MORROW — When Jalen Teal, a two-time Clayton State graduate, first stepped into what is now the College of Business’ Innovation Center back in December 2021, she called the space a “madhouse.”
“There was no carpet, no furniture, no paint on the walls,” said Teal, the center’s manager. “There were only some vending machines. This area had previously been a break room.”
But now, that “madhouse” has become “her baby,” as the Innovation Center now stands ready to usher in a new chapter of student and community engagement on Clayton State’s often quiet east campus.
With a grand opening event set for Tuesday, Oct. 24, Teal is ready to watch the project she took charge of “nurture and grow.”
“When I got here, I worked with the vendors to bring everything to completion,” Teal said. “I actually got to have some say. Some things were chosen —the carpet and furniture were ordered — but I got to pick the paint and the colors of the glass marker boards. I kind of felt like part of the foundation.”
While it’s true that the space’s interior has been completely overhauled, Teal said that the new Innovation Center is more than just its successful remodeling.
For the Laker grad, the center is incomplete without one key component — student engagement.
While she said the space has been used occasionally in the past for small events, such as local delegation functions, Teal believes that the space has only been viewed and used by many in “passive” ways and is ready for its true purpose and potential to finally be utilized.
“Any type of [event] that is beneficial for getting students in the space and interacting with the space — we haven’t had anything like that yet,” Teal said. “I want this room packed as much as possible.”
However, Teal said that there is a specific distinction between how she…
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