Colby College: Campaign Final Report: Residential Life


	RESIDENTIAL LIFE Dormitory life has changed significantly over the decades, as have parent and student expectations of accommodations. Today, students consider the quality of residential life in deciding which college to attend. In 1995, Colby began assessing key issues affecting student life and establishing priorities for the renovation of residence halls. When Colby inventoried its housing facilities, it discovered that the College ranked near the bottom among its peers in student accommodations. The College responded with a plan to construct new residence complexes, renovate existing residence halls, and extend the campus network to all of the residence halls so that every occupant in every room can have direct internet access. Anthony-Mitchell-Schupf Residence Halls With naming gifts from trustees Edson Mitchell '75, Paul J. Schupf H '91, and Robert N. Anthony '38, a new three-in-one residence hall complex was completed in 1997 and promptly dubbed "The Palace" by its delighted student occupants. Designed in close consultation with students, Anthony-Mitchell-Schupf provides both large and small group suites with private bathrooms, small lounges and a large common social space, and an architectural design that fosters social interaction. A function room and adjacent patio provide event space with a sound system, a kitchenette, and optional table seating. In keeping with the Colby tradition of faculty involvement in student residential life, there is also a 1,600-square-foot ground-floor faculty apartment. A campus committee selected the blue, cranberry, and teal interior finishes and fabrics that distinguish the rooms and furnishings in each of the three wings. The complex houses 141 students. Harold and Bibby Alfond Residence Complex As part of Colby's commitment to remain a completely residential college, a new senior apartment complex was conceived as more enticing to fourth-year students than traditional residence halls. Seniors "are at a different point in their maturation and require living arrangements that provide privacy and independence," says Paul E. Johnston, associate dean of students. "Seniors want and need an environment that is less distracting and more autonomous than traditional residence halls provided." Thanks again to the enormous generosity of Harold H '80 and Dorothy (Bibby) Levine Alfond '38 and the Libra Foundation, the apartment complex was opened in the fall of 1999. Located in the woods near the highest point of Mayflower Hill, it has apartments of various sizes to accommodate groups of four to six students and is designed to encourage social interaction as well as independent living. Each apartment has its own kitchen, living room, bathroom, and single bedrooms. Small patios and a large common room with a kitchen and sound system provide space for social gatherings. Bond--funded renovations to existing residence halls--student rooms, bathrooms, and dining halls--have enabled Colby to offer a private bedroom with a shared common area to a maximum number of students.
	AMS photograph by Brian Vanden Brink© CAMPAIGN FINAL REPORT HOMEPAGE President's Letter Facilities Natural Sciences Student Life Residential Life The Arts Endowed Chairs Endowed Scholarships Participation Challenge Growth Charts COLBY HOME PAGE\| BLUE LIGHT\| HOW TO CONTACT US MAKE YOUR ALUMNI FUND GIFT ON LINE Colby College Office of Development 4300 Mayflower Hill Waterville, ME 04901-8843 207-872-3528, fax: 207-872-3073 e-mail: development@colby.edu