With a snip of a giant pair of scissors, Northern Arizona University’s newest building officially opened.
On Thursday, President Rita Cheng cut the ribbon on the new Honors Residential College, a hybrid facility that allows Honors College students to live in the same building where they attend classes, study and meet with their advisers and professors. The building, which the Arizona Board of Regents approved in April 2017, is a partnership between NAU and American Campus Communities (ACC).
“We are pleased to see an increasing number of top-performing students choose NAU, and the Honors College plays a major role in attracting and engaging these students,” Cheng said. “This facility is an example of our commitment to make NAU home for the region’s best and brightest.”
ACC representative James Wilhelm; Honors Dean Kevin Gustafson; Jane Kuhn, vice president of student affairs; project manager Kelly Davis; and Dan Okoli, vice president for capital planning and campus operations all participated in the ribbon cutting. The building has 636 beds; other amenities include community-style kitchens, an indoor/outdoor fireplace, student lounges on each floor, barbecue grills, a gazebo and an internal courtyard with plenty of green space.