Where Ideas Move From Concept to Creation.

Big things are happening at the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

I am proud to have played a role in helping bring this partnership to life with Forge Greensboro, a collaboration that expands how our students engage with innovation, entrepreneurship, and hands-on learning.

But this is about more than access to a makerspace.

It is about access to possibility.

It is about creating an environment where students can take what they are learning in the classroom and begin to see it, shape it, test it, and build it in real time. It is one thing to talk about innovation. It is another thing to place students in spaces where ideas are expected to move.

From concept to creation.

From theory to prototype.

From imagination to application.

That is what makes this partnership so meaningful.

Through this collaboration, our students will have the opportunity to engage directly with tools and technologies that support prototyping, product development, design thinking, and entrepreneurial problem-solving. They will not only study business concepts, they will practice them. They will not only discuss innovation, they will learn how to build, refine, and communicate ideas that have the potential to meet real needs in the marketplace and in the community.

This is the kind of learning that changes how students see themselves.

When students are given access to spaces where they can create, they begin to understand that they are not just preparing to enter industries. They have the capacity to shape them.

Even more exciting, this space will also support the Michelin Inclusion Design Lab, building on our continued partnership with Michelin. Through this work, students will explore the powerful intersection of innovation and inclusion, asking not only what can be created, but who it serves, who it includes, and what problems it has the power to solve.

That matters.

Because the future of business cannot be separated from the future of equity, access, and human-centered design. The leaders our world needs will have to think beyond profit alone. They will need to understand people, systems, communities, and the responsibility that comes with creating solutions.

This is what the future of business education looks like.

Experiential.

Industry-connected.

Innovation-driven.

Purpose-centered.

At the Deese College, we are continuing to build learning experiences that prepare students to lead in a world that demands creativity, adaptability, and vision. We are creating pathways where students can connect academic preparation with industry exposure, entrepreneurial thinking, and real-world application.

And that is the work.

Not just preparing students to be ready for the workforce.

Preparing them to lead it.

Preparing them to ask better questions, build stronger solutions, and imagine what business can become when innovation is paired with purpose.

Big things are happening.

And this is only the beginning.