New Initiative to Create Student Residence Hall of the Future -Valdosta State University representative part of 21st CenturyProject

It's no longer enough for a college residence hall to just provide four walls and a bed. The campus housing of today must foster learning and comfort while balancing environmental and technological concerns and do so in a way that's affordable to both the school and the students.

A group of experts, including Rob Kellner, director of Auxiliary Services at Valdosta State University, are convening at a summit in Chicago, February 5-8, 2006, to design the next generation of college residence halls, as part of the 21st Century Project.

The project, sponsored by the Association of College and University Housing Officers � International (ACUHO-I) and its member organizations, is a multi-phased program that will culminate in the construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art college residential facility, site to be determined. The modern prototype will show how to better accommodate the ever-changing role residence halls play in the collegiate experience and in higher education institutions.

A wide variety of experts from both the academic and professional sides are being enlisted. Federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, Department of Education, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will also be recruited to participate at various stages of the process.

At the summit, Kellner and other project members will review data corresponding to ongoing trends in university housing as well as the expanding technological advances within the campus environment. Their findings will be presented to participating college and university officials as well as to vendors, development agencies, and architectural firms.

Participating firms will then begin to produce conceptual plans and massing options for the defined facilities. From these, a committee will choose final designs or design components that will be later constructed on a college campus.

Kellner said he is privileged to be a member of 21st Century Project and looks forward to being a part of improving college residence halls for the next generation.

Contact Kellner at 229-333-5706 for more information about the project, or visit the ACUHO-I website at http://www.acuho-i.org and click the 21st Century Project button.