A new building at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater recently was named for a Door County native.

Timothy J. Hyland Hall, the new home of the nationally recognized College of Business and Economics at UW-Whitewater, was dedicated during a grand opening celebration held Oct. 23.

The $41.5 million state-of-the-art building opened in July, and UW-Whitewater students began filling its classrooms and computer labs in the fall.

The building is named for 1982 UW-Whitewater accounting graduate and Door County native Timothy J. Hyland, who made a significant contribution to the building.

A graduate of Sturgeon Bay High School and the son of John and Pat Hyland, Tim Hyland began his professional career with the accounting firm of Deloitte Haskins & Sells in the audit department in Phoenix. In 1989, Hyland joined the health-care management and consulting firm of Schaller Anderson Inc., and in 2004, he retired from his role as senior vice president for business development, mergers and acquisitions after having served several years as its chief financial officer.

Hyland owns Hyland Real Estate Investment Group and continues to be actively involved in real estate and angel investing.

Hyland praised the building's quality of construction and use of technology.

"My wife, Natalie, and I are very proud to be associated with the project," he said at the celebration. "It's an incredible facility. There will be many, many well-educated students who will come out of Whitewater."

Designed to have a corporate atmosphere, Hyland Hall isn't a typical academic building. It features an innovation and business development outreach center, an applied investment center that allows real and simulated stock trading, a 400-seat auditorium and an executive board room.

Classrooms are equipped with the latest technology, demonstrating the college's continued commitment to creating a "no-limits" learning environment for students.

"The building has all the elements of what you'd want to see in a College of Business and Economics," Hyland said. "The technology is amazing. This building has taken advantage of that for the benefit of all the students here today and yet to come."

Gov. Jim Doyle said Hyland Hall represents a significant investment in the Whitewater region and will ensure that UW-Whitewater will continue its leadership for years to come.

"I'm proud to celebrate this opening," Doyle said at the celebration. "One of the best ways we can position Wisconsin for long-term growth is by investing in our world-class University of Wisconsin System."