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Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall, the gleaming new home of аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis' nationally ranked Graduate School of Management, is expected to draw an overflow crowd for its formal grand opening on Oct. 9.

Chancellor Linda Katehi; Steven C. Currall, dean of the Graduate School of Management; and Gallagher, the Las Vegas airline executive who contributed $10 million to the project and an endowment for the school are scheduled to speak during the ceremony starting at 10 a.m. on the Larry N. Vanderhoef Quad. The gift from Gallagher and his wife, Marcia, is the largest contribution the campus has ever received from one of its graduates. Gallagher earned an undergraduate degree in history from аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis in 1971.

The $16.2 million building is expected to raise the profile of the nationally ranked school while serving as an important new venue for business and academic conferences. It also becomes a cornerstone of the campus' emerging "front door" just off Interstate 80.

Built to demanding environmental standards, Gallagher Hall is expected to be the first аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis building and the first business school in California to qualify for gold standard certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) program.

RSVPs were required and, due to the capacity of the building, the event is now closed except for media.

About аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis

For 100 years, аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from six professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.