Freeman expands downtown with new Stewart Center CBD

Stewart Center CBD
The Stewart Center CBD, a 21,000-square-foot space located within the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute, will house the Freeman School’s executive MBA program, custom non-degree programs for professionals, the Goldring Institute for International Business, and a newly launched program in Entrepreneurial Hospitality. (Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano)

Starting this week, Tulane University’s A. B. Freeman School of Business will hold its first classes in downtown New Orleans at the Stewart Center CBD, the school’s new home for executive education programs in the heart of the city’s growing Innovation Corridor.

The 21,000-square-foot space will house the Stewart Center for Executive Education, which includes Freeman’s executive MBA program and custom, non-degree programs for professionals, the Goldring Institute of International Business and a newly launched program in Entrepreneurial Hospitality. The expansion will provide space for Freeman to create new programs for working professionals as well as graduate and undergraduate students.

“The Stewart Center CBD is designed to deliver the engaged learning opportunities that the Freeman School is known for in a vibrant teaching space close to the epicenter of business activity in New Orleans,” said Ira Solomon, dean of the Freeman School. “Our classes will connect students with Tulane faculty and industry leaders in a collaborative environment customized to meet the needs of executive students.”

The facility includes four state-of-the-art classrooms on two floors, special events space, student breakout rooms and dedicated study areas that will be accessible to students around the clock.

The Stewart Center CBD is co-located at the corner of Howard and Carondelet Streets with the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI), a culinary and hospitality industry vocational school spearheaded by Freeman alumna Ti Martin, co-proprietor of the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants.

“Hospitality is the second largest employer in the U.S. and a major driver of the New Orleans economy,” said Martin (MBA ’84), chair of NOCHI’s governing board. “We are excited about the potential for partnering with the Freeman School to create new executive education offerings that leverage the city’s hospitality sector and hospitality-related organizations.”

The Stewart Center CBD will also more closely connect Freeman to the city’s downtown hub for entrepreneurs. It is blocks away from the I.P. Building, an office space for digital ventures, and The Shop, a co-working space for startups within the Contemporary Arts Center.

“With a campus in the heart of New Orleans’ ‘Innovation Corridor,’ students will gain access to a world of new opportunities for networking and collaboration,” said Matt Schwartz (BSM ’99), principal of the Domain Cos. and a member of Tulane University’s Business School Council.

The Freeman School offers a wide variety of options for executive education, including an 18-month Executive MBA (EMBA) program for experienced professionals as well as custom non-degree programs tailored to address the needs of individual companies, organizations and industry associations. For more information, visit: https://freeman.tulane.edu.

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