Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59887
In themed residential colleges, students are eating, drinking, living, and breathing business. by Sharon Shinn illustration by McDavid Henderson P art of any student's learning experience happens outside the classroom, in libraries, study groups, and dorm rooms. But what if a school could participate in those off-site learning experiences, reaching students where they live, so to speak? How much would that enhance a student's overall education? We'll soon find out. A handful of business schools have organ- ized themed residential colleges that cater to students interested in business or entrepreneurship. Dormmates take classes together and participate in extracurricular activities together, have access to lectures and specialized resources, and get a chance to rub elbows with professors and pro- fessionals who either live in the college with them or who drop by for extended visits. Residential colleges are a long-standing tradi- tion at schools like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale—and they're catching on at schools around the world. "What residential colleges provide for stu- dents and faculty are the advantages of a small college environment in the context of a large university," says Robert J. O'Hara, a biologist atMiddlebury College in Vermont. He's also author and administrator of The Collegiate Way Web site, which both extols the benefits of residential colleges and tells administrators how to establish them. He continues, "Big state universities have wonderful resources, libraries, and research opportunities; but at an institution of 20,000 or 30,000, an undergraduate can feel lost in a crowd. As a consequence, many people choose small liberal arts colleges. Those arewonderful in terms of getting to know the faculty on a one-to-one basis and having a tight- knit community, but students lose the advantages of a big uni- versity. Residential colleges provide the best of both worlds." Variation on a Theme Most residential colleges are cross-sectional living spaces that bring together students from all majors into the microcosm of a dorm. Themed residential colleges take an entirely different approach, giving students every opportunity to immerse them- selves in theirmajors—with the goal ofmaking students evenmore committed to their chosen profession. Themed residential colleges also appear to be a relatively new concept, at least for business schools. Last fall, Oregon State University in Corvallis rolled out the Austin Entrepreneurship Program@WeatherfordHall, a joint project among the College of Business, the College of Engineering, and University Housing & Dining. Situated in a remodeled historic building, the programcan accommodate up to 290 students, as well as a resident entrepre- neurship professor and visiting professors. It also has space for class- BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2005 37