Andover, MA Merrimack College broke ground on its first new academic building in nearly three decades with a ceremony followed by a campus “block party” and fireworks. Students, faculty and staff were on hand at the Sakowich Campus Center for the celebration. Also in attendance were representatives from PROCON who is the designer and builder of the 49,000 s/f building to be located at 26 Rock Ridge Rd. President Christopher Hopey, Ph.D., and chairman Michael Crowe were the featured speakers at the event.

The new academic pavilion is to be home to the Girard School of Business, and accommodate several classrooms. Among those classrooms is the Mucci Capital Markets Lab, which is a mock financial trading floor, and the Financial Capability Center, which offers workshops and coaching to those underserved by the traditional financial system.

It was a momentous occasion for the college that last broke ground in 1989 for the Mendel Building —dedicated to the Rev. Gregor Mendel, O.S.A., a pioneering geneticist. Merrimack’s Academic Innovation Center, a wing of the Athletics Complex, opened in 2013; it houses the Sports Medicine and Health Sciences Center, the Mucci Lab and the Writers House. North Campus, between Flaherty Road and Rock Ridge Road, now includes two residence halls, the Honors Commons and the Sanctuary Coffee House. 

The North Campus Academic Pavilion is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Shown (from left) are: Jeff Koetteritz, VHB; Felipe Schwartz, Merrimack College; Jean Garbier, VHB; Lance Bennett, PROCON; Gino Baroni, Trident; James Loft, PROCON; Todd Hooper, PROCON; Lynn Kramer, PROCON; and Marc Lehoullier, Trident.