The University of Nevada Las Vegas has received $7.5 million in donations from gambling industry leaders to help pay for construction of a new academic building for the university's hotel college.

UNLV says gifts of $2.5 million each from MGM Resorts International, Boyd Gaming, and Station Casinos are earmarked for construction of Hospitality Hall, a new academic building for the Harrah Hotel College.

Hospitality Hall will feature views of the Las Vegas Strip and serve as a bridge to the hospitality and gambling industry. It will have more than 93,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and meeting space that will encourage interaction and a sense of community among students, faculty, and industry professionals.

The facility also will have a student-run café, a teaching kitchen, interactive digital classroom, and an outdoor plaza.

The latest donations bring the total money raised for the facility from gambling industry partners to nearly $16 million, UNLV says. In addition, the Nevada Legislature has approved $24.4 million for construction of Hospitality Hall.