of Business.

School officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building on Thursday.

The dedication of the new building comes after a surprising, $20 million anonymous gift in July - the largest single donation MSU has received in its 107-year history – dedicated to supporting the programs of the new school of business.

• See related article: Mystery Donor Gifts $20 Million To Montclair State University

“The Mimi and Edwin Feliciano School of Business embodies Montclair State’s commitment to providing students in our high-demand business programs with the highest quality academic experience in programs that are relevant to the emerging business environment,” said Montclair State University President Susan Cole. “The university is very fortunate to have the support and guidance of the Felicianos, who are outstanding examples of New Jersey business leaders.”

New Jersey Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno joined Cole and Mimi and Edwin Feliciano as guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to signal the opening of the new building to students, alumni and the business community.

According to a release, the $66 million, 143,000-square-foot, six-story building will serve as a “high-tech, interactive business learning environment” for 2,800 undergraduate and graduate business students.

The building includes a financial trading floor that provides a real-world experience in building investment portfolios and analyzing real-time market data, a Financial Resource Center, 12 Bloomberg terminals, a 3D printing innovation lab with 35 3D printers, interview rooms for corporate recruiting, state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs, a 150-seat lecture hall that will be used for executive speaker presentations and public events, and collaborative spaces for business networking, team building and group study.

Another important asset of the school will be the Ellyn A. McColgan Student Services Center – named after MSU graduate Ellyn McColgan - which will provide business students with integrated and individualized academic advisement and career counseling and placement from the date of their admission to graduation and transition to the workforce.

THE NAMESAKES

According to a release, in 2001, Mimi and Edwin Feliciano took over the Lincoln Park Healthcare Center, a family owned company, and built it into an “industry frontrunner” in short-term rehabilitation care. The pair introduced the JDT Medical Rehabilitation Center and Villa, a new model in health care facility design. In 2012, the Felicianos sold the company and established FEM Real Estate LLC, which owns, manages and invests in commercial real estate throughout the United States.

“Eddie and I are both honored and deeply moved by this wonderful recognition,” said Mimi Feliciano. “Our proud association with Montclair State reflects our longstanding conviction that a combination of education, mentoring and encouragement will not only transform lives but also shape the leaders, thinkers and innovators that we need tomorrow.”

According to Feliciano, she feels fortunate to have had her parent’s encouragement when she was growing up and later embarking on a career.

“My mother and father believed in me, saw how much I could accomplish and taught me how to run a business,” said Feliciano. “That kind of inspiration is invaluable. Being part of Montclair State and the students is a way to pay back for the support that I and Eddie were both fortunate to have and also a way to pay it forward.”

Photo courtesy of Montclair State University

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