The Knauss Center for Business Education

$50 million donation opens new USD building

ABIGAIL CAVIZO / NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Almost two years since its announcement, the Knauss Center for Business Education is open and ready for use. USD Board Chairman Donald Knauss and his wife, Ellie Knauss, originally announced the increased donation of $50 million in Dec. 2021. They disclosed why they wanted to give the money, including the influence of their son’s time at USD and the importance of education. Since the pair has invested so much in USD’s business education, their name appears not only in the business school’s name, but also on the new Business Center. 

During the announcement in Dec. 2021, Ellie Knauss explained that their donation is an investment in USD’s future leaders and why USD was the best option. 

“There are so many incredible leaders at this school. We feel that if you put money into something, you have to trust the leadership,” Ellie Knauss said. “We trust the leadership here. We feel that every penny that is put into this school will be multiplied ten times, and that made our decision very easy to choose USD.”

Shortly before the fall 2022 semester began, their expenditure manifested in its final, physical form as the Knauss Center for Business Education. The building is 120,000 square feet, with new resources such as team collaboration pods, where students can reserve and work together on projects. Another resource is the active-learning classrooms which sets up classes to be more student-focused, rather than the typical lecture rows.  

On Aug. 4, students, alumni and faculty arrived to celebrate the new space with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Colachis Plaza, followed by self-guided tours of the new building. 

The School of Business Dean Timothy Keane was excited to finally see the building filled with life. 

“Having been inside the space in the previous couple weeks, I was looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions when they first stepped in after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and I saw so many looks of amazement,” Dean Keane said. “I’ve given all the deans of the different schools individual tours, making sure to tell them that this is theirs to use too, because it’s meant to be an innovation and collaboration ecosystem.”

The Knauss Center is connected to President Harris’ overarching plan, entitled: “Envisioning 2024.” This strategic plan— initially proposed in Nov. 2015— acts as a roadmap to USD student success by the university’s 75th anniversary in 2024.

Dean Keane pointed out specific details of the Business Center that align with the plan. 

“There’s this vision around stewardship that we followed, which is the ability to create wealth in a fair and equitable way, and it definitely fits with the ‘Envisioning 2024’ pathway of practicing changemaking,” Dean Keane said. “An example of this is our Free E Institute, which really is a new form of the curriculum.”

The Knauss School of Business’ Free Enterprise Institute is a resource for students interested in entrepreneurship. Business owners from the community can visit and help students build their desired start-up, with the goal of making positive contributions to society. These new features are open to  all undergraduate students at USD, not just those studying in the School of Business.

Just as Dean Keane explained, USD students outside of the School of Business are excited to utilize the space also.

USD junior Demili Pichay is majoring in Biomedical Engineering, but she sees herself studying in the new Business Center often. 

“It’s cool to see it go from this big, empty lot during my first year to a full-blown building going into my junior year,” Pichay said. “It’s very beautiful, and first-year business students should definitely appreciate that they now have a home for their classes.”

Although all of USD is new to the class of 2026, the Knauss Center provides a sneak peek into a new approach to learning and community collaboration.