NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

8/27/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES-Northwestern State University president Dr. Randall J. Webb brought the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System up to date Friday on a proposal to construct a 380-bed privatized residence hall on the Natchitoches campus.

Plans call for the residence hall to be located behind Iberville Dining Hall near the Teacher Education Center and the Health and Human Performance Building. The facility should be ready for occupancy in time for the fall 2005 semester.

"This proposal is a major step toward improving campus housing at Northwestern," Webb said during the August meeting of the Board of Supervisors. "Next fall, our students will have a modern residence hall designed to provide them with a living/learning environment."

Northwestern has selected a private company to plan, finance, build and manage the residence hall. Negotiations are continuing with the company on details of the project.

The complex will include a clubhouse/office, swimming pool and games area, Internet and cable connections, laundry facility and parking lot. Each unit will include a kitchenette and small living area. The developer was requested to consider the historical architecture of the campus reflected in buildings such as Russell Hall, Warren Easton Hall and Caldwell Hall. A fire destroyed Caldwell Hall in the early 1980's.

"This development is important to recruiting and retention of students," said NSU Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Dan Seymour, who has overseen the project. "We are eager to update our campus housing program, so there is an option for every level of student."

Seymour said the new facility would be a "modified residence hall," with 30 two-bedroom/two-bathroom units for four students and 126 two-bedroom/two-bathroom units

for two students. The residence hall will have some features of an apartment, but will not include a full kitchen. Students who live in the facility will be required to purchase a campus meal plan. Residents will also not have to pay for utilities directly.

Northwestern has had on-campus housing for more than 100 years and was the first institution in the University of Louisiana System to introduce privatized housing in 1994 with the opening of the 512-bed University Columns.

According to Seymour, NSU began working with the national educational real estate consulting firm of Anderson-Stricker about 18 months ago to help develop the project. Anderson-Stricker conducted a survey of student preferences and focus groups along with a market analysis to help the university make a decision. Six developers submitted proposals and made presentations to a university committee. The highest-scoring proposal was selected.

"We believe we have developed a project that will be popular with the students," said Seymour. "The residence hall should have a unique look that will be appealing to go along the kind of amenities that students are asking for."

NSU plans to ask for final approval for the project from the Board of Supervisors and Louisiana Board of Regents later this year.

The new residence hall is the first phase of an overall plan to reconfigure NSU's campus housing, Seymour said. The second phase will involve a possible renovation or demolition of existing campus residence halls.

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