University revamp boosts hopes for business

Sheffield University’s management school is currently in the early stages of £11.5m makeover which academics said would make its facilities among the best in the world and attract some of the country’s brightest business brains.

The news was welcomed by the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which was set up to take over the task of attracting inward investment into South Yorkshire following demise of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

The LEP covers nine district areas including the four South Yorkshire councils and Bassetlaw, Chesterfield, Bolsover, Derbyshire Dales, and North East Derbyshire.

James Newman, the chairman of the LEP, and a former deputy chairman of the board of governors at Sheffield’s other university, Hallam, said top-level graduates were a huge part of ensuring the region could sell itself to global businesses.

Mr Newman added: “The future of the Sheffield City Region depends on a strong partnership between industry, local authorities and our universities and colleges to drive economic prosperity in the region.

“The ability to produce strong management and leadership skills is an important component and this new facility will play an important role for the whole of the Sheffield City Region.”

New features shown in the blueprints of Sheffield’s new management school in the university’s Crookesmoor Building include what academics have described as “flexible, multi-purpose teaching spaces that will inspire learning”.

They are also set to bring in a state of the art executive suite, for hosting meeting with business representatives, clients and partners such as the LEP.

Prof Keith Glaister, the Dean of the management school said: “The management school at Sheffield is at a crucial stage of its evolution.

“We have experienced dramatic growth in student numbers, increased our academic reputation in research and accreditations, and begun to climb the international rankings.

“Our new location in the refurbished Crookesmoor building will provide excellent facilities to help achieve our further ambitions. I welcome the support of alumni, individuals and organisations to take the school to the next level of success.”

Prof Glaister said the new facility – which was previously the location of the university’s Law School – will complement the management school’s coveted “triple crown” status.

It recently received awards from the three largest and most influential business school accreditation associations across the entire world.

Following the Association to Advanced Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation earlier this year, the Management School joined the top one per cent of centres across the world – 57 globally and just 14 in the UK – to be awarded by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the AACSB.

The management school is the largest department in the University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and is home to more than 1,800 students.

Its new home will include three lecture theatres and eight seminar rooms, superb conference and ICT facilities, attractive gardens, and improved parking.

The works will be completed by March 2013 and the school is planning to move in over Easter 2013.