Washington College released on Apr. 2 a preview of the Warehime School of Business, highlighting plans for a high-tech facility aimed at preparing students for professional careers. The school is supported by a $15 million gift from alumna Beth Warehime Rizakos and the Warehime Family Foundation.
The launch of the new business school is intended to strengthen business education in the region and provide students with skills to become ethical and globally minded leaders. The first class will be admitted this fall, with majors offered in business management, economics, international studies, as well as French, German, and Hispanic studies. Additional programs will include international business, marketing, quantitative finance, data analytics, accounting, arts management and entrepreneurship.
Design plans from GWWO show that the two-story building will focus on collaboration and global engagement. Features include global distance learning classrooms equipped with real-time streaming technology to connect students internationally; a finance and investment lab where students manage an investment fund exceeding $2 million; an open-concept forum designed for community collaboration; faculty hubs; quiet study areas; and interactive technology spaces.
“The Warehime School of Business represents a bold evolution of the Washington College mission, proving that a rigorous liberal arts foundation is the ultimate competitive advantage in the modern marketplace,” said Washington College Interim President Bryan Matthews ’75 M’86 P’12. “We’re giving our students a high-tech collaborative space where global streaming technology and real-world investment labs provide a premier business education within our uniquely personal environment. With Warehime we are giving our students the intellectual toolkit and the ethical framework to lead with purpose from Day One.”
Beth Warehime Rizakos ’13 said: “Washington College gave me the foundation to navigate the business world with purpose… By investing in these state-of-the-art labs and global classrooms, we are ensuring that our graduates are ready to enter the workforce with confidence while leading with ethical purpose and international perspective.”
A new minor in Global Business, Economics, and Social Impact will also be launched for all majors starting in 2026-27. Caddie Putnam Rankin, Associate Dean of the Warehime School of Business said: “This minor opens the Warehime School of Business to students from across the College… It gives them opportunity to critically integrate global insight and applied experience as they prepare for their future careers.”
Other initiatives include funding for internships at home or abroad; student participation at national conferences such as Quinnipiac University’s GAME Forum Conference; access to innovation incubation resources through Washington College Innovation Plant; mentorship opportunities; workspace access; programming support for prototyping ventures.
Enrollment is currently underway ahead of an official building opening set for 2028. A groundbreaking ceremony has been scheduled for April 18.