Prophet dedicates N. Eldon Tanner Building addition
March 4, 2009
President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the recently completed addition to the N. Eldon Tanner Building on October 24, 2008. “It’s a joy for me to be here today and participate in the dedication of this great building,” he said. The Tanner Building is home to BYU’s Marriott School of Management. Funded by donors, the 76,000-square-foot addition is on the west side of the original building and is connected to it by a glass atrium.
Marriott School students, faculty, and friends filled the atrium and balconies of the addition to greet President Monson. “My, you are a marvelous sight,” he said. President Monson took time to greet and shake hands with students before and after the dedication.
The additional space was needed because of the increased number of students being taught in the Marriott School. According to the school, one quarter of all BYU students major or minor in business or earn graduate degrees from the business school. When the Tanner Building was dedicated in 1983, there were about 1,800 business students; today, more than 3,000 are enrolled.
Tiered classrooms, open study spaces, group study rooms, faculty and administrative offices, MBA program offices, conference rooms, a computer network teaching room, a large divisible lecture hall, and a New York-style deli fill the new space. Also, an above-ground, three-level parking structure was built just north of the Tanner Building.
Honoring alumni and friends
In his dedicatory prayer President Monson acknowledged with gratitude the sacrifice made by many Church members to fund the construction and perpetual maintenance of the addition. Funding came from alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university, including many members of the Marriott School’s National Advisory Council. A sizeable lead gift was made by the Marriott family and a large contribution came from the N. Eldon Tanner Trust.
At the dedication, BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson introduced President Monson—who earned a master of business administration degree from the Marriott School—as the school’s most distinguished alumnus.
Remembering giants
In his remarks President Monson said: “I can’t stand here without remembering my association with N. Eldon Tanner, a great mentor of mine. What a giant in the land we had in N. Eldon Tanner.” President Tanner served for 19 years in the First Presidency, with four Church Presidents. Prior to his time as a Church leader, President Tanner was a successful businessman and government official in Canada. Nicknamed “Mr. Integrity” by his contemporaries, he is a role model for today’s BYU business students.
President Monson also mentioned his camaraderie with President Gordon B. Hinckley. “Our paths were such that we walked side by side through the many chairs of leadership in the Church,” he said. It was President Hinckley who dedicated the original portion of the Tanner Building in 1983 and approved fund-raising and construction of the addition.
The J. W. and Alice Sheets Marriott family name has been associated with BYU’s school of business since 1988. President Monson spoke of his associations and admiration for the Marriotts. “I’m very grateful to be able to declare that I am a graduate of the Marriott School of Management, partly because it bears the name of Marriott, and partly because it has such an outstanding record.”
