Conaton Learning Commons
The spacious, technology-rich Conaton Learning Commons is a hallmark of Xavier’s development as a nationally prominent institution. Forward-looking flexibility and cutting-edge technology combine with appropriate spaces for both collaborative and individual learning to make this facility unique in American higher education.
Learning Commons Highlights
- 200-seat auditorium
- Center for Teaching Excellence
- Conway Institute for Jesuit Education
- Academic labs
- Technology-driven classrooms
- Study rooms
- Student computing lab
- Technology training room
- Digital media lab
- Connection center
- Academic advising rooms
- Honors seminar room
- Gallery and performance space
The Promise of Excellence
Addressing the needs of the individual students is one of the hallmarks of a Xavier education. The Center for Student Excellence provides a wealth of resources for aiding student growth, including a number of academic advising rooms—appropriately private spaces that allow for personalized, one-on-one academic advising.
Center for Teaching Excellence
The Center for Teaching Excellence is a think tank and incubator for instructional innovation and excellence. Located in the Learning Commons, it features state-of-the-art facilities, resources and support for a wide range of faculty-development programs. And it's intentionally designed to provide the creative spaces for both formal and informal conversations as well as interdisciplinary collaboration. The center's signature initiative is the competitive Faculty Fellow program, which focuses on innovative curricular and/or pedagogical projects.
Highlights
- Flexible, technology-equipped spaces
- On-site tech support
- Digital media lab
- Workshop and seminar space
Benefits
- Cultivates teaching techniques
- Promotes innovative approaches
- Enhances educational skills
- Ultimately improves student educational experience
Michael J. Conaton
The Learning Commons is named for Michael J. Conaton, a 1955 graduate, former acting University president, chairman of the board of trustees from 1985-2004 and current board member. The naming is at the request of 1960 graduate Charles P. Gallagher, whose generous gift is helping build the facility. “I was honored to be given the naming rights, and it was a simple decision,” Gallagher says. “Mike Conaton and Father Hoff had a vision that we are seeing come true today.”