Official opening of the Alan Walters Building

Leading UK economist and former Chairman of Santander Lord Burns is to formally open the Alan Walters Building, the new postgraduate teaching centre for Birmingham Business School.

Lord Burns will deliver a guest lecture as part of the event on Wednesday 7 December, the official celebration of the new building, which was commissioned after a £10 million investment from the University and a generous philanthropic donation from Lady Walters.

A signature facility for the School, the building will enhance the School’s reputation on a global stage and provide a truly exceptional experience for future generations of postgraduate business students.

The building has been in use by students since the start of the academic year and has been well received for its cleverly designed space, featuring an open-plan layout with high quality specialist teaching spaces. These include a Harvard style lecture theatre, mock trading room and a floor dedicated to our MBA students.

Sarah Pook, studying for a Full-time MBA International Business, said: “The building is very modern and the floor for MBA students is laid out brilliantly. The inclusion of breakout rooms allows for both independent studying as well as group learning.”

Sir Alan Walters became a lecturer in Econometrics at Birmingham in 1951 and was appointed Professor of Econometrics and Social Statistics in 1961. Following his academic career, Sir Alan Walters served as an Economics advisor to Margaret Thatcher during her time as UK Prime Minister.

Places are still available for the official opening, which begins at 17:15 on 7 December. Anyone interested in attending should register on the University website.