Building Towards a Brighter Future: A New Building for the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University

The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations has reached yet another milestone, as progress is made on an eleven million dollar project to build a new center at Case Western Reserve University (Case) in Cleveland.

An innovator in its field, the Mandel Center was established in 1984 as one of the first programs in the country with a primary focus on educating nonprofit management leaders. Now it is due to become the first center of its kind with its own building.  Construction of the two-story structure began in the fall of 2006 and is supported by a generous gift from the Mandel Family Foundation.

“This building is a vision and dream come true for the Mandel brothers,” said Mort Mandel. “Twenty years ago, the intense commitment to improve the leadership skills of nonprofit professionals was not there; we felt there was a vacuum in nonprofit management education.  Running a nonprofit is different from running IBM.”

Indeed, the new facility will provide students in the Master of Nonprofit Organizations and Certificate in Nonprofit Management programs with a place to call their own. It will also house the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council, and the Center’s academic journal, ‘Nonprofit Management & Leadership’.

 “The new building makes a statement that Case Western Reserve University is making a real commitment to providing the best facility as a working tool for the Mandel Center’s purpose and cause.” said Mandel.

According to Susan Lajoie Eagan, Ph.D., executive director of the Mandel Center, the new building will offer expanded opportunities for scholarly exchanges, as well as local, national and international graduate and executive education through onsite and distance learning classes.  The Mandel Center’s new home will also provide a place to develop innovations in nonprofit leadership and management.

“The new building represents a tremendous step forward for the Mandel Center,” says Eagan.  “It is also representative of the stature that the Mandel Center has as a leading national program.  We are deeply grateful to the Mandel family for its generosity and sustained commitment to the Center.”

The two-story structure was designed by Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood Architects, Inc. in collaboration with Case’s Office of Campus Planning, and representatives from the Mandel Foundation. The first floor will include a large lecture hall, meeting rooms, classrooms, kitchen facilities and a large student lounge that fronts on a courtyard.  The second floor will have faculty and staff offices, staff lounge and working and meeting rooms.

The design character was inspired by donor Mort Mandel’s desire to create a special place of “quiet elegance” that would also add to the quality of the campus environment. University Architect Margaret Carney describes the Center’s design as the physical representation of the Center’s mission and commitment to its students, faculty, alumni and the nonprofit community.

For further information about the Mandel Center and to see photos of the building in progress, please visit the Mandel Center’s Website at: www.case.edu/mandelcenter