Stanford has several humanities programs often ranked in the country's top 10, an achievement that sometimes is overshadowed by the university's tech prowess. To help reverse that trend, the humanities are about to find a new home on Stanford's campus. Literally.
The university has nearly completed construction on Humanities House (officially known as Humanities-themed Residence), the first new undergraduate residence built on campus since 1992. As the newest of the themed dorms—eight other residences are centered on themes, such as Crothers Hall's global citizenship—Humanities House will offer lectures, film screenings and similar programming designed to increase students' exposure to the liberal arts. In addition, the $23.75 million building's open floor plans and common spaces should help cultivate an intellectual climate in the house, providing residents ample space to study and socialize.
The new dorm is going up in Manzanita Park, one of Stanford's 10 undergraduate residence complexes, and will accommodate three visiting scholars or graduate students, a resident fellow, and 125 students, all upperclassmen. By early May, when the building was still just a skeleton, those beds were all accounted for—more than 200 students applied for pre-assignment to the new house rather than vying for rooms in the lottery process. In a rare move, the Office of Residential Education filled the house from that applicant pool to ensure student interest in the theme for its inaugural year.
Humanities House officially opens fall quarter. Following on its heels are a 200-person residence for the Graduate School of Business and two new undergraduate dorms in the Lagunita complex, all slated to open in 2016.
