College Breaks Ground on
New Warehime School of Business

Campus leaders, students, and alumni gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Warehime School of Business during the 2026 Spring Migration alumni weekend. 

When it opens in 2028, the building will feature global distance learning classrooms, a finance and investment lab, and collaborative atriums. While the physical building is under construction, the Warehime School of Business will officially begin admitting its first class this fall, offering programs in business management, economics, international studies, and world languages and cultures.

The ceremony featured remarks from College leadership and the school’s primary benefactor, Elizabeth “Beth” Warehime Rizakos ’13, whose historic $15 million gift—the largest from an individual in the College’s 242-year history—has made the school possible.

President Bryan Matthews ’75 M’86 P’12 described the groundbreaking as an aggressive step toward the school’s goal of attracting new students.

“This symbolizes the College’s heritage and bright future,” Matthews said. “Now more than ever, we need leaders who possess values, ethics, and strong character—characteristics that are hallmarks of Washington College graduates.”

The Warehime School of Business is designed to offer “big school” opportunities within an intimate, interdisciplinary setting. Caddie Putnam Rankin, associate dean of the Warehime School of Business, highlighted the school’s unique ability to provide resources like the Brown Advisory Student-Managed Investment Fund, which manages over $2 million in equities, alongside study abroad programs and the Washington College Innovation Plant.

“We will graduate students who use business to make the world a better place,” Putnam Rankin said, noting that the school will foster in its students the philosophy of community involvement and social responsibility.

Reflecting on her own journey, Warehime Rizakos spoke to the importance of maintaining the College’s nimble, liberal arts roots while offering something “big and bold” to the next generation of leaders.

“Washington College made me who I am today. It challenged me to expand my horizons, meet new people, try new things, and think differently,” Warehime Rizakos said. “I believe in the spirit of this school, the planning and thinking to get it there, and the leadership to get this done.”

—Dominique Ellis Falcon