Forsyth Technical Community College, one of the fastest growing community colleges in the country, celebrated the conclusion of its Momentum Capital Campaign announcing a $7 million Center for Emerging Technologies to be located in Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, a hub for innovation in biomedical science and information technology in downtown Winston-Salem. The 23,900-square-foot facility will open in Innovation Quarter’s 525@Vine building in October 2014 and draw more than 1,200 students to the heart of the city each year. The total amount raised during the campaign was $13.7 million.
“One of the key goals of our capital campaign was to fund a state-of-the-art educational center in Innovation Quarter,” said Gary Green, Ed.D., president of Forsyth Tech. “This new center and its curriculum will address emerging industries and careers throughout the Piedmont Triad area and support the growing research and development efforts underway in Innovation Quarter.”
Located within the Forsyth Tech Center for Emerging Technologies will be the:
- R.J. Reynolds Corporate Training Center, which will support the school’s corporate training partnership programs and provide services for Innovation Quarter tenants;
- Southern Community Small Business Center, which will offer workshops, seminars, individual counseling, and a resource library for business owners and entrepreneurs;
- Lab facilities for the school’s Wells Fargo Nanotechnology Program, the only two-year nanotechnology program offered throughout the Southeast, and the BB&T Biotechnology Program, the largest biotech program of any community college in the state; and
- Offices for BioNetwork, the statewide biotechnology work force initiative run by the N.C. Community College System.
“We are embarking on a significant relationship with Forsyth Tech with the addition of its new educational center in our urban research park,” said Innovation Quarter President Eric Tomlinson, D.Sc., Ph.D. “Innovation Quarter is an important incubator for the great ideas of tomorrow housing remarkable scientists, researchers and evolving companies that will provide a rich learning environment and unique career opportunities for Forsyth Tech students and graduates.”
Forsyth Tech’s new educational facility joins the recently announced Express YMCA as the second tenant planned for Innovation Quarter’s 525@Vine building. The former “90 series” R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company building, now owned by Wexford Science & Technology of Baltimore, is currently undergoing a renovation that is scheduled for completion beginning in early 2014. Wexford’s development investments in Innovation Quarter and Winston-Salem will total more than $250 million by the end of 2014 fueling a broad revitalization of the city’s downtown and supporting a new economy driven by innovation in biomedical science and information technology.
“The strategic placement of our Center for Emerging Technologies in Innovation Quarter enables us to immerse our students in a true landscape of the developing industries they are studying. The benefits provided by that proximity are boundless,” added Green.
Note: A high-resolution rendering is available upon request.
Media Relations
Chad Campbell: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587