Elder Residential Community Welcome
Welcome to Elder Residential Community – the first living unit in Northwestern’s newest housing initiative, opened in Fall 2010.
The new “residential communities” – or ResComs -- focus on student engagement, student-driven programming and live-in faculty involvement. Elder Residential Community, with new facilities to support inclusiveness along with diversity, combines the previous freshman quad from 600/610 Lincoln and Elder Hall.
This exciting new project revolves around connections, facilitated by a large student lounge on the first floor, smaller floor lounges with kitchens, seminar rooms for small classes, study rooms for group work, an elevator for added convenience, and a live-in apartment for faculty. All these are being built to foster a comfortable place to live while meeting others and to grow, personally and intellectually.
Specifically, the new facility, student programming and faculty involvement will help Elder residents accomplish the learning outcomes that are central to a Northwestern education:
- Developing a sense of purpose for their lives and career plans that are well informed\
- Strengthening self-awareness and interpersonal competence
- Increasing intercultural/multicultural competence and knowledge
- Clarifying values, ethics and beliefs
- Expanding social consciousness and civic engagement
- Developing leadership abilities
- Engaging in healthy living
- Learning to be responsible and independent
One innovation is the faculty-in-residence position. While the programming at Elder will be student-driven, the live-in faculty mentor will be an essential member of the hall government. In addition to offering guidance in dealing with the University, helping students access resources, and serving as a liaison to other faculty and general goodwill ambassador, he and his spouse will be able to host large student gatherings in their specially designed apartment and focus on getting to know every Elder resident.