First-year engineering students will have a new home in fall 2023, offering a holistic residential academic experience at Williams Village.
The outstanding facilities and convenient access to East and Main campuses will maximize engineering student engagement, College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Acting Dean Keith Molenaar said in an announcement this week.
“This model is designed to build a strong engineering community that supports student success and retention through graduation, and creates the opportunity for the 38% of CEAS students not currently participating in a residential program to benefit from the proven support of the experience,” said Molenaar.
The college is collaborating with university leadership and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Akirah Bradley-Armstrong to evaluate integrated student experience resources to best support the specific academic, social, career, mental health and wellness needs of engineering students, according to the announcement.
“Our mission is to offer programs and services that positively affect student success, retention and engagement,” said Bradley-Armstrong. “I’m excited to establish this new residential experience for our engineering students, and look forward to working with the College of Engineering and Applied Science and other campus partners to make this happen.”
CEAS and Student Affairs will hire a faculty director for the community, who will live in residence and collaborate with housing professionals for have strategic oversight of residential programming and other aspects of the community.
Working groups of faculty, staff and students will start in the spring to further develop plans for student programming, student assessment, student recruitment and space planning.
CEAS is also launching a new webpage to answer questions, keep track of the progress and make further announcements.
Increasing access
Increasing access to Residential Academic Programs (RAPs), Living and Learning Communities (LLCs) and similar programs was a key recommendation identified in the campus’ Foundations of Excellence initiative and in the IDEA Plan.
The engineering community adds to progress in expanding living experience options across campus. Programs like the Design Your Path LLC or the Multicultural Perspectives LLC offer specific options for students to live and learn with students on a similar academic path.
Housing & Dining has a full list of LLCs and RAPs on their Living Experiences page.
