UNLV kicks off fundraising effort for Hotel College academic building with announcement of $2.5 million gift

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Monday, Feb. 10, 2014 | 10:09 a.m.

A drive to raise money for construction of a new academic building for UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration kicked off today with the announcement of a $2.5 million gift.

Konami Corp., parent company of Las Vegas-based Konami Gaming Inc. said in a news release its gift to UNLV “will help build a solid foundation for excellence in hospitality and gaming education.”

The gift officially launches the campaign for construction funding for Hospitality Hall at the center of UNLV’s campus. The total project cost is estimated at $50 million, with a proposed $30 million in public funding and $20 million in private support. Existing kitchen and laboratory spaces in Beam Hall will be renovated as part of the project.

Preliminary plans for the facility include roughly 95,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and meeting space that will be designed to encourage interaction and a sense of community between students, faculty, and industry professionals. Hospitality Hall will be situated on the North Field behind Frank and Estella Beam Hall, which the Hotel College currently shares with the Lee Business School.

State legislators approved planning funds for the project during the 2013 Legislative Session, and the State Board of Examiners last week approved a contract for architectural services . UNLV expects to present a public funding request during the 2015 Legislative Session, which if approved could lead to project completion by late 2017.

“Konami is honored to make this financial commitment for the UNLV Hospitality Hall as a contribution to the development of both the gaming industry and its future leaders,” said Takuya Kozuki, president of Konami Corp.

In 2010, donated $1 million to the Hotel College. In recognition of the company’s support of gaming education, the gaming lab located in the UNLV Stan Fulton Building was formally named the KONAMI Gaming Laboratory.