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The centers finally moved in together this fall, after years of separate residences.

Four of the Centers of Excellence at the Leeds School of Business now share a remodeled suite on the third floor—a sunlit space with glass walls that allows for more face-to-face interaction than ever before. The centers are Leeds’ gateway to industry, and they share the mission of enhancing the student experience through experiential learning, academic research, community engagement and industry exposure.

“The power of the centers is their synergy and alignment of interest. Now that we are physically together, it’s amazing how casual hallway conversations blossom into creative ideas and solutions,” said Mike Kercheval, executive director of the CU Real Estate Center (CUREC).

CUREC shares the ‘Centers Suite’ with the Burridge Center for Finance, the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR), and the Business Research Division (BRD). All that’s missing is the fifth Center of Excellence, the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, which occupies space in the new Rustandy Building in order to leverage synergies with the engineering school.

In September, the four centers hosted an open house for all students, faculty and staff. The new co-location will make it easier for all to take advantage of their rich resources, said Stephanie Gillin, associate dean of administration. What’s more, she added, is that “the co-location will inspire ‘casual collisions’ that yield new ideas and connections.”

Sheila Duffy, executive director of the Burridge Center, agreed. “The new centers’ space is open and bright and ripe for collaboration. The shared space is so beneficial as we all work to support our students, faculty and external relationships. In this space, we are able to easily have offline conversations, share ideas and work together on various initiatives to enhance the academic experience at Leeds.”

The centers provide research topics for faculty, best practices for organizations, close connections with industry partners and hands-on learning experiences for students. They also sponsor numerous programs, events and special projects that inform and inspire academia and the professionals living and working in our local community.

And countless synergies between their areas of focus make collaboration a no-brainer.

“At CESR we are thinking about how to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into business strategy and operations. The new space facilitates collaboration so that this isn’t just a CESR conversation—It can become a much larger conversation that involves all centers, students and faculty,” said Kathryn Wendell, executive director of CESR.

In addition, each center can inform other efforts with their areas of expertise. BRD provides the general economic outlook for Colorado’s economy several times a year, which directly affects the programs and experiences offered schoolwide. BRD’s executive director, Brian Lewandowski, thinks there are many ways they can learn from one another.

“Close proximity to the centers helps keep me more informed about their interesting and diverse initiatives that impact students and the broader community,” he said.

The Leeds community looks forward to exciting new partnerships and a wealth of new opportunities ahead.