Northern Oklahoma College dedicated the new residence halls at both the Tonkawa and Enid locations last Friday, Oct. 9.
The ribbon cuttings, building tours and Masonic Cornerstone Ceremonies highlighted the events celebrating the nearly completed Mavericks Hall in Tonkawa and Jets Hall in Enid.
The NOC Board of Regents approved $5 million in funding, for each of the two new residence halls, through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education’s Real Property Master Lease Program to design and build the two-story, brick structures created to blend architecturally with existing buildings at each location.
The spacious 20,344-square-foot residence halls each include 84 beds divided into semi-suite units with two bedrooms to house two students in each room which are complete with walk-in closets and shared bathroom facilities in each unit. In addition, the public areas include a large lobby, student lounge, laundry and vending areas, study rooms and a recreation area/storm shelter designed to FEMA standards. The buildings include an energy-efficient HVAC system, Internet access and a state-of-the-art security system with proximity card access control.
The college engaged Frankfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, P.C. as the architectural firm to design new construction and Nabholz was selected as the construction manager for the project with the ultimate goal to improve the student living experience.
NOC President Cheryl Evans, after welcoming and thanking those who came to celebrate the grand opening events, said, “The near completion of the residence halls truly marks another milestone in Northern’s history of providing the best living and learning environment possible to assist students in reaching their career goals. The new student housing facilities establish a new direction for student residence halls at NOC. We haven’t built any new housing in over fifty years and are so excited to see it become a reality.”
Evans also recognized and congratulated Dr. Joe Kinzer, NOC past president, for his recent induction into the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges Hall of Fame. Also, during the luncheon, just prior to the grand opening event in Enid, Evans presented him with the award granted to Hall of Fame inductees.
Jason Johnson, vice president for student affairs, said “Our mission with this new housing is to create an inviting, safe living and learning environment that is enduring and fosters collaborative, life changing experiences that lead to lifelong achievements and friendships. These spacious 20,344 square foot facilities will give us the opportunity to bring our traditional aged student body into more modern attractive facilities, dramatically enhancing our enrollment efforts. Keeping freshmen on campus where they can collaborate and grow with each other is important to helping them finish their degree. With the addition of these 84 bed residence halls, we can create successful residence-life programs that will help retain students as well as enhance the educational experience.
“In designing the new residence halls, new technologies and the balance between privacy and community were major considerations. Students choosing to live here will have easy access to the current dining facilities as well as academic and athletic buildings.”
Johnson thanked Franfurt-Short-Bruza Associates, Nabholz Construction Services, and members of the Residential Housing Task Force Committee, which Johnson chaired, for working together on the housing project.
Other congratulatory remarks were given by NOC Board of Regents Chair Linda Brown in Tonkawa and NOC Board of Regents vice-chair Tom Dugger at the Enid grand opening. Sheri Snyder, NOC vice president for development and community relations, was the mistress of ceremonies at both events. Ribbon cutting ceremonies were by the Tonkawa and Enid Chambers of Commerce and the Masonic cornerstone ceremony was led by the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Masons of Oklahoma Grand Lodge Gary Beisly.
