LORMAN — An innovative new structure that will cater to the betterment of business students is on its way to Alcorn State’s Lorman campus.

The university held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the technology classroom building. 

The building, which will be more than 38,000 square feet, will be a state-of-the-art facility that will be the home for Alcorn’s School of Business.

The property will be equipped with a stock ticker and a simulated trading room.

The structure will be located between the facilities management office and the biotechnology building. Construction is expected to be completed by June 2020.

Dr. Jeff Posey, associate vice president for Facilities Management, thanked everyone who helped bring the construction of this building to life.

“The center will add much-needed classrooms, assembly and office space to the university,” Posey said. “We thank all of the partners who were involved in this project. We’re appreciative of your support.”

Dr. Donna Williams, interim vice provost for academic affairs and dean for the school of business, expressed her satisfaction about the new building.

“We appreciate this opportunity for us to be a part of the new building,” Williams said. “We are so happy that this project is coming to fruition. This ceremony marks a milestone for the school to make it a more integral part of education, teaching and research at the university. This is the home that we think we deserve.”

Hoppy Allred, project architect for Allred Stolarski Architects, and Akili Kelly, project manager for the Bureau of Building, Grounds, and Real Property Management for the Mississippi Department of Finance & Administration, spoke about what it took to make it to the groundbreaking.

“This has been a long journey, and it is exciting to see the beginning of the building’s construction,” Allred said. “This will be an information hub for the school.”

“It took a tremendous amount of coordination to make this happen, and we’re committed to ensuring that Alcorn can meet all of its improvement goals,” Kelly said. “We’re grateful to be in this partnership with the university.”

Dr. Donzell Lee, interim president, shared his excitement for the building’s future. He also applauded the school for its patience in waiting for a new structure to call home.

“We started this project in 2014, so we are so happy to be at this point today,” Lee said. “We’ve overcome many obstacles during this project, but legislatures played a big role in helping us with funds for the building. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to this effort. We appreciate the diligence and patience of the school of business. We’re not just building buildings. We’re building futures for our students.”