College Relations
SSC's Residence Hall Association wins the national School of the Year 2006
June 9, 2006
CONTACT --- James Glynn at 978-542-7519 or jglynn@salemstate.edu
Salem, Mass., June 9, 2006--At the National Association of College and University Residence Hall Associations conference held recently at UC-Berkeley, Salem State College's Residence Hall Association won the national School of the Year 2006 award, the highest honor the organization gives. Salem State was selected from over 400 member institutions throughout the United States and Canada, including much larger schools such as the University of Florida, the University of Missouri, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Texas.
Salem State College also won the National Residence Hall Honorary society's "Building Block Chapter" award, which goes to individual residence hall chapters that have achieved outstanding growth, development and achievement during the past year.
Salem State College, a small public college in Massachusetts, competed against over 400 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada and took home the top two national awards.
Salem State College is the first college and the first public college in the 52-year history of the awards to take first place.
Salem State went up against large, established public and private colleges and universities with a long history of residence hall activity to win the coveted award. Salem State is primarily a commuter college, has very few residence halls and has participated for only seven years. Its win came despite its small size, limited experience and lack of major residence facilities.
In regional competition, Salem State knocked out Syracuse to advance to the finals.
In large part, Salem State College's double success at this prestigious national competition is a result of the hard work of the College's residence hall staff and the student members of the College's Residence Hall Association.
Its success is also due to a new style of campus architecture that encourages community interaction and cohesion. When Salem State College built its new residence hall several years ago, it intentionally selected this "new" design concept in the hopes of promulgating community creativity. When a small public college such as Salem State wins two national awards in residence hall leadership and a national first place in theater—all within the space of one year—one can only wonder: Is it the architecture?
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