The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation donated $2 million toward the project. The additional $2.1 million was raised through donations and grants from other foundations, corporations, MSU alumni, students and faculty, she said.

With the modern facility, students are able to study in an environment resembling a professional work facility, MacMillan said.

“Students are going to exit (MSU) with an excellent education and a great work ethic,” she said.

To celebrate the official unveiling of the new J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation Culinary Business Learning Lab, MSU’s The School of Hospitality Business held a donor reception tour Thursday, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony, reception and tour at the new facility Friday.

“The renovations went beyond all of the expectations I had,” hospitality business junior Natalie Fort said. “It gives (students) the opportunity to learn in an environment that’s inspiring and gives way to creativity.”

With a newly renovated facility, Fort and other hospitality business students at MSU have the opportunity to further their knowledge of the field through experience with top-notch equipment.

Fort said she decided to pursue an education in hospitality business because it is a field with the potential to make people happy. After two years, she said she already has experienced positive feedback from those within the industry and is excited about what the new lab could bring to her time at MSU, adding the renovations have given a lot of light to the university.

“With hospitality business, it’s a lot of giving and tending to people’s wants and needs,” she said. “It makes you feel wonderful about what you’ve done and is very rewarding.”

While deciding what materials to use during construction, many choices were made based on sustainability, MacMillan said. To keep the project as environmentally friendly as possible, materials, such as bamboo, were used in the renovation.

Although most of the renovations were aesthetic upgrades, new lab equipment including modern kitchen units and TV monitors were included to prepare students in the rapidly evolving field.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon made an appearance at the ribbon cutting ceremony Friday to celebrate the grand opening of the business lab.

Simon said the new facility has the potential to produce “global citizens” to carry on the legacy of MSU.

“Global citizens are people who can change the fabric of their community, … in ways that not only rebound positively to them as an individual but promote prosperity in the kind of society that we all want to be a part of,” Simon said.