CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Monday was the first day of school for University of Illinois students and the first day for a new building on campus.

Steven S. Wymer Hall, an academic building at the Gies College of Business, is open after being under construction for more than two years. Wymer is a Gies School of Business alumnus.
And, he’s also from Danville.

Wymer is now a portfolio manager for Fidelity Investments, and he made a $25 million donation to the project.

“We are just super excited to open Wymer Hall today,” Gies College of Business Director of Communications, Aaron Bennett, said.

Wymer Hall is officially open, and it’s located in South Campus on Gregory Drive. The opening comes in a timely fashion.

“It’s just a really important facility for us as we’ve expanded access to education. We’re welcoming in our largest freshman class in school history this year,” Bennett said.

With more than 3,000 undergraduate students in the Gies College of Business, the building came as a response to a necessity.

“We just needed more classrooms, more online studios, and more offices for our faculty and staff,” Bennett said.

Students shared their initial reactions from their first step into the new building.

“It’s really spacious. I’m about to head into the auditorium, so I’m excited to see what that looks like. It’s just got, like, a brand new car smell,” a University of Illinois sophomore, Finley Mattes, said.

Mattes has two classes in Wymer this semester.

“It’s really what I’ve been looking for. I love that resources are getting put back into this University. It’s really helped my educational experience, and I’m sure it’s going to benefit students coming down the road after me,” Mattes said.

The building is a hub of classrooms, collaborative spaces, an auditorium, and offices for faculty.

“It just screams orange and blue and University of Illinois all over. So, it’s just exciting. It’s a vibrant place to be,” Bennett said.

Bennett believes building it reaffirms the Gies’ mission.

“We want to expand access to education and open doors for anybody who is committed to pursuing an education. So, that just allows us to kind of spread our wings a little bit and welcome more students in,” Bennett said.

Wymer Hall is not a finished project, they’re just in phase one. Bennett said that there’s still more to come. He said that six months from now, it will be unrecognizable with more new furniture and upgrades to classrooms.

The ribbon cutting and dedication is in October, but university wanted the building to be open for the start of classes.