FAQs

The college’s original building was completed in 1958 at a time when the College of Business enrolled roughly 800 students. In 1984, an annex was added, and the entire building was dedicated as the Charles A. Rovetta Business Building. At the time, the college enrolled 3,000 students. Today, the college’s enrollment is approximately 6,346 students (undergraduate and graduate students). In addition to our physical space needs, the instructional needs of the college have changed dramatically over the last 30 years. We need a new building that includes the collaborative and technology spaces needed for today and tomorrow. We also need independent meeting and event space to host the networking and educational programs desperately needed by our students.

The new building is called Legacy Hall to demonstrate the role that each one of us – alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students – plays in leaving our own mark on the history of the College of Business. Everything that we do touches the life of the college in some respect. We are asking every member of the College of Business family to give to the Legacy Hall project. Of course, the new building can be named for one or more individuals if a generous donor or donors step forward.

Legacy Hall is designed to promote collaboration and networking among students, faculty, alumni and visitors. The first floor will house a large lobby and atrium, along with a student commons area and a multipurpose event space. This will allow the college to host showcase events on site rather than other locations in Tallahassee. In addition, Legacy Hall will contain a number of collaboration areas where students and/or faculty can hold impromptu meetings, sketch ideas on erasable walls, or practice class presentations. Laboratory areas, such as the student incubator, the financial trading lab, and the expanded sales lab will further promote collaboration among students and faculty. Finally, Legacy Hall will include more classroom space to handle our current and future needs ranging from small seminar rooms to large lecture auditoriums. Legacy Hall is designed to be the hub of business collaboration at FSU, in Tallahassee, and the Big Bend region.

Legacy Hall is estimated to cost $160 million, which includes all brick-and-mortar, technology and furnishings. The cost will be shared with the university. A number of giving opportunities are available.

Legacy Hall will be located just south of the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center at Florida State University on the corner of West Gaines Street and MLK Boulevard. When Florida State University acquired the Civic Center in 2013, it opened a new southeast entrance to the main campus. The university’s plans are to completely revamp the Civic Center area with new retail stores, restaurants, a hotel, a renovated arena and potentially new student housing and academic spaces. Once this vision becomes a reality, the “Arena District” will create a new gateway to Florida State University. This growth coincides with recent developments along the Gaines Street corridor, the “Madison Mile” and the College Town District. The synergy among these different aspects of both FSU and the City of Tallahassee make the Arena District an ideal location for Legacy Hall.

The Rovetta Building will be repurposed for use by another academic unit on campus. Several departments and colleges need expanded space for their students, faculty and academic programs. Other units are spread across campus and would benefit from being located together in one building.

You can become involved by considering your legacy to the College of Business and giving to help make it become a reality. Simply go to business.fsu.edu/give and make a gift to Legacy Hall. Or, feel free to contact development officer Jahangir "JK" Khan at jkhan@business.fsu.edu or (850) 631-0392. All amounts are appreciated and help ensure the legacy of the College of Business will continue. We are not just building Legacy Hall; we are building our legacy for tomorrow.