UAlbany Features New Living-Learning Communities for Freshmen in Fall 2011

ALBANY, N.Y. (August 8, 2011) --This fall, the University at Albany welcomes incoming freshman with an expanded array of immersive, intimate, and personalized living-learning communities designed to introduce them to the breadth of academic, extracurricular, and social opportunities as well as ways to be engaged in the community.

The university is bringing together like-minded freshmen around a wide variety of different themes.  The themed experiences allow students to live and take classes together, receive personal attention from faculty and current students, as well as take part in similarly-theme extracurricular activities and student organizations.

The nine living learning communities for 2011-12 are:

• Business,
• Pre-Health,
• Healthy Living,
• Laws and Justice,
• Women's Leadership,
• Community Service,
• Sustainability,
• Career Exploration,
• and Military Service.

"The new UAlbany Living-Learning Communities are meant to help new freshmen enter into and succeed in the incredible diverse 'Worlds' available within the University at Albany," says Linda M. Krzykowski, assistant vice provost for student engagement. "New students will be engaged both inside and outside the classroom and become active participants in their 'worlds,' providing them an opportunity to start the process of becoming engaged learners as soon as they arrive on campus."

In 2010, 38 freshmen participated in the successful pilot program "The World of Business." Housed on the 18th and 19th floors of Mohawk Tower, the students participated in a number of activities related to their business interests, including team-building exercises, resume workshops, and a business lunch etiquette class. Upper class students play an active role in the living-learning communities by providing mentoring and encouragement.

"I would definitely recommend this to anyone else," expressed freshman Veda Talanki, who noted that her interest in business was spurred by her entrepreneurial grandfather in India.

In addition to the new housing arrangements, incoming students will have the opportunity to enroll in a new, discipline-based, one-credit freshman seminar. The classes, which will be limited to about 25 students each, will focus on engagement and academic success, and present freshmen with the ability to interact one-on-one with professors in a small-scale setting.

The project is a result of widespread collaboration between faculty members and the Offices of Undergraduate Education, Residential Life, Academic Advising and Student Success. The new communities build on best practices gathered from previously launched living-learning communities at UAlbany, including the Honors College, Japan House, China House and Francophone House.

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