Housing that merges the academic and social aspects of student life is a central part of the First-Year Experience, West Virginia Universitys program to ease the transition from high school to college life.

With more than 4,700 freshmen expected at WVU this fall, the school is completing the first phase of a 10-year, $40 million housing plan with the opening of a new residence hall. In the next few years, WVU will build a second dorm and renovate several existing halls, underscoring its commitment to not only housing its studentsbut meeting their needs and easing the transition to college.

As our enrollment continues to reach record levels (some 26,500 this fall), the University remains committed to providing modern, quality, affordable housing to all first-year students and as many upperclassmen as we can accommodate,said Narvel Weese, vice president for administration and finance.

The housing planadopted in 2004 by WVU s Board of Governorsaddresses growing enrollment, aging facilities and changing trends among students.

Construction of the two new residence halls is at the heart of the plan.

Lincoln Hall, the first new hall, will open with the start of the fall semester (Aug. 21) near the Evansdale Residential Complex.

The 80,000-square-foot hall features four floors of suite-style living with a connecting bath and common area; a 50-seat theater for small classes, movies, and musical and theatrical productions; study lounges; a small library that may also double as a computer lab; and high-speed Internet connections.

The $14.5 million, 350-bed facility is also home to WVU s new, innovative residential college, part of the Student Affairs 2010 Strategic Plan. Along with Resident Faculty Leaders who will reside there and mentor students, the hall will feature about a dozen faculty fellows from a mix of disciplines who will teach freshman seminars. Associate members from inside and outside the University will lend their expertise to the students as well.

The plan also calls for the second new residence hall to be constructed in the parking lot next to Summit Hall on the Downtown Campus. In addition, the University plans to renovate and upgrade WVU -owned housing facilities over next 10 years.

When WVU s newest hall opens, WVU will have more than 4,650 students in 13 University-owned halls and 775 students in three leased facilities, said Corey Farris, director of Housing and University Apartments.

The First-Year Experience, which WVU President David C. Hardesty launched 10 years ago, is the Universitys response to research that shows the first few months of a students transition to college are pivotal to overall success.

A central part of the program is the Resident Faculty Leader, or RFL , program. Under this program, senior faculty members and their families live in residences in or near the halls to provide guidance to students.Riffles,as they are typically called by students, plan dinners, book discussions and offer trips to nearby cities such as New York or Washington, D.C., to see Broadway shows or tour museums.

WVU has also created learning communities in the halls, where students in science and engineering, for example, live near one another, Farris said. WVU officials also try to arrange for students in the same halls to have classes together, encourage them to form study groups and bring faculty advisers to the dorms to help students prepare for exams, he added.

Other academic components of the residence halls include classes taught on site, free tutoring and computer labs.

An International House was also established to bring together domestic and international students in an environment conducive to learning about different cultures. Formerly the Spruce House, the International House has a dormitory-style set-up with two or three people per room, a combination of twin and bunk beds and community bathrooms. There is one floor for men and one floor for womenplus a lounge large enough for hall activities.

Student housing will continue to be a priority as the University prepares to update its facilities master plan for the next decade, officials say.