New MBA House inspired by Harvard

For the Robert H. Lee Graduate School at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, the new MBA House represents a key part of the school’s rebuilding effort, and the culmination of a major effort to provide graduate business students with an exceptional learning environment.

The residence, located at Wesbrook Place in UBC’s South Campus, will give Master of Business Administration and Master of Management students an uncommon ability to interface with each other, with the school’s faculty and alumni, and with visiting business leaders and entrepreneurs.

For inspiration, Sauder needed look no further than alumnus John McArthur, for whom a residence at Harvard Business School was named.

McArthur, who graduated from UBC with a bachelor of commerce degree in forestry in 1957, served as dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) from 1980 through 1995. Since then, he has been the George F. Baker Professor of Business Administration Emeritus and Dean Emeritus at Harvard.

McArthur Hall was dedicated at HBS in 1999 in recognition of his contributions to the university. The residence for MBA students is widely recognized – along with Schwab Residential Center at Stanford University’s business school – for delivering an exceptional MBA experience for students.

Both residences provided ideas for for Kevin Mahon, the president of Adera Development Corp, and a 1982 UBC BCom graduate, who helped lead the MBA House development effort.

Pre-construction, Mahon met with McArthur  who underscored the benefit of an student residence to graduate students at his institution.

“It’s a total experience they’re going through – and where they live is part of that whole experience,” said McArthur. “The students do learn from each other.”