On Tuesday, April 13, the Togami Center for Innovation was inaugurated in the Soderquist Business Center. This new space features movable whiteboards, a focus group room and several spaces students can utilize for varied activities and projects. Eva Fast, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and marketing at John Brown University, explains that this space came from the very “DNA” of the business college of John Brown University.
With clubs and organizations like Entrepreneurial, Action, Us (ENACTUS) and the Governor’s Cup competition, the Soderquist College of Business at JBU has been distinguished for promoting and embracing innovation and cooperation. “The need for people to think innovatively has increased in the world,” Fast said. She explained it is highly significant for students as business majors to have a place for new opportunities to think critically as future company members.
Fast expressed how her experiences in other local and national innovation centers helped and inspired the concept of the Togami Center for Innovation itself, a space to collaborate since business is all about ideas. The Togami Center for Innovation is named as a tribute to Kai Togami and his wife, Wendy Soderquist-Togami. Togami is the former department head for graduate business programs, former leader of ENACTUS and professor at JBU. His wife is former founding director and senior leader of the Soderquist Leadership Center and a professor at JBU. After getting their permission to name the space after them, the Innovation Center serves as a “space to allow students to continue the great work they do and even more of it,” explained Fast. It is also a way to honor the Togamis in their retiring year.
Marian Lancón, vice president of club membership and future president of ENACTUS said, “Kai and Wendy are people who always encourage students to think innovatively, creatively and out of the box. The Togami Center of Innovation is striving to do the same. It is equipped to help students develop their ideation skills and put into practice what they learn in class.”
Though the Togami Center for Innovation is located in a business center, non-business major students can benefit from these facilities. “We would love for that space to become more of a point of connection across majors,” said Fast. The invitation is open to every student wanting to engage in future events and meetings held in the Togami Center for Innovation or just being able to focus on ideas in a place where they can also foster their community relationships. Future plans for the development of this space are still in progress and no further steps have been taken. Nevertheless, the Togami Center for Innovation might be the first phase of greater plans for promoting a culture of collaboration and innovation at JBU.
Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette