Northwestern's
11 residential colleges, which house from 37 to nearly 300 students each,
are much more than just a home away from home.
Not only do they provide shelter for 1,270 students, most are structured around a theme that provides a focus for academic and social programming. Each residential college has its own faculty "master" from that field who serves as an adviser to the student officers and helps with academically focused programming.
Residential college students are expected to promote the academic and social activities of their college, participate in philanthropic activities, and enjoy informal contact with the faculty, staff members and visiting scholars who volunteer to serve as fellows. They also are involved both in the life of their specific college and the larger University.
A plan for the residential college system at Northwestern was developed in the early 1970s, in response to a 1969 report by a faculty committee, chaired by English professor Jean Hagstrum, that urged the formation of smaller intellectual communities within the larger University community. The 1969 report entitled "A Community of Scholars' and later referred to as "The Hagstrum Report," was a largely philosophical tract that recommended numerous changes in the educational environment. However, it spurred the creation of a committee to study residential colleges across the nation and to make recommendations on the development of such a system at Northwestern.
In January 1972, the committee, chaired by T. W. Heyck, professor of history, recommended the establishment of residential colleges at Northwestern that were designed to "help connect curricular with extra-curricular experiences by extending the intellectual atmosphere to residences."
The first of five residential colleges opened in the fall of 1972. The original five included three nonthematic colleges: Lindgren, Shepard and Willard, and two thematic colleges: Urban Studies, later renamed the College of Community Studies, and Philosophy and Religion, which was closed in 1978 and resurrected as Humanities Residential College in 1980.
Nearly 30 years later, Shepard and Willard have remained "multithematic," but Lindgren developed its theme of science and engineering. That college now resides in the Benjamin W. Slivka Hall.
Six additional thematic colleges have been developed: Women's Residential College (1976), Communications Residential College (1981), International Studies Residential College (1981), Jones Fine and Performing Arts Residential College (1982), Ayers Residential College of Commerce and Industry (1984), and Public Affairs Residential College (1992).
Today, Northwestern's 11 residential colleges offer programming that involves more than one-third of the University's on-campus undergraduate population and nearly 200 affiliated faculty, staff members and visiting scholars.
The oldest residential college building on campus, the Humanities Residential College, also known as Chapin, will celebrate its 100th anniversary Oct. 1. The structure was part of the old Woman's College of Northwestern University. Chapin welcomes students from all schools within the University and from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The Thomas G. Ayers Residential College of Commerce and Industry, which seeks to promote a broad understanding of business in the United States and the world, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Willard, the largest and one of the oldest residential colleges at Northwestern, continues to attract diverse students interested in a wide range of academic interests.
The Communications Residential College (CRC) encourages its residents to explore the mass media of broadcasting, print journalism and film. The Residential College of Cultural and Community Studies (CCS) students are interested in the interaction of diverse cultures and urban communities in the United States and abroad as well as philanthropy.
The International Studies Residential College (ISRC) welcomes American and international students who share an interest in languages, cultures, politics and people from around the world. The Wayne V. and Elizabeth R. Jones Fine and Performing Arts Residential College residents are interested in the creative arts: writing, poetry, music, theatre, dance and art. Lindgren encourages a humanistic view of science and engineering.
The Public Affairs Residential College (PARC) examines political, economic and social questions. Shepard attracts residents from around the world. Women's Residential College (WRC) attracts diverse students from all six undergraduate schools.
In 1995, eight of Northwestern's 11 residential colleges were physically and visually improved, thanks to $500,000 that University President Henry S. Bienen provided to refurnish the meeting spaces and common areas of the colleges in which students and faculty intermingle.
The amount was a portion of the $2.5 million that President Bienen had committed for an ambitious five-year project to refurbish and renovate the colleges and help them realize their programmatic goals.
Completed in fall 2002, the $10 million Slivka Residence Hall became the new home of the Residential College of Science and Engineering. The 120-bed residence hall was funded in part by a $4 million gift from the Wissner-Slivka Foundation, which is based in the Seattle area. All of the rooms are in apartment-style suites that are connected to Northwestern's computer network, which provides high-speed Internet access. The building also will accommodate future high-speed wireless networks.
