Instead of going to class Friday, students in the College of Business will be celebrating the dedication of the new Gerdin Business Building (or sleeping in).

The building is open between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. for self-guided tours. Business students and faculty will be on hand to answer questions in each room. A ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in 1148 Gerdin.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and the Gerdins, who donated money for the building, are among the scheduled speakers.

“It is exciting to have the governor speak,” said Lucas Schnoebelen, senior in marketing. “It’s great that he’s still making time to make education a priority.”

Schnoebelen will serve as a student emcee for part of the ceremony. His hometown of Coralville is also home to Russ and Ann Gerdin, after whom the building was named.

Andrea Rheinhart, senior in management, will represent the student body on the lineup of speakers.

“It is a huge step forward for Iowa State, and it is a chance to see alumni giving back,” Rheinhart said.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy will host his President’s Council meeting Friday in the Gerdin Building in honor of the dedication.

Kim Schroeder, program coordinator for the College of Business, said 400 people have indicated they’ll attend, and the college is expecting about 600 people for the dedication. A simulcast will run to accommodate overflow from the auditorium.

She said alumni will be excited to come back to see business students finally have their own building to call home, a privilege the alumni did not have when they were at Iowa State.

During the 1960s and 1970s, business students had a pseudo-home in the Industrial Arts Building, which is no longer on campus, Schroeder said. The College of Business was moved to Carver Hall in 1969, and now, the Gerdin Building marks the first sole home for the college.

“I’ve taken a full circle as a student,” Schnoebelen said. “My classes used to be all over campus, and it’s a good culmination to have every class in one building during my last semester.”

Rheinhart said she and other members of the Business Council will join the Gerdins for lunch.

Alumni joined the Gerdins in supporting the building. Rheinhart said she hopes to follow in their footsteps.

“I would love to make a major donation,” Rheinhart said. “One of my goals is to buy brand new computers for the Business Analysis Lab within five years of graduation.”

Rheinhart wants to become the founder and chief executive officer of her own company and said her experiences in the College of Business are preparing her for that goal.

“The building has given our program an extra edge,” Rheinhart said. “It’s a place to call home.”