Topics: Administrative, Sustainability/Environment, Alumni
August 26, 2010
A group of students relax inside one of Kinghorn Hall~~~s modern designed lounges.
From its semiprivate bathrooms to its plush furnishings, Thomas J. Kinghorn Hall will allow comfort to be king for 600 Ball State students calling the university's newest residence hall home when classes resume this fall.
The $35.6-million building is the third new or extensively renovated residence facility to open on campus in four years, with renovations to DeHority Complex completed in 2009 and the addition of Park Hall in 2007. At more than 205,000 square feet, Kinghorn Hall includes double, single and suite rooms to accommodate students' needs. To mark its grand opening, a dedication ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 10 at the residence hall, located at the corner of New York and Neely avenues.
Alan Hargrave, associate vice president for student affairs and director of housing and residence life, said Kinghorn Hall was designed with current student trends in mind, including requests for living quarters with greater privacy and convenience, top-notch technology and increased storage. He added today's students also are keen for spaces that allow for greater interaction with other students.
Featuring multiple sleek and modern lounges on every floor, Kinghorn Hall also has an interior courtyard that adds to its communal environment. "It'll be a great spot to read a book, listen to tunes on your iPod or talk with a friend," Hargrave said. And whether it's playing checkers or hitting the books in one of its lounges, students living in the hall will be greeted with sweeping panoramas of the university. "The views from the building are fantastic. They really connect you to the rest of campus," Hargrave said.
More options keep students living on campus
Other features within Kinghorn Hall include a centrally located desk, computer lab, laundry room, and a music practice room with two recording areas. On the hall's first floor, students can grab sandwiches, snacks and other treats at the Tom John Food Shop. All student rooms provide walk-in closets and wireless Internet connections in addition to in-room thermostats for comfort-controlled heating and cooling.
Like the floorplans of both Park Hall and DeHority Complex, Kinghorn Hall is laid out so that residents share smaller restrooms with fewer people, granting them greater privacy while living on campus.
Hargrave said the addition of modified apartments in Kinghorn Hall also offers desirable space for older students wanting the benefits of on-campus living without sacrificing the level of privacy that can accompany living off campus. "We have seen greater numbers of sophomores, juniors and seniors living on campus. So, we have tried to create a variety of environments where students can find a niche within which they are comfortable," he said.
In accordance with the university's commitment to the environment, Kinghorn Hall is designed to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards. The rating system addresses six categories of building attributes: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design processes.
Honoring a Ball State steward
Kinghorn Hall is named in recognition of long-serving campus executive Thomas J. Kinghorn, who dedicated more than four decades of service to Ball State before stepping down as vice president for business affairs and treasurer in June 2009.
Kinghorn, a 1965 and '66 alumnus of the university, was a guiding force in the construction of 17 new buildings and other major structures on campus as well as the renovation of another 26 facilities. They represent almost half of the university's physical landscape as it is known today.
His efforts over the years also brought tuition remission for employees' families and health care insurance for Ball State retirees, the latter an especially rare and valuable benefit among universities in this day and age.
"I can think of no better tribute to a vice president who has served the university for 43 years than to name our newest residence hall in his honor," said President Jo Ann M. Gora. "Thomas J. Kinghorn Hall will serve as a bricks and mortar example of its namesake's inspired commitment and vision to Ball State."
Kinghorn remains involved with the university in a part-time capacity as executive assistant to the president for commercialization and community engagement.