From offices to student dining, change has arrived on Taylor University’s campus for a fresh start.
The Calling and Career Office (CCO) relocated from the main floor of the LaRita Boren Campus Center (Stu) to the upstairs, where the Spencer Global Engagement Center previously was. The Spencer Global Engagement Center will be relocating to the bottom floor of Gentile Hall, it will be moving this fall.
Skip Trudeau, vice president for Student Development and Intercollegiate Athletics director of the master of arts in higher education program is currently monitoring the CCO relocation.
The relocation will put the CCO in a less visible place for students and faculty. However, senior CCO worker, senior Johnny Stewart, said it won’t stop their team from doing the work they were committed to before.
“This new location may be harder for students to find us,” Stewart said. “But we will still have great people waiting to help with your calling and career needs and questions.”
Despite the location change, all of the office's regular operations will remain the same.
Instead of viewing the shift negatively, the CCO will continue striving to assist as many students as possible. The CCO’s mission is to connect students with individuals and experiences that will guide them in discerning a faithful response to God’s call.
“Change can come with positives or negatives,” Stewart said. “I believe that you have the choice which one it becomes, and as far as I know we are taking this change and making it as much of a positive as possible.”
The relocation is currently in effect, and by the first day of classes, the CCO will be up and running, prepared to plan events and accept appointments from students.
The Bean (formerly The Jumping Bean), reopened on Aug. 22. During the week, The Bean will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“The updated location is being designed to better support coffee service, expand menu offerings, kiosk ordering and future growth of the concept,” Sean Wojtkowski, resident director of AVI FoodSystems at Taylor, said.
The Bean was previously located in front of the main doors of the Stu. The current and renovated Bean is located where the previous CCO was, to the right of the Stu’s main doors.
This relocation was motivated by capacity, operational limitations, storage, space for equipment and flow of customers, Wojtkowski said.
Senior Morgan Jensen, supervisor at The Bean, said they will be introducing nine new menu items, including flatbreads and panuozzos. Each entree will be sold as a swipe including a side, such as chips or fruit snacks, and a drink.
“We also have bar seating with outlets on the wall,” Jensen said. “I think we’ll bring more of a cafe atmosphere into The Bean.”
Due to growth in student enrollment, The Bean’s updated layout will meet the campus’s dining service needs by providing alternative dining options for students and faculty. Following the expansion, The Bean added 40 people to their staff for a total of 67 employees.
“We’re all in a new space, so we get to all train together and grow together in this new space.” Jensen said.
Changing times like these parallel to a quote by Robin Sharma that Stewart shed light onto: “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.
