Southern University hosts ribbon cutting, celebrates new Patent and Trademark Resource Center

Posted: Mar 27, 2024 / 09:53 PM CDT

Updated: Mar 27, 2024 / 09:53 PM CDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Southern University of Baton Rouge became the fourth HBCU in the country to have a patent and trademark center in the John B. Cade Library on campus. They are also the only HBCU in the state of Louisiana with the new center.

“A Patent and Trademark Resource Center is a local resource for those who are interested in finding out more information about IP,” said Hope Shimabuku, director of Texas Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The patent and trademark center are part of a national network of public, state and academic libraries that are designated to offer these services to the public. With Southern also being the largest HBCU system in the country, Shimabuku says that this offers a great significance.

“We want to be able to provide access to those who may not necessarily have the ability to be able to afford the or find out information about intellectual property,” said Shimabuku.

City leaders like, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman of District 10, were at the ceremony. They spoke on how important this new addition is to Southern University’s campus, as it will continue to encourage and inspire the younger generation.

“I say to you, young people keep on keeping on and we admire you all,” said Coleman.

Southern University’s new chancellor, John K. Pierre, spoke at the ceremony. He talked about the importance of the history of Southern University and how important it is to keep rebuilding. He also talked about how the many different departments on the campus make up their own community and that this new center will bring everyone closer together.

“This is an opportunity for us to bring those resources together, to do something that’s not done everywhere,” said Pierre.

Officials and staff of the campus are grateful for this new learning opportunity for the community. They will keep pushing forward to break barriers and allow more resources for learning in the future.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our commitment to fostering innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship within our community,” said Dawn Kight, dean of Southern University libraries.