With the beginning of a new academic year, Northern Arizona University Honors College students are enjoying a new facility exclusively for Honors students where they attend class, meet with faculty and advisers, study, socialize, and sleep.
The new 200,000-square-foot building on the Flagstaff campus includes eight Honors classrooms, the Honors Writing Center, and offices. The facility also includes more than 600 beds, community-style kitchens, study areas, student lounges on each floor, a fitness center, an indoor/outdoor fireplace, and a courtyard.
Kevin Gustafson is the new dean of the Honors College at NAU. Gustafson said he was attracted to NAU for several reasons in addition to the new Honors Residential College that opened in August.
“We encourage students to become independent thinkers as they develop and follow paths that correspond to their academic, professional, and personal aspirations,” Gustafson said. “Some students make study abroad, an internship, or community service the centerpiece of their Honors education. Others pursue an extended undergraduate research experience or write a thesis.
“Whatever their goals, students will find NAU Honors a great choice for a truly exceptional undergraduate education in a challenging, yet supportive, academic community,” he added.
At NAU, Honors students can participate in the multidisciplinary Grand Canyon Semester as well as the Grand Canyon Aesthetics Program, in which nationally known writers and artists take Honors students out into the field to study, appreciate, and create art in response to the Northern Arizona landscape, Gustafson said.
“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,” NAU President Rita Cheng said in a press release. “This facility is an example of our commitment to make NAU home for the region’s best and brightest.”
Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University, features a dedicated campus in Tempe with classrooms, residence halls, a dining area, study lounge, computer lab and fitness center.
The University of Arizona Honors College is expected to move into its new Tucson facilities in 2019. The four-story building will also have classrooms and residences in one location, along with a new recreation center and community creative spaces.
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