Columbus State gets OK for $22.2 million robotics and space science center
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- CSU secures $12.2M in state funds for $22.2M robotics and space center build.
- New facility will double current space and support robotics education expansion.
- Facility aims to boost regional tech workforce through K–college STEM programs.
Construction of the first state-funded new building in more than 20 years at Columbus State University has been approved.
It will result in the relocation and expansion of CSU’s 29-year-old Coca-Cola Space Science Center, extending its scope to comprise robotics engineering in collaboration with the Muscogee County School District and Fort Benning.
The finalization of Georgia’s $37.7 billion fiscal year 2026 budget includes $12.2 million in state funding for this $22.2 million project, CSU announced Monday.
As the Ledger-Enquirer reported last year, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents included that $12.2 million in its request of $3.6 billion in state funding for FY 2026.
Other funding sources
CSU plans to fill the project’s $10 million gap in funding by using $4 million in private donations, a $4 million federal allocation to the CCSSC and $2 million in revenue from the 1% Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for MCSD infrastructure, CSU chief engagement officer John Lester told the Ledger-Enquirer last year.
The yet-to-be-designed new CCSSC is expected to comprise 36,000 square feet, nearly doubling the current size. No timeline for the start or completion of construction has been released, but it will be built on CSU’s main campus in midtown Columbus. The site will be across the parking lot from the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center for Continuing and Professional Education on East Lindsay Drive.
To make room for the new facility, the buildings for the CSU Police Department and ROTC will be demolished. Where those units will relocate, and what will be done with the CCSSC’s facility on Front Avenue at CSU’s RiverPark campus, haven’t been decided, Columbus State communications director Michael Tullier told the Ledger-Enquirer.
The Synovus Center for Commerce and Technology, which opened 22 years ago, is the last CSU academic facility to be constructed with state funding.
Workforce development
Leaders of this project say the new CCSSC will boost workforce development as a regional center for robotics education, research and innovation.
“This will be a multi-use facility — a hub for advanced technology and a pipeline for cultivating technologically literate students from kindergarten through college,” CSU president Stuart Rayfield said in the news release.
The new CCSSC will provide state-of-the-art instructional space and labs for the university’s rapidly growing robotics engineering program, which has increased from six students to more than 100 undergraduate and graduate majors the past few years, according to CSU.
It will be able to host local and regional robotics competitions and STEM education programs for MCSD.
“This building exemplifies this community’s commitment to partnerships and Columbus State University’s role in educating students who will advance the technological needs of our region,” MSCD superintendent David Lewis said in the news release. “I look forward to expanding our relationship with CSU, and our ability to inspire the next generation of tech-savvy students through this tremendous facility.”
The new CCSSC is expected to spark partnerships with Fort Benning and other robotics engineering industry organizations.
“As we look toward the economic future of the Chattahoochee Valley and the state of Georgia, fields like robotics, advanced manufacturing and space science will be key,” Rayfield said. “We are grateful to the governor, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and our legislative delegation for their confidence in what we’re building at Columbus State — and our role in meeting Georgia’s workforce needs.”
In an emailed interview Tuesday with the Ledger-Enquirer, CCSSC executive director Shawn Cruzen shared his reaction to this news.
“The Coca-Cola Space Science Center team is very excited to be part of this innovative new project,” he wrote. “Not only will it improve our capabilities to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and science educators, but it also will allow us to forge historic partnerships between Columbus State programs in Robotics Engineering and Education, the Muscogee County School District, and major employers in the community.
Cruzen explained how a new and expanded CCSSC will benefit Columbus.
“Industry employers and community partners throughout the Columbus region have more need than ever for a home-grown, technically trained workforce,” he wrote “Through the nexus of programs created in this new facility, we will create true Cradle-to-Careers pathways for students in Science, Engineering and Education. We also will create living laboratories where students and guests are inspired to gain new skills, and pursue new careers, in this hands-on, kinetic learning environment.”
Cruzen predicted the programming at the new CCSSC will be “unique in the nation.”
“It will bring about unprecedented educational opportunities for both K-12 and university students in our community,” he wrote, “and will lead to greater levels of economic success through access to technical careers and training.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 11:39 AM.
