INNOVATION ONE OPENS AT TRUMAN COLLEGE

City Colleges of Chicago, in partnership with Apple, opened Innovation One at Harry S. Truman College. Photos provided by City Colleges of Chicago
City Colleges of Chicago, in partnership with Apple, opened Innovation One at Harry S. Truman College. Photos provided by City Colleges of Chicago

 Innovation One opens at Truman College

BY TIA CAROL JONES

A new digital learning space designed for students, educators and the community opened at Harry S. Truman College, located at 1145 W. Wilson Ave.

Innovation One will provide training and resources for educators, which include a loaning library for technology equipment, a training
lab, a studio for recording, a discovery bar, a podcast studio and a community hub.

Dr. Shawn L. Jackson, the president of Truman College, understands the importance of togetherness and collaboration
when it comes to learning.

“The Innovation One concept stems from the need to provide individuals with a place to interact and learn new technologies,
with an emphasis on providing equitable access to these opportunities throughout our city,” he said.

Innovation One will enable people whose access to technology is affected by systemic and geographical inequalities. Kennedy
King, Daley-Arturo Velazquez Institute and Olive Harvey will be Innovation One Satellite Sites.

Apple’s Community Education Initiative partnered with the colleges to bring the equipment and training programs, with the goal of expanding technology, creativity and professional development.

James Cappelman, the 46th Ward Alderman, talked about the educational opportunities the City Colleges of Chicago provides. He discussed how imperative it is to address inequity and institutional racism.

“We now know that when those who suffer the most, when we don’t address their needs, our entire City suffers. We have to do it, for the benefit of us all. It’s a lot of work, it’s going to take all of us working together,” he said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the Innovation One at Truman as the latest commitment to closing the digital divide, providing public schools and the community with tools students need to serve them better and connect them to hyper career jobs. Lightfoot describes jobs that involve technology as the new normal.

“This initiative is going to fulfill the pipeline request that we’ve gotten from our tech community,” she said. Lightfoot wants to change the trajectory of the percentage of people of color and women in technology in the city. That involves giving residents full access to all
of the opportunities that technology sector will provide.

“Our next great tech talent is going to be blooming right here and we’re going to be able to harvest that talent and build upon it and reach for the next generation and bring them forward as well because of the great work that’s going to come out of this Innovation Hub,” she said.

The City Colleges of Chicago, Chancellor Juan Salgado has been putting together partnerships with businesses to create a workforce that is connected to the business community.

“The public sector alone, can’t do it alone. We simply don’t have the technical capacity or knowledge or the tools. We require these
partnerships,” he said. “Innovation is about inspiration.”

Pedro Martinez, the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, sees the talent and potential of the students and faculty in the school system.

“Innovation One is one of the key investments to train our teachers, to bring technology to our schools and working with our students in community college,” he said.

Those interested in using the Innovation One Lab should email TRC-InnovationOne@ ccc.edu. For more information about the Innovation One Lab, visit tinyurl. com/2k2rmvez, or call 773-COLLEGE.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

Sydney Blaylock-The local skater with national experience