Davis & Elkins College is launching a $25 million capital campaign to build a new student residence hall and renovate two existing facilities. “Creating Home: It Takes a Village” was recently approved by the Board of Trustees with a projected groundbreaking date of spring or summer 2023.
D&E leaders agree that upgrades to student housing are essential for attracting students and meeting their living and learning needs of the future.
Known as “the Freshman Village,” the area is specifically designed with spaces to offer dynamic programming that demonstrates the value of living on campus. The new three-and-a half-story, 100-bed suite-style residence hall will feature a common kitchen, multi-purpose room, collaborative study spaces and laundry and vending amenities. To aid with accessibility, the residence hall will have an elevator, as well as a second entrance lobby through the building’s lower level.
“Davis & Elkins College continues to build toward a bright future as we launch a capital campaign centered on ‘creating home,’” said D&E President Chris A. Wood. “The addition of a Freshman Village to house our newest students provides modern residence halls to meet basic living needs. However, this capital campaign also creates “home” through enhanced programming to assist new students acclimate to college life and thrive in the collegiate environment. Alumni and friends of D&E are enthusiastically stepping up to financially invest in our students.”
Renovations to the current Gribble Hall and Roxanna Booth Hall will include upgrades to HVAC, electrical and wireless technology, and new windows, doors, furniture, fixtures and finishes throughout the buildings. The project also will address codes for accessibility, bathroom fixtures and fire protection.
The construction of a gazebo and development of the patio outside of Gribble Lounge will provide additional gathering spots and help tie the village together physically and aesthetically.
Improvements to student housing is Phase II of the College’s Campus Master Plan which was unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees in 2019. The first phase – extensive renovations to Myles Center for the Arts – was completed in 2020.
“The announcement of a new residence hall and the creation of the Freshman Village will be remembered as a transformative moment in the history of the College,” said Board of Trustees Vice Chair and alumnus Dave Cutlip ’77. “Our last new dormitory was constructed over 50 years ago. The recently completed Myles Center for the Arts and now, the Freshman Village project, demonstrate the College’s commitment to sustaining residential liberal arts education in the mountains of North Central West Virginia. This is only possible through the generous support of our friends and alumni who share a similar vision.”
The last residence hall constructed on campus, Moyer Hall, was completed in 1970. Phase III of the Campus Master Plan will address renovations to housing for upperclassmen.
An architectural rendering of the new residence hall to be located in the Freshman Village.
