The Herget, Laville, Vision Louisiana and Information Technology Residential Colleges will soon have two new counterparts. The Global Studies Residential College will open this fall and the Business Residential College will open in the fall of 2007. “Our residential colleges are more popular than ever,” said Mimi LaValle, communications manager for the Department of Residential Life. “Students really enjoy the environment. They get a more complete university experience.” Students in the Residential College program take classes together and live in designated areas to provide the benefits of a smaller university. Earlier this year, the University’s Information Technology Residential College was named number two in the nation among university service programs by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. In addition to the ITRC, there are currently three other residential colleges on campus. Herget serves incoming freshman. Laville Honors House is the residence hall for the Honors College and Vision Louisiana is available for students who express keen interest in the development of the state. Andrew Fuson, biological sciences sophomore and Herget resident during the 2005-2006 school year, said he’ll never forget his Residential College experience. “I really enjoyed it,” he said. “All the people I met were really friendly and had similar interests.” The newest college, Global Studies, will be housed in Mcvoy Hall and will be open to all students interested in global issues, no matter what their major. “[Global Studies Residential College] is intended to provide a small international community,” LaValle said. As with most new University programs, turnout is expected to be low at first. “We will probably start small and grow to around 150 students,” said Leonard Ray, associate professor of political science and rector for Mcvoy Hall in the fall. Ray said the courses members of the program will take are intended to satisfy the University’s general education requirements, allowing students from all majors to participate. Students in the Global Studies Residential College will take 12 credit hours in their first two years to prepare them to complete a long-term team project. During their last two years, students will complete their projects with guidance from faculty mentors. Ray hopes the students in Global Studies will enjoy the international experience as much as he did. “When I was a senior at Tulane, I stayed in their first international residence hall,” he said. “This was one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience.” In the fall of 2007, the Residential College program will open its Business Residential College Facilities, which will be housed in West Laville Hall. The Business Residential College will move to the Graham Complex, which is under construction on the west side of campus, when renovations begin on West Laville Hall in spring 2008.
Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]