Fayetteville State University Opens $69.3M Building Featuring STEM Lab To Prepare Teachers For Innovation – AfroTech
North Carolina’s Fayetteville State University has invested millions of dollars in a building that will shape the future of education.
According to CityView NC, the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) celebrated the grand opening of a new $69.3 million, four-story, 72,000-square-foot building, funded by the N.C. General Assembly, which houses the College of Education.
The building is intended to equip teachers, particularly in innovation, through its amenities. The building features classrooms, faculty offices, conference rooms, laboratories, and a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lab, as well as technology for in-person and hybrid instruction.
“This facility gives our faculty new opportunities to innovate in teaching, scholarship, and educator preparation,” Scott Krawczyk, FSU’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, told CityView NC. “It gives our students a modern environment in which to learn their profession. It strengthens our partnerships with schools and communities throughout the region and reaffirms Fayetteville State’s enduring commitment to the future of education in North Carolina.”
Fayetteville State University Chancellor Darrell Allison commented:
“Teacher education is not simply one of FSU’s academic programs. Teacher education was our founding purpose. Our state and nation are facing major crises and the need to produce more future teachers and educators. Fayetteville State University answered the call of yesteryear, and this state investment of nearly $70 million at Fayetteville State University will answer the call once again.”
The College of Education will also feature outdoor learning areas, reading clinics, and spaces for special education. It will also house the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program, a state-funded initiative that supports the next generation of teachers through forgivable loans.
“This new College of Education is the vision of the future of education and it intends to prepare the next generation of educators to meet the challenges of today, who will then produce solutions for our tomorrow,” Allison explained, according to CityView NC.
