Charles and Juanita Pond of Suffolk have contributed a gift of $25,000 towards the campaign for Business and Technology at Chowan College.

Charles Pond, a 1962 graduate of Chowan and the owner of Nansemond Cold Storage Inc., and his wife made the contribution to assist in the renovation and upgrade of McSweeney Hall. That facility will house the &uot;Smart Classroom Technology&uot; gift that has been provided by the Alden Foundation.

Pond has been selected as a distinguished alumnus for Chowan College. He is a trustee and serves on the executive committee and is the vice chair of the business affairs committee.

McSweeney Hall was built in 1952 and housed the college’s printing technology program. After the printing department moved in 1983, the building was completely renovated and became the home of the Texie Camp Marks Computer Center in 1992. Currently, the computer center provides classroom, laboratory and office space for instruction in computer science/information systems.

McSweeney Hall is centrally located in a high traffic area between the college’s library, the liberal arts building, and across a courtyard from the primary campus dining facility. The building is considered to be the best place for the Smart Classrooms project because it is easily accessible to students and faculty.

The goal of the Smart Classrooms project is to have a smart building that will produce smart graduates. The project will provide six rooms in the computer center to be equipped with technological tools that positively enhance instructional methods in the classroom. These classrooms will have user-friendly technology and will assist both faculty and students in the learning process.

Faculty members win have the opportunity to integrate technology into the daily classroom experience by enhancing classroom presentation, lesson content, and student learning. Students will benefit from these classrooms because they will become actively involved in the learning process and will also have the opportunity to relate to teachers through learning activities.

The Smart Classrooms project will also allow students the access to past lectures, homework assignments and notes, which will assist them in their independent work.