More than 350 students now call West Virginia University’s Honors Hall home – a place where the motto is “knowledge is the door to freedom.”

The $21 million, 91,600-square-foot facility was officially dedicated on Tuesday (Sept. 1). The residence hall, which opened to students on Aug. 21, sits adjacent to WVU’s Summit Hall on 2nd Street, near WVU’s downtown campus.

At Tuesday’s dedication praises for the hall were given by WVU President James P. Clements; Corey Farris, director of Housing and University Apartments; Ken Gray, vice president for Student Affairs; Joe Fisher, vice president for Facilities and Services; and Justin Griffiths, president of the Student Residence Hall Association.

The hall has five floors, each with study and TV lounges. Students live in suites, which are two student rooms – each with two beds – connected by a shared bathroom. A courtyard and other amenities enhance the facility, including a state-of-the-art multimedia room with screen and projector, a laundry facility, Internet access and office space.

Honors Hall operates as a residential college, which is designed to mix formal learning with life outside of the classroom. The students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of residence hall activities and they are encouraged to become engaged members of the University community.

In addition to housing students, the hall is the new home of the WVU Honors College. All administrative and advising offices are housed in the hall; and the college’s Dean Keith Garbutt and his wife, Christine, serve as the hall’s resident faculty leaders.

Currently, more than 1,500 students are enrolled in the WVU Honors College.

For more information, visit http://honors.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

09/01/09

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