

The Future of Business Education at WKU
The Future of Business Education at WKU
Amy and David Chandler Hall
Through flexible classrooms; new technology; intentionally designed areas for team projects; spaces designed to emulate real-world working environments; and more, the new 113,000-square-foot, modern College of Business building transforms the way we teach, how we support students and how we prepare them for careers.
Located on the space formerly occupied by Tate Page Hall, the new Gordon Ford College of Business building:
- Better equips and prepares students
- Serves as a point of pride for the WKU Community and the Commonwealth
- Supports the pedagogies, teaching and research of the faculty and staff and GFCB’s ongoing enrollment growth, while serving as the destination of choice for business education
- Supports and enhances the regional business community
- Encourages innovation, invention, creativity, and active learning
- Provides flexible classrooms, new technology, intentionally designed areas for team projects, spaces designed to emulate real-world working environment
- Supports GFCB’s mission to prepare the next generations of business professionals through resources such as a virtual reality simulation space, trading lab with access to Bloomberg Terminals, a one-stop-shop Student Success Center, and a Center for Financial Success
- Transforms the way we teach, how we support young people, and how we prepare them for careers
- Celebrates and modernizes 150 years of business education in the region
The project broke ground in June 2023 and the building opened in the fall of 2025. Amy and David Chandler Hall was dedicated on Sept. 19, 2025.
"This innovative building celebrates the nearly 150-year history of business education in our region, while also marking an exciting new chapter for our beloved university." - President Timothy C. Caboni

The new building has a modern, flexible, open-space interior that supports active learning, academic innovation, curriculum enhancement, and a strong community. The space more uniformly serves the needs of students, elevates the teaching and research of the faculty and staff, and supports ongoing enrollment growth for the Gordon Ford College of Business.

WKU’s 2008-2014 Capital Plan cited the need to construct a new home for the Gordon Ford College of Business. The 2021-2031 Campus Master Plan confirmed that Grise Hall had exceed its useful life and identified a new location (the former site of Tate Page Hall) for a new business building. In April 2022, the Kentucky General Assembly approved $74.4 million for the construction of a new building.

A Steering Committee, led by prior GFCB Dean Christopher Shook, worked with the architects of Gensler (Chicago) to design a space that elevates business education at WKU. Gensler (Chicago) visited campus and met with key stakeholders, including Gordon Ford College of Business faculty, staff, and students, as well as other members of the WKU Community to gather feedback and solicit ideas.

Amy and David Chandler
At the WKU Board of Regents meeting on Friday, August 8, the philanthropic naming of the new facility to house the Gordon Ford College of Business was approved as Amy and David Chandler Hall. The naming was made in recognition of a commitment of $7.5 million from the Chandlers.
“Western Kentucky University holds a special place of pride in our hearts,” David Chandler ('82) said. “It’s where we discovered our passion for business and built the foundation for our future. We are honored to be able to support the construction of the new home of the Gordon Ford College of Business with this gift, which reflects our belief in the power of education to transform lives.”
“We hope this investment helps provide students at WKU with the tools, opportunities and leadership skills they need to succeed,” Amy Hale Chandler ('93) said. “And we hope they use those attributes to pursue their own giving opportunities for the benefit of others, just as we once dreamed of doing as students at WKU.”
The Chandlers’ philanthropy encompasses a wide range of causes, from WKU athletics and academics to the Chandler Memorial Chapel and other community efforts.
A Great College of Business Needs a Great Place to do Business.

"Creating a space where students have all they need to study, practice and engage with each other is critically important to us." - Dr. Evelyn Thrasher, Dean, Gordon Ford College of Business
Frequently Asked Questions
The 113,000-square foot-building transforms undergraduate and graduate business education in the region and fulfills an important component of WKU’s 2021-2031 Campus Master Plan.
Through flexible classrooms; new technology; intentionally designed areas for team projects; spaces designed to emulate real-world working environments; and more, the new 113,000-square-foot, modern Gordon Ford College of Business building tranforms the way we teach, how we support students and how we prepare them for careers.
The College, named after alumnus Gordon B. Ford, who gave the largest gift in the College’s history in 1998, will retain the name “Gordon Ford College of Business.”
Yes, named space opportunities start at $10,000. Visit our Giving page to learn more.
Yes, donor names can stil be added to the donor wall within Amy and David Chandler Hall. Visit our Giving page to learn more.
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