Hundreds attend Homecoming rededication of Monroe Hall
Since 1924 more than 12,000 William & Mary students have called Monroe Hall home, making memories, forging friendships, and in more than a few cases, finding future life partners in the iconic dorm adjacent to the university’s Historic Campus.
Marking the residence hall’s centennial, Monroe Hall recently underwent a massive year-long renovation of its facilities and indoor spaces and officially resumed operation this fall.
A rededication ceremony took place Oct. 19 and featured tours, a reception, and remarks from President Katherine Rowe, Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler, and Charles Center Director Elizabeth Harbron.
The ceremony drew several hundred students, faculty, and alumni, many adorned in green and gold for the Homecoming weekend festivities.
In her remarks, Rowe explained that the Monroe Hall renovations are the first stage in a much larger plan to improve facilities and learning spaces across campus.
“This building is the first to be completed in a ten-year project that we've just begun. We call it the Housing and Dining Comprehensive Plan,” she said. “It's focused on integrating living and learning in a way that meets the needs of students now and going forward.”
Renovations include a new air-conditioning system, fresh carpeting and paint, and the installation of 27 state-of-the-art geothermal wells that will contribute to campus sustainability efforts through a 30% reduction of the building’s energy expenses.
While the historical character of the building has been preserved, modern updates and designs facilitate connections among the dorm’s 122 residents, according to Charles Center Program & Events Coordinator Lauri Dabbieri.
“Above all, Monroe Hall was renovated with students in mind and how to make it a wonderful place for our scholars to live, learn, and connect with one another,” Dabbieri said.
Dabbieri spoke to the power of place, and of Monroe Hall, to inspire and change lives. “On move-in day, I met a father of a first-year student who himself lived in Monroe Hall more than 30 years ago,” she said. “He told me that he met his wife in Monroe, and here he is, moving in their son—life has come full circle, with Monroe Hall at the center.”
From its relatively modest beginnings more than a century ago, Monroe Hall has been transformed over the past few decades into a vibrant living-learning community for first-year Monroe Scholars, students recognized for their demonstrated passion for learning and curiosity about the world. Fewer than 10% of admitted undergraduate students receive this esteemed designation.
“For us over at the Charles Center, we really can't think about Monroe Hall without thinking about it as the home of the Monroe Scholars,” said Harbron during her dedication ceremony remarks.
The Monroe Scholars program provides students with ample funding for applied learning and research pursuits. In their first year, each scholar may apply for a $1500 grant toward a summer research project. During either their sophomore or junior year, scholars may receive a $4000 grant for a more in-depth, seven-week summer project, or can choose to receive the funding in support of an internship experience.
Additional benefits of the program include conference travel grants, as well as invitations to special alumni presentations, a weekly enrichment series, and peer mentorship pairings with junior and senior Monroe Scholars based on mutual areas of interest.
The hall’s renovations allow for an enhanced sense of social and academic community among first-years through enhanced spaces and technology. On the first floor, there is a large common area for social activities such as cooking or watching television.
There is also a renovated programming room that can be used as a classroom or study space, which might be useful in the future for proposed class sessions, according to Charles Center Undergraduate Research Program Administrator Kate Patterson. Additionally, the floor features an office space that she hopes can eventually offer drop-in hours for any inquiries students may have, such as questions about starting a research project.
On the upper floors, there is an open two-story space in which one floor’s common area looks down into that of another. “It adds more openness and natural light, and just adds to that feeling of being at home and being in a social space,” Patterson said.
Clare Osberg ’28, a current Monroe Scholar, is a part of the first class to live in the newly renovated residence hall. The modern spaces have fostered a thriving community and have contributed positively to her first-year experience, according to Osberg.
“Every single space is clean and comfortable, and I appreciate spending time in both my room and the common areas. The lounge is an especially enjoyable place to eat, study, and hang out with my hallmates,” Osberg said. “I am grateful to get to live with other Monroe Scholars because there is a strong community among all of the wonderful people who live here.”
As a unifying intersection for the wide range of academic and research interests that Monroe Scholars represent, Monroe Hall is at the heart of this thriving, interdisciplinary living-learning community.
“It's amazing to see the community building happening right before our eyes: socially casually, in academic contexts, in research contexts, all of it here,” said Harbron to the Homecoming crowd gathered outside the hall’s doors. “I really think this represents the best of what William & Mary has to offer, and I'm so excited to see it go on.”
