COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus State University held a ceremonial groundbreaking Nov. 4 for the Jack and JoRhee Pezold Center for Emergent Technology, a $22.2 million building that will house robotics engineering and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. According to the university, construction is expected to begin in early 2027, and the center is scheduled to open in fall 2028. The building will rise on the Main Campus beside Interstate 185 and the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center.

Who is paying for it

The $22.2 million total comes from four sources, according to Columbus State. The largest share is state money, and the smallest is a $2 million contribution from the local school tax. The table below shows the split.

The Pezolds' $4 million construction gift led the Georgia Board of Regents to name the center in their honor, the university said. They also gave another $2 million to endow the Buntin Distinguished University Chair, named for Dr. Jim and Nancy Buntin, which will lead the center's Institute for Emergent Technology. The J.W. and Ethel I. Woodruff Foundation has committed an additional $500,000 to the emergent technology program, according to Columbus State.

What will be inside

The center will house the Robotics Engineering program, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and the forthcoming Institute for Emergent Technology, according to the university. Focus areas include artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies. The project will also upgrade labs and spaces for undergraduate and graduate students.

The Space Science Center is relocating from its current downtown site, and its footprint will grow by roughly 50%, according to the university. When the project was first announced in June 2025, Columbus State described a building of roughly 36,000 square feet with aerospace galleries, more than 300 NASA artifacts and space for robotics competitions and youth STEM programs. The November announcement did not restate the square footage, so the 2025 figure is the most recent published.

Why it matters

Columbus State says robotics engineering has grown from 6 students at its 2019 launch to more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students. The Space Science Center, which the university calls Georgia's only science center and museum dedicated to astronomy and space science, has served more than 1 million visitors since 1996. About 17,000 Muscogee County students visit the center each year, and the school district has more than 75 robotics teams.

In 2025, university President Stuart Rayfield said the project would be the first state-funded new academic building at Columbus State in more than 20 years. At the groundbreaking, Rayfield called it a "transformative investment in our community," the university said. Shawn Cruzen, executive director of the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, called the move "a giant step forward in our ability to offer technology and fundamental science programs," according to WTVM.

The ceremony

Rain moved the groundbreaking indoors to the Turner Center, according to WTVM. Speakers and participants included University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, Muscogee County School District Superintendent David Lewis, the Pezolds, the Buntins and representatives of the Woodruff Foundation, according to Columbus State. Construction is not expected to begin until early 2027, so the ceremony was ceremonial rather than the start of site work.

Who is building it

The university lists 2WR Architects of Columbus as the architect, LS3P for interior planning and Garbutt Construction as the builder. The announcement does not give a contract amount for the construction itself. The $22.2 million figure is the total project budget, and the sources reviewed do not break out the building cost from equipment or design fees.

What happens next

Construction is expected to start in early 2027, with the opening targeted for fall 2028, according to Columbus State. Until then, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center at its current downtown location remains the home of the center's programs, and the university said in 2025 that the downtown site would stay open until the move. No moving date has been published.

The university said in 2025 that the building would support research and STEM partnerships, including with Fort Benning and industry. The Institute for Emergent Technology is described as forthcoming, so its programs and staffing have not yet been detailed. Columbus Times will report on construction milestones as the university announces them.