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Those partnerships already place FSU students in local schools.
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Brooke Guglielmello, an elementary education major, Army veteran and participant in the College of Education’s reading clinic, described working with young students at Jefferson Street Elementary and helping children develop their literacy skills.
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“Watching a child go from struggling with sounds to reading with pure confidence and joy showed me that teaching is so much more than a profession,” Guglielmello said. “It’s a calling.”
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UNC Board of Governors Chair Kellie Blue placed the opening within the larger responsibility of public universities to respond to the communities they serve.
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The new building provides space for reading clinics, special education and the state-funded North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program, which provides forgivable loans to help recruit students into the teaching profession.
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“There is no public investment more transformative than education, especially for those who call this region home,” Blue said. “FSU shines as that example of how a state’s regional institutions are best positioned to meet the needs of the communities that surround them.”
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The College of Education is also a major component of FSU’s 2023 to 2033 Campus Master Plan. In addition to providing new academic space, consolidating College of Education programs gives the university greater flexibility to renovate and repurpose existing facilities as enrollment and campus needs evolve.
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The building itself was designed to connect that future with Fayetteville State’s history.
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Architects incorporated references to FSU’s seven founders throughout the facility. The number seven is represented abstractly in elements of the exterior canopy, brick and glass, and continues inside through woodwork, stairs and lighting. The project was among the final designs associated with the late Curt Moody, founder of Moody Nolan and an influential Black architect.
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The celebration also included the unveiling of a newly commissioned work by artist Jerry Lynn that will have a permanent home in the building lobby. Associate Professor of Visual Arts and Design Dwight Smith said the piece was created to reflect FSU’s culture, aesthetics and mission while encouraging students and alumni to see themselves in the university’s story and consider where they are capable of going.
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Krawczyk described the artwork as a connection to FSU’s past, present and future and said it will remain on display for future students and generations to experience.
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Metcon Construction, headquartered in Pembroke, led construction of the facility. During today’s celebration, Metcon CEO Aaron Thomas also announced a new partnership with FSU involving the university’s construction management program. Allison announced that Metcon is contributing $250,000 to the program.
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Thomas said the company plans to bring industry professionals and experience directly into the classroom as part of the partnership.
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“We don’t want to just build buildings at Fayetteville State,” Thomas said. “We want to help Fayetteville State build futures.”
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For Allison, the opening represents both a return to the university’s beginnings and an investment in what comes next.
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“This new College of Education is the vision of the future of education,” Allison said, “and it intends to prepare the next generation of educators to meet the challenges of today who will then produce solutions for our tomorrow.”
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English (US)