Wednesday, September 10, 2003

WILMINGTON, NC – University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo cut the ribbon Sept. 10 to officially open Cornerstone Hall, the campus’s new $11.6 million, 62,000-square-foot three-story residence hall houses 264 students.

“Cornerstone Hall has a function, but it has a symbolic value as well. It is about creating a living-learning community. It is an important new venture for us and proves that living-learning dreams come true,” Chancellor DePaolo said.

The residence hall houses a new learning initiative at UNCW designed exclusively for first-year students. Nine groups of 20 to 25 students who live in the hall participate in learning communities with a humanities focus. The learning community motto is “Live to Learn … Learn to Live.” Students involved in learning communities are able to live and take most of their classes with the same small group of students.

The UNCW learning initiative program enrolled 210 incoming first-year students this semester and consists of three courses: two UNCW basic studies liberal arts courses and an integrative seminar. Student benefits include small classes, social events and an introduction to college-level study skills. Some examples of integrated courses include: Behavior, Bodies and Crime, the Lure of the Sea and the Age of Cultural Revolutions.

UNCW is linked with the National Learning Community Project. The organization’s headquarters is the Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wash. Their Web site is available at http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/.

Cornerstone Hall completes a planned quadrangle as it is positioned between the Honors and International residence halls. It has five single resident assistant rooms, 106 double occupancy rooms and 14 triple occupancy rooms. Cornerstone is equipped with several TV/living rooms, computer labs and kitchens. It also includes four “smart” classrooms and additional study areas.

For more information about the UNCW Learning Community visit www.uncwil.edu/gc/LearningCommunity/index.htm.

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