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A crowd gathered for the groundbreaking of the McKinnon Center for Management at the Robert O. Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico on Monday. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal)

Construction of the new McKinnon Center for Management at the University of New Mexico’s Robert O. Anderson School of Management officially got underway Monday.

The school is constructing a new  61,000-square-foot building for 21st Century classrooms, community spaces and career planning and placement services.  The $25 million building is scheduled to open in mid-2018.

The project was made possible, in part, by a $5 million donation from the McKinnon

Ian McKinnnon speaks at the groundbreaking of the McKinnon Center for Management at the Robert O. Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico on Monday. (Greg Sorber/Albuquerque Journal)

family. Another $2 million is coming from interest earnings and other donations, and $18 million from general obligation bonds, paid for with student fees and university revenue.

Ian McKinnon, who spoke at the event, and his wife, Sonnet, an alumna of UNM Anderson, are long-time supporters of the school.