Kamm Hall Gets a Makeover After 30 Years
We’re not talking nip and tuck. And we’re talking more than just tuck and point.
Jacob O. Kamm Hall, home of the Division of Business Administration and Department of Economics at Baldwin-Wallace College, received a dramatic renovation while students were away this summer.
Kamm Hall was built for $2 million and dedicated in September 1976 to house the Business Division, MBA and Department of Economics and Mathematics. The building and its furnishings such as seating, tables and other fixtures, had remained essentially untouched and reflected what would have been contemporary tastes in that era. 
Kamm was built well before the advent of computers and other technologies that are now integral to business and business education and, while infrastructure and technology upgrades had been made through the years, the building's interior has been showing its age. The renovation has allowed the building to be wired or networked so that student and faculty can operate with portability or ready access to the Internet tools throughout the building.
For instance, two-way communications technologies in the Kamm Board Room will provide capabilities for worldwide teleconferencing and distance learning. The Board Room also offers graduating students the expanded opportunity to target prospective employers across the globe as they can now interview without leaving Berea. “The technology improvements will help bring the world to us,” said J. Peter Kelly, chair of the Business Division, “as well as introduce the world to the Baldwin-Wallace experience.”
In addition to being better wired and having improved esthetics, the renovation brings new windows and other energy efficiencies that will help reduce operating costs.
Virtually every inch of the classrooms, offices and computer laboratories received a makeover.Enhancements include new carpet, floor and wall coverings, furniture, lighting, display cases and storage. An electronic message system greets students and visitors and the B-W nameplate is carved into the entryway floors.
The $580,000 project was made possible by a fund, which was established by the Kamm family, other restricted College funds and a major gift from Stephen Boesel '68, a B-W trustee and graduate of the business program (see sidebar).
“The changes at Kamm are doing more than creating an environment where students can learn about 21st century business practices,” said Peter Rea, Burton D. Morgan Professor in Entrepreneurial Studies. “These improvements are providing a platform where students and faculty can continue contributing to changes in our regional economy.”
275 Eastland Rd.