The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees granted approval recently for a $10.8 million renovation to Grawn Hall, the oldest building on Central Michigan University's campus.

College of Business Administration Dean Charles Crespy said the project will add 6,600 square feet of space, a cafe, atrium and collaboration rooms to the building.

Improvement to Grawn Hall is long overdue. The board's decision to allow renovations to parts of the building dating to 1913 is commendable. More than that, the plan's emphasis on student success and achievement is impressive.

Together with Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, and Linda Slater, plant engineering and planning director, Crespy has been discussing the Grawn renovation with key members of administration for more than a year. The college hired a space consultant in June 2013, who prepared a report identifying the best ways to maximize space in the building.

According to Crespy, the College of Business Administration has raised $471,000 in contention gifts, for a total of $903,000 when added to the president's match. Donors were willing to commit funds before they knew if the project was approved—a testament to Crespy's vision for Grawn.

“We feel like this is something that will engage would-be donors to get excited about supporting us,” Crespy said. “It’s about student success."

Some college-specific needs are obvious. The lack of study space in Grawn, for example, left students sprawled along the hallways between classes.

The most recent survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Research showed that students who spend more time on campus tend to maintain higher GPAs and are more likely to continue their education at CMU. The creation of study rooms and addition of the cafe will allow students to work with each other in Grawn Hall for longer periods of time, contributing to their academic success.

Business students spend a great deal of time collaborating for classwork and projects, which mirrors the atmosphere of the profession they are preparing for. Crespy and his team showed investment in students by making the renovation plans centered around comfortable study areas and rooms for creative use.

The plan will not only make improvements to the oldest part of the building to keep students there longer, but will create new features like collaboration rooms and a glass atrium to attract new students to the program. The addition will act as a recruitment tool for the college.

The College of Business Administration currently serves more than 4,000 students every year. If each of those students take one three-credit class at $385 per credit hour, the college makes $4.6 million. This addition is a smart investment on the part of the college that will pay itself off easily.

The university is only being asked to commit $5 million to Grawn's renovation. The addition is good for both the business students and the business of CMU.

The renovation of Grawn Hall was possible because it was selected as one of the 20 projects CMU identified as top priorities in the 10-year Capital Plan, part of the 2012-13 Campus Master Plan. President Ross, his Cabinet and the Board of Trustees made up a committee that narrowed down more than 200 proposed projects to the 20 that will be implemented over the next 10 years.

Such a successful road to construction is not possible for all proposed building projects at CMU, but this plan's attention to student needs and nod to future recruitment are a great example of the kind that will make the cut.