When Allen Dykman graduated from Boise State University in 1974, the old business building off of Cesar Chavez Lane was new, and in his view, the College of Business and Economics was one of the best in the Northwest.

The new Micron Business and Economics Building at the corner of University Drive and Capitol Boulevard will help the college reach that level again as it draws students, including more students from outside the region, Dykman said Tuesday.

“It’s really a bridge to the future for Boise, for the region and for the state of Idaho,” he said. “It’s a window to the university like football or Boise State engineering. It will put them in the same position in business.”

Boise State President Bob Kustra and business Dean Patrick Shannon will dedicate the building Tuesday, Aug. 21. Classes will begin Aug. 27. Local media were offered an advance look Tuesday.

The building brings together students and professors from the College of Business and Economics with various services for the business community, including the Idaho Small Business Development Center, TechHelp, the Centre for Creativity and Innovation and the Center for Entrepreneurship.

The four-story, 119,000-square-foot building is a big change from the modest, boxy building that housed the college at the center of the university and the separate modular building where the Small Business Development Center was located.

“We’re able to bring all the outreach we have for the college together in one place,” said Associate Dean Kirk Smith. “It’s all here for them.”

The Small Business Development Center helps up to 80 businesses a year but expects that number to jump to about 250 because of the new building, said Jim Hogge, state director. “That’s the real power of being here in the building,” Hogge said Tuesday.

Work on the building began in October 2010 with the demolition of the University Inn. The $28.8 million cost was covered with a $12.5 million lead gift from Micron Technology Foundation and more than 1,000 additional private gifts, along with bond proceeds to be repaid with student strategic facilities fees.

The building includes classrooms with state-of-the art technology. The 250-seat Skaggs Hall of Learning will host lectures for students and business speakers for the public. There are student work spaces, small meeting rooms, a financial technology classroom, research spaces and the Dykman Financial Trading Room. Spaces for graduate students and executives are on the fourth floor. The Williams Boardroom will be used for graduate and executive meetings and will be rented out to organizations.

The building embraces an outdoor courtyard. Inside is a stylish commons area.

Smith envisions the commons area and the courtyard being filled with the college’s more than 3,000 students.

Undergraduate classes and services will be mostly on the first floor.

On the second is the Imagination Lab, a classroom with moveable furnishings and meeting rooms for interactive problem solving and research. The lab is named for its donors: Boise State football coach Chris and his wife, Barbara; and the Hales Family. Randy Hales, of Salt Lake City, is chief operating officer and president of Zagg Inc., maker a clear film screen protector for cell phones and other electronic devices, grew up in Nampa as a fan of Bronco football. He decided to give $150,000 after hearing that the Petersens had pledged that amount.

“Boise is one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic cities in the West,” Hales said in a press release from the college. “It needs to have a university that can prepare students to meet that growth. Students coming out of Boise State can play a huge role in helping the economy and strengthening the job base. It’s the economic engine in the community.”

Sandie Maggio, co-owner of Villa Decor and Design in Eagle, saw a photo gallery of the almost completed building Tuesday at IdahoStatesman.com and said it looks impressive and welcoming.

Maggio and her business partner, Beth Bindner, have been working with Boise State marketing students, professors and the Idaho Small Business Development Center to help focus and increase their business. Villa Decor in Eagle sells collegiate fashion and accessories, unique home decor, custom floral design and seasonal settings.

Maggio credits the collaboration with influencing her and Binder’s decisions to move to a location offering higher visibility and more traffic and to hire up to three more employees. They’ve seen their business increase too, she said.

“It’s encouraging and motivating to be in a building this beautiful,” Maggio said.

Hales said the building will allow the business school to expand enrollment and accommodate larger class sizes.

“It is a great thing for the community and one more step in the right direction for the university,” he said.

Sandra Forester: 377-6464, Twitter: @IDS_Sandra