LSU Residential Life and Housing assistant vice president Steve Waller was recently granted one of on-campus housing’s most prestigious awards. On July 9, Waller was one of seven recipients of the the Parthenon Society Award, which recognizes exceptional achievements in collegiate on-campus housing.
The Parthenon Award is given out annually by the Association of College and University Housing Officers International Foundation. Waller said he was “in awe” when he realized he had been one of the winners. 
“I feel so blessed to even have been considered,” he said. “In my mind, it’s a very elite group … and the rest of the winners are people that I’ve emulated for a long time during my career.”
Waller said his nomination for the Parthenon Award was kept a secret from him since October 2015 when his colleagues decided to enter him for consideration. Residential Life associate director for communications and development Catherine David said Waller’s award was greatly deserved.
“The work Steve does sets us apart from off-campus housing and sets us as the benchmark for other schools’ residence life programs,” she said in an email.
Waller has been working with Residential Life since 1997 and has served as chief housing officer since 2008. Under Waller’s guidance, 57 percent of the University’s on-campus housing is either newly constructed or has been completely renovated.
In the future, Waller said he would like to oversee the renovation of the other 43 percent of the on-campus housing by 2021. He also hopes to finish Nicholson Gateway project, which will offer more housing to upperclassmen and graduate students.
“Nicholson Gateway will have 1,500 beds for upper-level and graduate housing, a 10,000 square-foot satellite UREC facility, and about 4,500 square feet for retail,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to open that up in the fall of 2018.” 
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was one of Waller’s most difficult challenges working in Residential Life. During that time, the University expanded its housing program to take in students from colleges around New Orleans and the surrounding areas. 
Despite the struggles, Waller said the way the University responded to the needs of students around the state made him proud to be a Residential Life employee.
One of his most notable influences within Residential Life has been the growth of residential colleges within on-campus housing. Since introducing the first one in 2001, Waller has been an integral part of expanding the project, which now includes nine residential colleges. 
Waller says the residential colleges are just one of the aspects of on-campus housing that sets LSU apart from other schools in the region. However, the overall environment at the University plays an even bigger role.
“We’ve got the magnolias and the oaks and the purple and gold, and that sets us apart regardless,” he said. “The biggest thing that makes us different is the fact that we’re LSU.”