ULM received a gift of two buildings from Lumen Technologies’ local campus over the summer, which totaled 800,000 square feet, making it the university’s largest single donation.
But since returning to campus, students are curious as to what the Clarke M. Williams Innovation Campus is and how the space will be used.
One of the two buildings donated holds office space. The other is an advanced technological center.
ULM plans to rent out office space within the innovation campus to different companies.
Currently, there are two clients in the building, one of which is Lumen, leasing back around 52,000 acres of office space from the university.
Since acquiring the innovation center, the university has continued to actively recruit more businesses.
According to ULM President Ronald Berry, the Clarke M. Williams Innovation Campus has the potential to offer students internship and job opportunities, as well as cutting-edge technologies.
While classes are not currently planned to be held at the innovation campus, the buildings provide new resources and partnerships that can benefit students and the university as a whole.
“It’s really not supposed to be a north campus of ULM,” Berry said. “It’s just to be an additional asset that we can use.”
Bringing businesses to the area would create jobs and boost the local economy. Berry hopes the innovation campus will grow to become a “substantial revenue generator for the university” in this way.
“We view it as a resource for our community and our region, not just the university, through the creation of new jobs, economic development, and education and research opportunities,” Berry said.
This new campus is dedicated to innovation, growth and coming up with new ideas. This is why Lumen and ULM agreed to name the new campus after the founder of Lumen, formerly CenturyTel and CenturyLink.
ULM alum and former Lumen Vice Chairman Bruce Hanks is glad to see two institutions that he’s been involved with over the years work so closely together.
“A lot of ULM graduates have worked at CenturyLink and been a part of the CenturyLink story, and that connection remains with this donation,” Hanks said.
Clarke Williams was an alum of ULM, and he was known as a great leader from his time working at Lumen.
“I don’t think it could be a better tribute to a better person,” Hanks said.
