CSN Breaks Ground on New Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence

CSN took a sledgehammer to the walls of the Charleston campus on April 30, marking the official groundbreaking of the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.

The ceremony took place in rooms E127 and E131, which will serve as the center’s first home. The project has been in development for nearly three years, driven by a faculty-led taskforce and built through collaboration across academic departments.

“After years of working towards a dedicated center for faculty development, this is an exciting day,” said Dr. Anne DeClouette, business faculty and chair of the taskforce that developed the proposal. “I look forward to meeting many more milestones in the coming months.”

The center is designed to give faculty a dedicated space to refine their teaching, explore new approaches, and connect with colleagues. It’s part of a broader institutional focus on student success, with the idea that investing in faculty development directly improves outcomes for students.

CSN President Dr. Stacy Klippenstein attended the groundbreaking and framed the project as a dual investment. “This investment in our outstanding faculty is an investment in our students,” he said.

The project is embedded in the Academic Affairs Unit Plan to support long-term sustainability. Rachel Yoho will join CSN as the center’s first director on June 1.