College to break ground for new residence hall
Huntington, Ind.- Huntington College will break ground for a new residence hall on April 24 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place at the building site on Campus Street near Wright Hall. The public is cordially invited to attend.
The facility is the College's first step toward accommodating a rapidly growing student body. Currently, college residence halls are at capacity. Huntington College has experienced a 41% increase in total enrollment since 1993. Huntington College has aggressive plans to continue the growth trend, aiming to reach 1,000 students by the end of the decade.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, four campus leaders will present brief comments and turn a shovel of dirt. These include Dr. G. Blair Dowden, college president, Judge Paul Cherry, chairman of the board of trustees, Steve Zahn, president of the Huntington College Foundation, and Asa Swan, student body president. Four additional students -- two Resident Assistants and two chosen from the student body at large -- will also participate in the proceedings. Several local and state officials have also been invited to the ceremony.
The new student residence will be the first of a series of buildings called for in the College's Facilities Master Plan. That Plan, adopted in 1996, describes ten building projects to be implemented as required by increasing enrollment. The Plan's first initiative calls for townhouses and up to six small residence halls to be built as needed. College trustees authorized the construction of the first small residence hall during their January meeting. The new residence hall is scheduled to be completed by the fall semester of 1999.
According to Ron Coffey, associate dean of student development, the new facility has been designed with upperclassmen in mind. The residence hall will accommodate about 48 students, with rooms designed for single and double occupancy. A central lounge and dining area will be built on all three floors. "We believe our students will appreciate the ability to prepare some meals in their own residences," said Coffey. "As our students mature into early adulthood, we want to be able to accommodate their desire for progressively more independent living arrangements." The new residence type is seen as an alternative to traditional residence hall rooms and Forester Village, the College's apartment complex.
The facility will also be wired to accommodate new developments in learning technology. The residence hall will feature computer workstations hardwired to the campus' fiber optic network. These high-speed digital connections will give students 24-hour access to library resources worldwide.
Founded in 1897, Huntington College seeks to "educate men and women to impact our world for Christ." The four-year, coeducational, Christian liberal arts school offers graduate and undergraduate programs in nearly 50 academic concentrations.
