LOVELOCK - This fall more than 2,450 students moved into resident halls on the UNR campus. Pershing County High School 2012 graduate Kalynn Mitchell was one of the lucky college freshmen who moved into the newest of the resident halls, the Nevada Living-Learning Community.
It is the first residence hall on campus to have dedicated classrooms and faculty offices, and it provides a centralized setting for the University's nine living-learning communities.
"It's really convenient to have a class in the same building as my room," Mitchell said.
Mitchell attends her Academic Career Exploration 100 class on the first floor of her college dorm.
According to a press release from UNR, the Living-learning communities are designed to integrate student learning with on-campus residential living, helping students make connections and develop friendships with those who have similar academic interests. Having students with similar interests live in the same area fosters the opportunity for students to help each other with homework, study together and share common interests. Students typically join a living-learning community in their freshmen year, and the connections they make can last throughout their college years.
"It's a very social setting. Each wing has a study hall, lounge and a big TV room. I'm meeting a ton of new people, who share my same interest and studies. We do homework together and study together. Living here is real convenient," Mitchell said.
The Nevada Living-Learning Community is the latest addition to the University's growing student-centered infrastructure. The University first offered living learning communities six years ago. The growth in living-learning communities from three initially to nine this fall reflects the increasing popularity of these residential options and the University's growing enrollment. The current living-learning interest areas are art, business, education, engineering, "first year," honors, journalism, pre-nursing and WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).
"This building is one of only a few intentionally designed living-learning community buildings in the nation," said Rod Aeschlimann, director of the University's Residential Life, Housing and Food Services.
Mitchell is in a "first year" wing in the LLC and says it is making her transition from high school life to college life a lot easier.
The building name was identified by a committee of students, faculty and staff, and was approved by the Nevada Board of Regents in December 2011. The committee wanted "Living Learning Community" in the name to identify the building's programmatic design and to demonstrate a commitment to student success and completion.
"The committee felt strongly to identify the state of Nevada in the name as a way to honor a deep commitment to Nevada's future generations and to highlight the University of Nevada, Reno's emphasis on undergraduate education at a tier-one institution," said Aeschlimann referring to the University's ranking as a 'best national university' by U.S. News & World Report.
The Nevada Living Learning Community is five stories and approximately 124,000 square feet. Located at College Drive and North Virginia Street, it houses 320 students.
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