Jax State Celebrates Grand Opening of Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama

05/08/2026

RAINBOW CITY, Ala. – Jacksonville State University, in partnership with regional leaders and educators, celebrated the grand opening of the Jacksonville State University STEAM Institute – Home of Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama—marking a major milestone in expanding hands-on STEAM education for students across the region. 

The center is the first of its kind in Alabama and will serve as a hub for immersive, space-themed learning experiences designed to inspire curiosity, build confidence, and help students see new possibilities for their future. 

Dr. Farrah Hayes, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama, described the opening as the realization of a long-held vision. 

“Today has been years in the making, with people who started this long before I came along,” Dr. Hayes said. “The dedication here reflects the commitment of those who believed this day would come. Today, we open these doors, but more importantly, we open possibilities for every student who walks through them.” 

Tony Smith, chairman of the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama Board, emphasized the broader impact the center will have on the community. 

“This building is not the destination—it is the launch pad,” said Smith. “Today, we celebrate more than the opening of a building. We celebrate the launch of curiosity, exploration, and discovery for generations of students who will walk through those doors.” 

The facility will serve students in grades 5–8 from across Northeast Alabama, offering simulated space missions and collaborative learning experiences that connect classroom concepts to real-world applications. 

For Jacksonville State University, the partnership represents a strategic investment in reaching students earlier in their educational journey and helping them envision a path to college and beyond. 

“Today is about opportunity,” said Jax State President Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. “It is about what becomes possible when a student walks through these doors and begins to see something bigger for themselves.”  

Killingsworth emphasized that the center aligns directly with the university’s mission to expand access and create meaningful educational pathways for students across the region. 

“At Jax State, we believe our role is to help open those doors—not just for the students already on our campus, but for the students who will one day be there,” he said.  

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey highlighted the importance of community-driven initiatives like the Challenger Learning Center in shaping the future of education. 

“What you are doing here today is creating the future that these young people will live in,” Mackey said. “It is leadership at the local level that makes opportunities like this possible.” 

Dr. June Scobee Rogers, founding chair of Challenger Center and widow of Space Shuttle Challenger Commander Dick Scobee, reflected on the deeper impact the center will have on students’ lives. 

“It's more than a building. It's opportunity. It's an awakening for students to know, to have the background, the knowledge, the experience,” she said. “So, when students take part in the Challenger Learning Center, they see themselves as something other than a student. They see themselves on a trajectory toward a career that they might be interested in.” 

Congressman Barry Moore highlighted how experiences like those offered at the center help prepare future generations. 

“It’s these kinds of learning opportunities—these kinds of events—that make our workforce development lead the way in the nation. And as we train our students, those future generations, we are preparing them for the opportunities ahead.” 

Rainbow City Mayor Joe Taylor emphasized the significance of the project for the local community. 

“We know how important this is,” Taylor said. “How important it is to pipeline our kids in the appropriate direction and send them on a trajectory of success.” 

Through the Jax State STEAM Institute, Jacksonville State University will support the center with faculty expertise, student engagement, and educational partnerships—helping extend its impact across Northeast Alabama for years to come. 

As the ribbon was cut and the doors officially opened, leaders emphasized that the true impact of the center will be measured not in square footage, but in the students it inspires. 

Years from now, many of those students will trace their path—into college, careers, and leadership—back to a moment that began inside the Challenger Learning Center.