Ancilla College to Open New Dorm
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAncilla College in Donaldson says it will open a new residence hall in the fall of 2015. The new dorm will be home to 100 students and possibly include a teaching kitchen for a new hospitality culinary program.
December 11, 2014
News Release
DONALDSON, Ind. – With beds for approximately 100 students, Ancilla College is delighted to announce a state-of-the art residence hall will be ready for students beginning the 2015-16 school year.
“This project will help us reach students from a wider area, previously unavailable for a commuter campus,” said Dr. Ken Zirkle, president. “We are proud to bring our mission of empowering lifelong learners to our new programs, expanded athletic teams and safe campus.”
Preliminary plans for the building include housing for 100 new students and a live-in dean and student services director, Zirkle said. Floor plans are being drawn now to possibly include a teaching kitchen for a new hospitality/culinary program.
“From parent and student feedback we know that Ancilla College's mission-driven environment is exactly what many students and parents want,” said Vice President of Enrollment Management Eric Wignall. “Ancilla's student-teacher ratio of 10-to-1 is the best in Indiana. We don’t have impersonal lecture halls or teaching assistants. At Ancilla instructors lead small, personal classes where you get face-to-face feedback and help,” he said.
Ancilla is Indiana's only two-year private college. It is dedicated to hands-on assistance to help each student graduate, Zirkle said. The safe, rural campus provides just the environment to really learn and graduate with an associate’s degree that will transfer students to a four-year institution with ease or ready them for the workplace, giving them an edge over their coworkers.”These dorms are not only going to help more students find Ancilla as a home, they will also bring jobs to the area,” said Mike Brown, chief financial officer. “It’s a win-win for the college and surrounding communities.”
The Ancilla College campus is part of the Center at Donaldson. The Center includes: MoonTree Studios, the Catherine Kasper Life Center, Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center, the Ancilla Beef and Grain Farm and Earthworks Environmental Education – all ministries are sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.
“We pride ourselves on hiring top notch instructors who want to work here because they believe every person can be educated,” said Dr. Joanna F. Blount, vice president of academic and student affairs. “Our faculty and staff go the extra step to help a student learn.”
Zirkle said he is particularly proud of the school’s nursing program with a 90 percent NCLEX pass rate and is encouraged by the addition in 2015 of women’s golf and soccer teams.
Francis Ellert, chairman of the Ancilla Board of Trustees said, “I believe this is a history day for Ancilla College to allow us to move forward in higher education. This is a huge decision and a really exciting one for our little world in Donaldson.”
Look for more information on groundbreaking in March with artist’s renderings to come as early as the end of December.
Ancilla College (www.ancilla.edu) is a Catholic, liberal arts, Associate’s Degree college in Donaldson, Indiana, sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.
Source: Ancilla College