Dear Panther Family,
I was inspired to witness so much excitement from students, faculty, and staff alike at the Library North Ribbon Cutting Ceremony that celebrated the grand opening of a new student-centered study area and Saxby’s, a student-run experiential learning café.
Named the “Study Commons”, the new indoor space in Library North was created by converting the underutilized street-level C Lot parking area underneath Library North, into a 19,000-square-foot indoor space. It accommodates up to 250 people for individual and group study sessions. This increases the number of seats in the library by nearly 10 percent.
Opened just in time to debut fall coffee flavors (pumpkin lattes are my favorite), Saxby’s, located in the entrance to Library North, is 1 of only 27 Experiential Learning Platform (ELP) cafés across the country, and the first in the Southeast. Managed by a student CEO, ELP cafes provide students with an avenue to gain entrepreneurial experience on campus. GSU is leading the way nationally, to provide innovative “Beyond College to Career” opportunities, like Saxby’s, for our students to gain hands-on, career-relevant experiences. I’m very proud of our inaugural student CEO, Kaydia Benjamin!
Additionally, “Identity, Placemaking, And Belonging”, another one of the four key pillars of our university strategic plan, is all about creating even more spaces where Georgia State students and the entire Panther community, want to gather to learn, network with one another, and work. The new spaces at Library North are both great additions to our campus community.
A special thank you to everyone who contributed to the completion of this innovative project!
All the best,
