There is a new space opening on the first floor of the Facilities Design Center (FDC), right next to the Anderson Parking Facility, designed to exercise your problem-solving skills. A grand opening block party is happening Thursday, Sept. 20, from 4-7:00 p.m., for the yet-to-be-named innovation collaboration hub that contains the tools and space for creating solutions to big problems.
A partnership between Student Affairs and the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, the interdisciplinary space is open to members of the St. Thomas community to engage in new and creative ways of thinking.
The block party will feature a St. Thomas student DJ, food and visual artist capturing the “entrepreneurial mindset” live at the event. There will also be an opportunity to submit your ideas for a space name. Attendees of the event are encouraged to leave notes with ideas on how the campus community and your discipline could utilize the space.
“This space is meant to be a collaborative hub for innovation, open to our entire university, and will be the site of upcoming, cross-disciplinary, co-curricular programs meant to engage students, faculty and staff from all disciplines and departments in creativity, entrepreneurial thinking and innovation,” said Laura Dunham, PhD, associate dean of the Schulze School. “Hackathons, innovation challenges, crash courses in human centered design — these are just some examples of the kinds of programming that will be hosted in the space.
“It’s a place for the students to shine as creative thinkers and entrepreneurial doers,” she continued. “We want it to be their space, we want them to own it, and we want it to be full of creative life. We want students to come to the block party and share their ideas of how the space could spark innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking on campus.”
