WCU dedicates new Balsam, Blue Ridge residence halls
Chancellor John Bardo addresses the crowd during the dedication ceremony for Blue Ridge and Balsam residence halls.
The latest residence halls to open for business at Western Carolina University provide more than merely a place for 800 students to sleep, a new campus conference facility, and headquarters for the university’s burgeoning Honors College; they also provide concrete evidence – pun intended – of WCU’s growing academic stature.
That was the message from several speakers as the university community came together on a rain-soaked Tuesday, Nov. 30, for ceremonies dedicating Balsam and Blue Ridge residence halls, an event held in conference space on the ground floor of Blue Ridge.
“These two projects represent more than just the most recent of 14 major construction and renovation projects that have occurred at Western Carolina since 1995,” said Chancellor John W. Bardo. “These buildings, I hope, give physical presence and physical meaning to the quality of work being done here. The facilities are the mirrors that reflect the image of the people here.”
Balsam and Blue Ridge halls, built as part of a $50 million construction project, were developed as part of a plan to create a more pedestrian-friendly center of campus. Blue Ridge Hall opened this fall to about 375 students and Balsam Hall opened last fall to about 425 students.
Bardo called the twin residence halls the latest piece of a major home renovation project at WCU that began with the renovation of A.K. Hinds University Center in 2004, followed by construction of the Campus Recreation Center in 2008, and the opening of Courtyard Dining Hall in 2009. Work is under way on a central quad tying together the central core of campus, including landscaping, walkways, outdoor seating and a circular zero-depth fountain.
Residents of the new halls include members of WCU’s Honors College, which also has office space in the ground floor of Balsam Hall. The residential college for high-achieving students has grown from 77 students in 1997 to more than 1,400 undergraduates representing all disciplines.
Brian Railsback, dean of the Honors College, said that the new residence halls make an excellent home for his students and will play a role in helping recruit even larger numbers of academically gifted students in the years ahead.
“These two impressive residences are a marvel of careful design and are now home to a vibrant social life. These are important things, but they are not the most important,” Railsback said. “Above all, this facility is a place for learning. Working in the numerous study rooms together in groups, or working alone in their rooms, students here are doing the research and creative work initiated by challenges from our faculty. The students who pass through these halls are becoming professionals or top candidates for graduate school, set to make a difference in their world – and much of that transformation happens right here in the residence.”
Shannon Owen, a senior Honors College student, told the crowd assembled for the dedication that she has come to consider Balsam Residence Hall her real home – even to the point of upsetting her family members when she leaves for campus, telling them it’s time to for her to return home.
“I really can’t tell you how much it means to me personally and to all of the other Honors College students who call this place home,” Owen said. “I am very passionate about the Honors College. I tell every student coming into school, ‘Find something you’re passionate about, and give it your all.’ The Honors College is where I found that passion. I can’t thank you enough for making this happen for us.”
Steve Warren, chairman of WCU’s Board of Trustees, harkened back two years to another rainy day when ground was broken on the residence hall projects. “On that day, we foretold this home would be where the seeds of thought would bloom, where beliefs would become convictions, where friendships would be forged. And now we’re arrived. I can confidently say we have built an extraordinary home – a home where WCU students can begin a journey of a lifetime,” Warren said.
Sam Miller, WCU’s vice chancellor for student affairs, thanked a long list of people and organizations for making Balsam and Blue Ridge residence halls a reality, including the architects of Clark Nexsen Architecture and Engineering, contractors of Rentenbach Constructors Inc. and several university departments involved in the projects.
Miller also singled out employees of the Jackson County Building Inspection and Fire Marshal offices for helping get the residence halls open on time to accommodate incoming students as they arrived in August 2009 and 2010.
“It’s no exaggeration to say we couldn’t have gotten our students moved in on time without the folks in Jackson County, the building inspectors and fire marshal,” he said. “I’ve worked at other universities on other residence hall projects, and building inspectors don’t all come out at 11:30 at night to work on your project.”
Also speaking at the dedication was Stephen Woody, chair of the board of directors of the Western Carolina University Research and Development Corp. The nonprofit private-public partnership has overseen the development of four residence halls at WCU since 2003, Woody said – The Village with 252 beds, Norton Road Hall with 290 beds, and Balsam/Blue Ridge with 800. “We are honored that we have built 1,342 beds for our students in the last seven years,” he said. “Chancellor, we look forward to doing some more.”
Keith Corzine, director of residential living, presented framed photographs of the four residence hall projects to members of the Research and Development Corp.
The dedication ceremony also include recognition of a plaque located on the exterior wall of Blue Ridge Hall marking the site of Leatherwood Hall, which was leveled to make room for Blue Ridge, and to honor the contributions of those for whom the building was named – Therman and Nell M. Leatherwood.
