By Susan Robertson
When the Institute for Public Service (IPS) developed its five-year strategic plan in 2016, one of the micro-goals was to develop state-of-the-art training facilities in each of the state’s three grand divisions. Following several years of research, planning and construction, IPS unveiled its new jewel of a training space that is less than a mile from downtown Nashville.
The IPS Training Center at Polk Center is located at 193 Polk Ave, Suite D in the same building as IPS agency Center for Industrial Services (CIS) and the UT College of Social Work.
“IPS agencies provide multiple training courses in Middle Tennessee each year. When we looked at our schedules to see how often we rented training space in that region, we knew we needed our own facility,” said IPS Vice President Dr. Herb Byrd III. “The space is not only for IPS training. We want other UT organizations, Middle Tennessee non-profts and other groups to be able to take advantage of it too.”
The micro-goal planning committee that oversaw development of the new training space visited training centers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government and at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C.
“We wanted to look at everything that goes into a top-notch training facility, from the technology to the finishes to the snack areas and we put together the best in all of those areas,” said Abb Oglesby, who served as project manager. Oglesby is a training program manager with IPS agency the Municipal Technical Advisory Service.
The training suite features two large training rooms with wireless smart screens and modern classroom furnishings. Each of the training rooms can be divided into smaller spaces with drop down walls. The facility also includes three smaller breakout rooms, a conference room, a kitchen and a multi-purpose/café area. The building also offers ample, free parking for those attending classes or meetings.
For questions or to reserve space in the facility, please contact Felicia Roberts with CIS at 615-532-3328 or felicia.roberts@tennessee.edu.
Tags: Institute for Public Service, Spring 2022
