With the demolition of the old west wing well underway, The University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management (ASM) recently broke ground on the new McKinnon Center for Management with dignitaries including ASM donor Ian McKinnon, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and a variety of UNM officials in attendance.

Nearly triple in size, the new McKinnon Center for Management will replace the Anderson West building, a 23,000-square-foot building that is nearly 50-years-old. When complete, it will be the place where students will learn the skills they need to become the business leaders of the future.

“I am very proud to be celebrating this momentous event,” said acting President Chaouki Abdallah. “UNM has been very fortunate to have both internal and external support for our capital projects over the last 15 years. We’ve seen an unprecedented amount of capital development on this campus intended to benefit our students, faculty, staff and our community. The improvements to this campus have no doubt been a factor in our ability to recruit and retain some of the best faculty and students, and this project will be no exception.”

The $25 million building, set to open in 2018, is a 61,000-square-foot facility. The project was made possible, in part, by a $5 million donation from Ian McKinnon and his wife Sonnet. The donation was part of a $7.5 million gift to UNM back in 2011, $2.5 million of which went to UNM Athletics.

“Thanks to Ian and Sonnet’s gift of $5 million to support the building of a new facility for Anderson, we finally have a building to expand and replace, at least half of our existing 50-year-old facility,” said Shawn Berman, acting ASM dean. "I'm especially excited for our students who will benefit from the new state-of-the-art building with larger classrooms and the most up–to–date IT services. It will also be beneficial in helping us attract top quality faculty to Anderson, furthering the research and teaching mission of the school."

The McKinnon’s, both of whom grew up in Albuquerque, have many connections to UNM including Ian’s wife Sonnet, a 1993 alumna of the Anderson School of Management. Several family members have also earned degrees at UNM over the years. Ian and Sonnet are both graduates of the Albuquerque Academy. Ian currently serves on its Board of Trustees. He attended Occidental College (Calif.) where he earned a BA, and also attended Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA.

“This is a very special day for my family,” said Ian McKinnon. “I’ve been really touched by all the outpouring of support from all concerned from those that got involved from the very beginning, such as (Dean Emeritus) Doug Brown, seven years ago. It’s an honor and privilege to support our state’s flagship university.”  

“This is an exciting day in the life of the Anderson School of Management,” said acting Provost Craig White, who is the ASM dean currently serving as acting provost. “It marks a distinct transition in the facility capabilities and the resulting opportunities available to faculty, staff, students and community. As the business environment evolves, so do the facility requirements necessary to educate and contribute to the community to meet these needs. The new McKinnon Center for Management will provide the outstanding facility necessary to fill this need.”

The new building will also provide new technological innovations that will help UNM provide students with a world-class business and management education. The two existing buildings, one of which (west building) has now been razed, comprised 45,851 sq. feet of total space.

The features in the new McKinnon Center for Management include:

  • 60,727 square-feet that provides approximately an additional 37,800 sq. feet of space.
  • eight formal teaching spaces; five more than the existing west wing
  • eight conference group study areas that can be structured for smaller classes
  • 11 additional areas, not counting the main lobby, where students can have structured and non-structured learning opportunities; spaces will feature items such as soft-seating, tables, marker boards, monitors, IT connections and other items in support of student learning
  • a marketing lab, an innovation lab and a behavioral research lab
  • an expanded and modern student advising center and an updated career services center and student tutoring rooms
  • new technology including modern heating, cooling and lighting systems designed to cut energy costs in half
     

Mayor Berry, First Lady donate $30K to McKinnon Center for Management

As part of the McKinnon Center for Management groundbreaking ceremony, Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry and First Lady Maria issued a challenge to all the Anderson alumni, approximately 20,000. The Mayor and First Lady donated $30,000 to the Anderson School and the McKinnon Center for Management during the event.

“I want to say personally to Ian and Sonnet, and your entire family, ‘thank you’ for your leadership, your generosity, your heart for this place and the it bodes well – for us and our future – it’s appreciated,” said Mayor Berry. “Our challenge to the community, as a couple, we’re going to donate $30,000 to this effort at UNM and the McKinnon Center for Management. We challenge everybody to step up to your university, and to step up for the Anderson School and follow Ian and Sonnet’s lead. That’s what Maria and I are doing, and I personally challenge all the Anderson alumni. Let’s get our checkbooks out and support this great institution.”

For possible ways to donate to ASM, visit UNM Foundation’s Anderson School of Management funds.


The McKinnon’s hope the investment in the new McKinnon Center for Management provides students with the tools to be successful business-people.

“When I step back, it’s my and Sonnet’s hope that the students that pass through here will in fact learn to make better decisions and get a toolkit that will enable them to make those decisions,” said Ian. “Our real hope though is that they will stay right here and start thriving new businesses and feel empowered to do so. That’s what is at the heart of our gift – it’s an investment in our state, our people, our economy because I think that with Anderson being the premier business school it is, we have a chance to catapult New Mexico into a different economic league.”

“It’s going to be the type of space where we can be proud for the employers coming in as they meet our Anderson students as they begin their careers,” added White.