The Catalyst, which offers teaching and learning support services on the ground floor of Bluemont Hall, reopened on Oct. 6 after renovations that began last spring. The updated space offers education students new spaces and resources to build skills for an ever-evolving classroom environment alongside their peers.

Renovations included brand new furniture, four collaborative spaces and a green screen room. Within those spaces is technology modeled after the classrooms in Bluemont Hall and throughout campus, providing students hands-on experience integrating technology into the classroom environment.

Dennis Devenney, director of the Catalyst, said every renovation kept students in mind.

“There’s four new rooms with technology … that give the opportunity to learn and understand technology for teaching and learning,” Devenney said.

Amanda Causey, graphic design specialist for the Catalyst and the College of Education, said the updated space brings many benefits to the students of the College of Education.

“There’s new furniture, all the new spaces and new TVs,” Causey said. “It’s a quiet place to study or hang out, and it’s inside the building so [education students] don’t have to leave.”

Marcus Kidd, assistant director of enrollment management and institutional partnerships for the College of Education, said he’s seen a lot of good change to the Catalyst in the over a decade he has spent at K-State.

“When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in 2014, the Catalyst looked a lot different,” Kidd said. “It used to be this big open space, but it has since evolved to better serve students. You can have three or four different types of meetings or conversations happening in the one space that you wouldn’t have been able to before.”

Kidd also said the improved Catalyst offers useful services and amenities to all involved with Bluemont Hall and the College of Education.

“Besides being the main IT area for faculty and staff in the College of Ed, it’s also just a great study space,” Kidd said. “The way I normally describe it to prospective students is like an extension of Hale Library. It’s a go-to study and resource center within Bluemont Hall. … Even before the pods were installed, making that space for the Game Lab, a space dedicated for teaching about tying different games into the classroom.”