Instructional laboratories increase productivity and enhance the educational experience for students by teaching them to solve complex problems in authentic settings. Facilities such as the J.R. Bryan Jackson Innovation Place, where students work with current hardware and software, collaborate on ideas, work closely with the instructor, and utilize a variety of peripherals in one spacious room, are critical to the future of South Carolina. Future employers demand workers whose skills are at the forefront of technology and who can turn theory into practice.Instructional laboratories of the highest quality are necessary for achieving such goals.

Other examples of such facilities include:

-students experiencing the latest in applied mathematics instruction through the incorporation of technology and sensors, and

-connecting teachers to distance learning students via two video conferencing classrooms. Currently students study nursing and health management with these resources. The expansion of these facilities is part of an ongoing partnership with the Pee Dee Education Center.

Effective use of such resources requires a vigilant university, one committed to the highest caliber of education, where students rise to challenges in pursuit of excellence. Gifts designated for use in developing further instructional laboratories and renewing current facilities allow the students of Francis Marion University to emerge with a sharpened academic edge.