Turner University renaming emphasizes Columbus State’s strengths in small business, know-how

April 20, 2023

On Wednesday, April 19, the Board of Regents of the College Process of Ga approved Columbus Condition University’s request to rename its enterprise faculty as the
D. Abbott Turner Faculty of Small business & Technological innovation.

The title alter, Dean Deborah Kidder notes, comes after enter from multiple stakeholder groups—students, employees, alumni,
partners and its advisory council users. Collectively, these teams strongly favored
emphasizing the function equally company and technological know-how share in advancing the college’s
strategic and competitive positive aspects. 

“The transform encapsulates the essence of our competitive edge as a college or university rooted
in the two enterprise and technology,” claimed Kidder, who also serves as the college’s Invoice
Read Endowed Chair of Small business Administration. “Now more than at any time, know-how is
at the heart of enterprise. Simply because the Turner School is AACSB accredited, business and engineering are intertwined as a result of our curriculum—meaning our students
benefit from the two disciplines throughout their experiments.”

Kidder indicated the name alter also alerts the substantial demand for technological innovation professionals—those
graduating from 4-12 months establishments with either a organization or a laptop science
history, or preferably each. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent work report indicated that the number of employment in the tech sector has steadily
enhanced, with an employment increase in 2022 of 28% more than the exact time in 2021.
She sees owning the two “business” and “technology” in the college’s title as an indicator
to prospective pupils, companies and partners that the Turner College curriculum
is modern and flexible. 

“Stressing each our business enterprise and engineering strengths in the college’s title will aid
us far better market place our existing and foreseeable future packages to potential learners,” Kidder
reported. “Renaming the faculty in this way also emphasizes to our opportunity companions
and individuals who will use our long term graduates our slicing-edge concentrate through our
dedication to technology.”

Despite the fact that “technology” has not been in the college’s name until eventually now, engineering applications
have undergirded the educational experience for undergraduate and graduate small business learners
alike. These have involved on-campus and on-line programs in Administration of Information Devices and Details Technological know-how. Additional not too long ago launched courses in Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Management, equally with undergraduate- and graduate-level diploma choices bridge the organization
and laptop science fields.

Like its technological know-how aspect, the Turner College’s business disciplines have advanced in excess of
the decades, Kidder observed. Alongside examine in common fields like business administration,
accounting, finance, management and advertising and marketing, the college or university has expanded prospects
for pupils to produce expertise in locations that incorporate organizational leadership
and servant leadership.

What doesn’t improve is how the college’s identify pays tribute to Don Abbott Turner, a Columbus-region enterprise and philanthropic giant for extra than six a long time. The
well-respected president and chairman of the boards of the W. C. Bradley Business and
of the Columbus Financial institution and Trust also served as a board member for Coca-Cola, Georgia
Electricity, the Central of Ga Railway, and the Bibb Business. Just after his spouse, Elizabeth,
passed away in 1972, Turner’s charitable aid set up in her honor Columbus
State’s Centre for Continuing Education, which has advanced to Continuing and Professional Education and is now housed in the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center on CSU’s Principal Campus. 

The TSYS University of Personal computer Science, named in honor of support from TSYS, a World-wide Payments Firm, will keep on functioning
as a university inside the university, without having change. In 2015, TSYS extended its guidance
with a $5 million philanthropic financial investment in the Turner College: $2.5 million to
build and identify the TSYS Middle for Cybersecurity $2 million to set up the TSYS Endowment for Excellence academic systems provided
in the TSYS University of Personal computer Science, with specific emphasis on mainframe computing,
info technological know-how and details devices and $500,000 to guidance other educational
plans at the university.

Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the TSYS Centre for Cybersecurity ribbon-chopping happened in November 2021—but commenced presenting the nexus cybersecurity in fintech, bachelor’s in cybersecurity and master’s in cybersecurity administration (like an online possibility) in August 2020 after they had been accepted by the Board of Regents in October 2019. Nowadays, the centre is selected by the National Safety Company as a Middle of Academic
Excellence in Cybersecurity.

The Turner College of Small business & Know-how is based in the Synovus Centre for Commerce
and Engineering, found on Columbus State’s Most important Campus. The making was named in honor of Synovus Economic Corp. in 2018 in recognition of its longstanding partnership with the college and particular initiatives
in the Turner University.

Columbus Condition will transform signage and other references to the college’s new title
in the course of the summer. It expects to publicly celebrate the college’s renaming with functions
to coincide with the commence of the new tutorial 12 months in August 2023.

Media contact:
Michael Tullier, APR, Executive Director of Strategic Interaction + Internet marketing, 706.507.8729,
[email protected]