Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
Gathered inside a restored 19th-century house on Rutledge Avenue, College of Charleston faculty and community leaders celebrated the establishment of a new student center where a program developed by local businessman and philanthropist Ben Navarro will be housed on campus. The new Center for Intentionality aims to help students develop habits of success through the concept of “intentionality” conveyed by Navarro in a course he has been teaching at the college since 2023. Speaking to a crowd of over 60 students, Navarro said the center will build on the lessons of his class, which focuses on the principles of building better habits; powering the body; managing one’s mind; and finding community. The launch of the new hub comes just a week after Navarro announced he would donate another downtown building to the College of Charleston for its business school, deepening his ties to the college. College of Charleston President Andrew Hsu thanked Navarro for his generosity and for believing in student success. “Certainly, we’re hoping that this will grow as time goes on and more people participate in it,” Hsu said. “When students behave a certain way, that’s contagious; if students here being intentional, taking action, or challenging themselves have shown results, others certainly will follow.” Navarro is no stranger to education philanthropy. In 2008, he and his wife Kelly, started Meeting Street Schools, a network of schools for underserved students. Since then, his efforts have expanded to include a statewide scholarship fund and a performance-based award program for educators. Living life intentionally Navarro said the concept of intentionality has now seeped through every aspect of his life, including his approach to education. “We need to apply intentionality to every single thing that we do,” he told The Post and Courier. “We're pretty intentional anyway, but I think it's taken over within Beemok as the philosophy that drives our company.” He said he decided to teach a class at the college two years ago after realizing he wanted to share with young people the wisdom he had garnered over the years. Navarro approached the college’s leadership with the idea of offering a course based on common traits among highly successful people he has met throughout his life. He then applied those insights, and his own experiences and reflections, to a curriculum that helps students navigate toward goals with greater purpose. The class launched in the fall semester of 2023 in the College of Charleston’s School of Business, and Navarro has taught it every fall since then. To take the class, students must be recommended by department heads at the college or by former students. After that, students fill out an application and participate in group interviews, which include Navarro and Andrea Kindorf, vice president at Beemok Capital, the office managing Navarro’s investment and philanthropic efforts. Kindorf helps Navarro teach the class. The class meets once a week and includes 45 hours of content. It covers topics like overcoming narrow perspectives, the importance of relationships and getting out of your comfort zone. For students, the course has taken on a life of its own. The first cohort of students wanted to continue engaging in the lifestyle and lessons they learned together, so they created an intentionality club in August 2025 to expand the course’s reach to other students. Kate Seltzer, a senior majoring in hospitality and tourism and the club’s wellness representative, said the course has changed her college experience and reframed her perspective on life. It taught her the importance of small and intentional choices in achieving larger goals, she said. “Sometimes, you wake up and you're tired, you don't want to get up, but just knowing there's this greater purpose for me and every single little decision I make … leads to that, it reframes how I go about making my decisions,” Seltzer said. Brian Durbin, the center’s executive director, said the course’s concepts come at a perfect time for students. “They’re entering a world with a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” he said. “This concept helps them integrate the foundational tools that we know are so important to their success, regardless of what comes their way.” Expanding a community Recognizing the need for more students to access the course’s information, Hsu approached Navarro with the idea of finding a physical space for students to practice and share what they learned with others. Durbin, who aided Navarro in developing the course, said the property at 159 Rutledge Ave. went on the market just when the college’s leadership and Beemok Capital began exploring opportunities to start a dedicated center. In July 2025, the Delaware-based corporation 159 Rutledge LLC purchased the 175-year-old house for $3.5 million from the Ashley Hall Foundation. The four-story, 5,500-square-foot property previously was used as an event venue. Marina Dryer, president of the intentionality club, said the class has given her a blueprint for creating the life she wants and realizing she can achieve her goals by pushing herself to take action. She hopes the new center can do that for students who want the same. “When we're young, there are so many things, so much input happening at once,” Dryer said. “If you're ever at a place where you're confused about what you want your output to be, come here, there's a space for you here.”
