A $500,000 gift from The Belk Foundation of Charlotte, N.C., will name the next pavilion in Elon's Academic Village. The new pavilion will be home to the Elon Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, where faculty members can develop and test new methods of teaching. The pavilion will have the latest technology and video equipment so faculty can observe and evaluate their classroom performance.

The pavilion will be the fourth in the Academic Village, Elon's arts and sciences quad. A timeline for construction of the pavilion has not been finalized.

"We're pleased to present this gift to support Elon's new pavilion and its Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning," said John M. Belk, chairman of The Belk Foundation Board of Advisors. "We applaud the university for this innovative initiative to enhance the teaching and learning environment for its faculty and students."

John Belk retired as chairman and CEO of Belk, Inc., last May after a 59-year career with the company. He held top management positions in the company's central buying office before being elected CEO in 1953. His leadership enabled Belk to become the nation's largest privately owned department store company. The pavilion will be named in honor of John Belk's father, William Henry Belk, founded the first Belk store in Monroe, N.C., in 1888.