New Center to Help Launch Innovation Corridor in Huntington, WV
The Brad D. Smith Center for Business & Innovation will also work to bolster entrepreneurial endeavors.
A new state-of-the-art building will open in 2024 and bring a Marshall University campus site to downtown Huntington, WV.
The Brad D. Smith Center for Business & Innovation is under construction along Fourth Avenue on a tract of land that formerly housed The Flats on 4th apartment complex. One of the key missions of the center will be to bolster the region’s entrepreneurial and small business ownership network.
The 78,000-square-foot center is named for Marshall University President Brad D. Smith, who for 11 years, was CEO of software giant Intuit. A Marshall graduate and benefactor, Smith and his wife, Alys, donated $25 million that is going toward the project. The university and several other private donors are also contributing to the center.
The center is expected to be a catalyst for developing a world-class, mixed-use, high-tech innovation corridor in Huntington along Fourth Avenue. That corridor will almost assuredly attract more investments and create jobs in downtown Huntington.
“The district will support West Virginia’s recruitment and retention of companies and jobs in innovation, business, technology and research,” says David Lieving, president and CEO of the Huntington Area Development Council. “The district will also help to further highlight Marshall University as a source of well-educated and prepared job-market entrants.”
There will also be collaborative incubator space for students, along with conference capabilities for both small and large business gatherings. Students are expected to begin attending spring semester classes at the Center for Business & Innovation in January 2024.
An Innovative Future
Amenities at the Brad D. Smith Center for Business & Innovation will include 13 classrooms as well as computer labs, finance labs, office space, meeting rooms and a 360-seat auditorium.
Marshall Goal: Little to No Student Loan Debt
With nearly 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Marshall University in Huntington plays a major role in the Advantage Valley region’s workforce development efforts.
University President Brad D. Smith, a West Virginia native and former CEO of Intuit, has launched a plan to graduate students with little to no student loan debt. Smith, who took over as president in January 2022, says the university is a “prosperity platform” that accelerates individual success, innovative ideas and economic impact.
Brad D. Smith
In general, what role does Marshall University play in the region’s economic and workforce development efforts?
Marshall University accelerates individual success for the dreamers and doers; 50% of whom are first in their families to attend college, yet graduate to become admirals and generals, Fortune 500 CEOs, elected officials, Emmy/Tony/Pulitzer Prize winners, and leaders in the arts, athletics, sciences and education fields.
We accelerate innovative ideas through research, creativity and the best practices of design thinking, all of which advance new discoveries and innovation that provide our students and our communities with leading-edge capabilities and skills. This in turn accelerates economic impact through the talent, the ideas and the partnerships we contribute.
How do you prepare students for local, in-demand careers?
We are preparing students for in-demand careers by ensuring we are delivering instruction that is forward-focused. In today’s society and economy, areas of emphasis that are deeply valued include the four Ds — design thinking, digital acumen, data literacy and (artistic) design as a craft — as well as the four Cs, which are critical thinking, communication skills, collaboration and community in the classroom.
We are evolving our educational approach to include design thinking embedded into our first-year students’ curriculum, in addition to increasing the availability of certificates, apprenticeships and skilled trades through our university and the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center. All of these factors will ultimately be delivered in ways today’s students desire, providing an in-demand curriculum, through on-demand access and programs that are distinctive.
Why is affordability – students graduating with little to no debt – such an important goal for your administration?
We have created a program, Marshall For All, Marshall Forever, that will pilot this fall with 100 students.
The 10-year goal is for students to graduate debt-free through a combination of scholarships, grants, work opportunities and family contributions. We have modeled our program on tried-and-true methods used by Berea College in Kentucky, as well as those developed more recently, such as The Ohio State University.
What advantages and amenities does the university offer the surrounding communities?
The town-and-gown relationship shared between Marshall University and Huntington and the surrounding region is truly one of the best in the country.
In addition to serving as an economic catalyst for a community, Marshall provides educational, cultural, athletic and health care opportunities. Marshall actively provides a pipeline of creativity, knowledge and innovation that drives community engagement and development, but it’s not one-sided. The city of Huntington, Cabell County and the state of West Virginia are incredible partners working hand in hand with us to provide better opportunities for our citizens. The synergy among all these entities is incredible.
– Writer Teree Caruthers contributed to this article.
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