New AT&T Center Decisively First Class, Undeniably Austin
As the center opens, McCombs is poised to elevate its executive education capabilities to new heights. Get a sneak peek at the new gateway to campus.
By Tracy Mueller
View detailed illustrations and room descriptions of the center.
There is a clever design maneuver in the new AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center that reminds visitors at all times that they are smack in the middle of Austin, Texas. In just about every room, guests will have a view of either The University of Texas at Austin Tower or the Texas State Capitol. And yet, that’s just the first of many features that will signal to visitors that they are staying in one of the premier centers of its kind in the country.
The facility, which sits on the southern edge of the Forty Acres at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and University Avenue, features the trademark arches and limestone of the university’s architecture. It is the new home of the Texas Executive Education open-enrollment and custom programs and the Texas Executive and Texas Evening MBA programs. The building features seven tiered classrooms, a 300-seat amphitheater, multiple breakout and conference rooms and an 800-seat ballroom to complement 297 guest rooms and three restaurants.
“The classrooms are world class,” says David Jemison, management professor and director of the Texas Executive MBA program. “They will enhance the learning environment for our students and be a joy in which to teach. I can’t wait.”
Texas Native Plants Provide a Sense of Place for the New AT&T Center
by Matt W. Turner
Walking to work at McCombs, I routinely pass the new AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on University Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Imagine my surprise one morning when—the building still incomplete and surrounded by construction rubble—a large and well-developed live oak suddenly appeared at the front entrance, fully planted, as if it had been there all along.
In fact, this tree, and its twin on the south side of the building, are recycled. Until a year ago, they were happily growing on the north side of Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium. The stadium expansion required their removal, and the landscape architect for the AT&T Center, Aan Coleman of Coleman & Associates, knew a good opportunity when she saw it.
Though the center will host guests from across the globe, the details of the building are markedly local. Furniture pieces were made using wood from trees removed during construction. Artwork from university faculty and students lines the hallways. And woven into the custom-designed carpet in the 10,000-square-foot ballroom are the lyrics to “The Eyes of Texas.” Even the restaurant names — The Carillon (named after the UT Tower bells), Gabriel’s Sports Café and Tejas Dining Room — are a nod to the university’s heritage.
The interior courtyard features a fountain and native Texas plants, which have been selected for their rotating flowering schedule throughout the year.
As the official communications partner of the center, AT&T is deploying the latest technology, including Wi-Fi service throughout the facility. AT&T has also equipped a full-service business center to provide state-of-the art technology and communications services to hotel guests and conference participants.
In line with the university’s commitment to sustainability, the center provides filtered water with glasses in lieu of bottled water, offers local, organic food, uses non-chemical-based cleaning products and expects to be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building. The facility also has a swimming pool, fitness center and several lounges.
But the most important component of the center is what will take place inside the building.
In his 2003 strategic plan for the school, Dean George Gau noted that the absence of a hotel and conference facility at the university resulted in the loss of several major custom program contracts because competing schools provided residential complexes on campus.
Now that McCombs has a dedicated, first-class space in which to house and teach executives, it has the opportunity to build stronger relationships with top companies and executives. (For an inside look at the evolution of Shell’s custom executive education program, see the story “Built to Last.”)
The intersection of academia and industry creates a cycle of learning and professional development that is mutually beneficial to McCombs and the corporations with which it partners. As professors share their expertise with an organization’s employees, they also glean real-world insight that informs their research and undergraduate and graduate teaching. New knowledge is created, and students enter the workforce with the tools necessary to meaningfully contribute to a company.
The building will also be a bridge to the community beyond campus. Events already scheduled include a wedding reception, Metropolitan Museum of Art lecture and sculpture unveiling and a McCombs MBA Alumni football game watching party.
Take a moment to explore the pdf illustrations. Find a place to reconnect with the school, entertain colleagues and family members and soak up the spirit, traditions and scholarship that define the university.
