WAYNE, NE — Wayne State College officials say they’ve long had the faculty and curriculum to offer a robust manufacturing program but have lacked the facility. That story changed this year with the opening of the Center for Applied Technology.
College President Marysz Rames says the new building matches the high-tech environments of modern manufacturing.
“So we needed to replicate that here so students understood the kind of environment they would be in, the kind of equipment they need to get trained on,” Rames said. “Because without that, they weren’t going to have the kind of real world experience they needed when they graduated.”
The College held the Center’s grand opening on Friday, offering tours of the interactive learning spaces.
Rames says the strength of the Center for Applied Technology is the labs.
“The drafting and design lab is right next to the Manufacturing lab, so as students are actually designing what they’re going to build they then go next door and go on the SIM Cell and actually build that product,” Rames said.
The Center features two classrooms and 13 labs for manufacturing, applied engineering, construction management, safety management, and robotics.
Dean of the School of Business and Technology Dr. Vaughn Benson says the facility will push the faculty to succeed.
“The faculty have the ability to make their dreams and the dreams of our students come true in this building,” Benson said. “While the faculty are the heart and soul of a successful program, this building is the energy that keeps their hearts beating.”
