The School of Business and Administration at Saint Louis University officially became the John Cook School of Business at the blessing and dedication of John and Lucy Cook Hall on this past Friday, Oct. 20.

Move over 200 people attended the event, which was held at 5 p.m. outside of the recently-completed John and Lucy Cook Hall.

Dr. Neil Seitz, dean of the John Cook School of Business, gave a welcoming speech. He said that the building was designed to encourage faculty and student interaction, and that it had succeeded in this goal.

“Cook Hall raises the spirit. Take time to feel the atrium; it feels right,” Seitz said.

He also credits Cook Hall for this year’s greater rates for business student retention, which have grown from 74 percent to 90 percent.

Ralph Renner, S.J., gave an invocation, in which he honored the late Mel Carnahan with a moment of silence. “The combination of historic cathedrals and cutting-edge technology around us symbolizes our need to combine the Judo-Christian ethic with our modern endeavors,” Renner said.

Gabriella Guzman, a Masters student of the Business and Administration program, remarked on the student-oriented atmosphere of Cook Hall. Instead of leaving at the end of the day, students now gather in the atrium, the break-out study rooms and the Cook Hall Caf?, Guzman said.

Chairman J. Joseph Adorjan of the SLU Board of Trustees also gave remarks. He commended University President Fr. Lawrence Biondi, S.J., Seitz and the alumni for creating “more than an impressive accomplishment.”

Biondi followed Adorjan’s address, stating that John and Lucy Cook’s contribution “presented Saint Louis University with the opportunity to move our business school to the next level.”

“They believed, and here we stand,” Biondi said.

John Cook is a 1964 graduate of the SLU School of Business and Administration. He is currently president and CEO of the Profit Recovery Group, and is on the SLU Board of Trustees.

When he first came to SLU, Cook said, he did not recognize the campus and drove past it because he only saw “unattractive buildings.” In his speech, he emphasized the importance of people’s ability to dream.

“Cook Hall is an investment in the future; for the students today, five years from now, 10 years from now, 100 years from now,” Cook said.

The blessing and dedication of the John Cook School of Business and of John and Lucy Cook Hall was given by Biondi. A ribbon-cutting at the doors of Cook Hall by Biondi, Adorjan, John and Lucy Cook and Seitz concluded the ceremony.

Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity, was present at the reception to give tours of Cook Hall. Other organizations were involved in the ceremony. The Billiken Cheerleaders distributed programs, the Parks Guard posted flags to open the ceremony and the SLU Pep Band provided music.