Plans for the Northern Enterprise Center, which will house the College of Business, were announced in January. The Northern Enterprise Center will be an expansion and attachment off of the Hedgcock Building, connecting to Jamrich Hall through a skywalk. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer approved state funding to help build this project. 

The Northern Enterprise Center will feature spaces to enhance the business programs offered at Northern, including College of Business faculty offices, student study rooms, classrooms, a cyber lab and a store featuring products or services produced or envisioned by students.

“The design of this space will influence our teaching and impact student learning,” College of Business Dean Carol Johnson said. 

She adds the design of this building will incorporate existing spaces of Hedgcock, while still having a unique design.

“Hedgcock has a lot of historical significance on campus so we will be honoring that by leaving part of it in the design,” Johnson said. 

While Johnson says there has been much discussion about this building for some time, the project is still in the preliminary stages with a goal of opening around Fall 2026. 

“We have had a dream to have a business building for as long as I have been at Northern, and I have been at Northern for 25 years,” Johnson said.

Over the last few years, Northern has seen an increase in enrollment. However, Johnson says not having a building specific to the College of Business limits student and faculty interactions outside of the classroom.

“We see our students in class, we see them at events, but we do not see them outside of that like while grabbing a coffee because we are so far away,” Johnson said. 

The College of Business does not currently have a specific building for their program. Classes and faculty offices are located in Cohodas Hall, across from the Northern Center. 

“Having our own classrooms will be helpful because we can design them the way we think we need to have them,” Johnson said.

Northern’s College of Business currently offers 19 degree programs and has 30 faculty members. 

“We expect this to help us grow. Being integrated as part of the Academic Mall is really important,” Johnson said. “The opportunity to see us on a regular basis and know that there is a presence. I think our presence is going to be really helpful.”

Johnson adds the announcement of this building has yielded positive feedback throughout the campus community.

“The faculty are very excited about it, I hope students are, too. I want to see shovels in the ground so then it becomes a reality,” Johnson said. 

Johnson says the timeline for this project is in the beginning stages as several other buildings on campus are currently undergoing renovations.