One highlight of the Louisiana Tech University 2012 Homecoming will be the dedication of the new College of Business building at Louisiana Tech University at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau will be the master of ceremonies for the event which precedes a reception and open house until 1 p.m. Other speakers on the program will be Wayne Parker, Tech alumnus and chairman of the University of Louisiana System board of supervisors, and James Lumpkin, dean of the College of Business. Lumpkin said the 42,000-square ft. building is necessary for the college to meet the challenges of business education in the 21st century. “It is a functional building,” Lumpkin said. “We have a lot of technology in the building. All the classrooms are smart classrooms. It has all the things that a professional business school needs.” In addition to classrooms of many sizes, there are computer labs, teaching labs with computers at every desk, two auditoriums, meeting rooms, study areas set aside for graduate students, research centers and student support and career resources. “We have a working digital forensics lab to support our program in information assurance [cyber security],” Lumpkin said. The cutting edge technology of the building starts in the lobby with video boards that stream in business news and news of happenings on campus. There is also a ticker tape that provides the latest stock market information. The $12.5 million state-of-the-art structure will be the second building to open on the university’s Enterprise Campus, a research park that will ultimately span 50 acres. The building’s location between the main campus and downtown Ruston  supports the university’s efforts to bring business acumen and innovative thinking together to create economic development opportunities for the region. There are 1,062 students and 50 faculty in the College of Business.  The accredited programs of the college offer bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business administration, business economics, computer information systems, finance, marketing and three areas of management. Graduate degrees offered are the master of business administration, master of professional accountancy and doctor of business of business administration. The new College of Business building as well as other campus construction projects are a function of Tech 2020, Louisiana Tech’s long-range strategic plan and foundation for the future. Written by Reggie Owens – regowens@latech.edu