News of Note From North Central College

Record number of students enrolled for 2011-12

Classes began Monday at and for the sixth straight year, the college will have a record enrollment.

The college is anticipating that 850 new students will be in classes today, according to . Total enrollment is expected to exceed 3,000 students.

The record enrollment also coincides with the college’s sesquicentennial. On Nov. 11 the college will celebrate its 150th anniversary.

“This is the largest number of full-time students in the college’s history,” Martin Sauer, dean of admission and financial aid, said in a news release. “It’s also the most ethnically diverse and academically talented class we’ve ever had.”

The college won’t formally certify its numbers until two weeks after classes have started.

Along with the record enrollment, new students are coming to the college from 23 states and 18 foreign countries, according to . It also has the largest number of students living on campus, with 1,500 students living in residence halls. The campus is also more diverse with 18 percent minorities enrolled.

Green is the word on the North Central College campus

The college recently learned it earned LEED Silver Certification for its innovative and environmentally friendly design for its dormitory/recreation center.

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the certification to the college. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The system provides a foundation for building owners and developers to follow as a guide to implementing practical green building designs along with maintenance, construction and operation solutions.

The Res/Rec Center is the nation’s first combined residence hall and recreation center on a college campus, according to . It opened in September 2009. The 201,439-square-foot building is four stories and includes a 265-bed dormitory that is wrapped around the recreation center, which includes a 62,000-square-foot field house.

“The Res/Rec Center’s LEED Silver Certification further establishes ’s commitment to integrating sustainable design elements into campus living and daily operations,” Abby Hahne, the college’s sustainability coordinator, said in a news release. “The innovative and collaborative whole-building design approach has provided our campus with a building that not only offers fantastic residential and recreation facilities, but further promotes human and environmental health.”

The college has undertaken a number of sustainability efforts in recent years, including creating a community garden on campus, eliminating trays in the dining hall and offering the use of bicycles to students through the Cardinal Red Bike program.

The college’s LEED certification was based upon a number of design features including:

• Precast concrete construction.
• Geothermal heating and cooling.
• Energy-efficient windows.
• Radiant heat.
• High-efficiency air conditioning.
• Heat recovery ventilators.
• A domestic hot water waste heat recovery system.
• A white membrane roof to reduce the heat island effect.
• Bicycle racks.
• Native landscaping.