QUINCY UNIVERSITY: QU Adopts House System Beginning Fall 2020

By Press release submission

Nov 14, 2019

Quincy University issued the following announcement on Nov. 7.

Following months of preparation, Quincy University will adopt a new “house system” for all undergraduate students, effective in Fall 2020. The house system is designed to transform the student experience at the university, with each QU student becoming part of a close-knit house community.

“Earlier this semester, QU announced the Success by Design program, which focuses on assuring the success of each student at Quincy University,” said Brian McGee, Ph.D., QU president. “The QU house system allows students to create new relationships and a common community for academic and personal support. At QU, every student will be included in our shared educational experience, consistent with our values as a Catholic and Franciscan university.”

QU will initially have seven houses, each named for a person who has made important contributions to Quincy University, the Franciscan tradition, or to Quincy or the surrounding region. Beginning in 2020, every new student, including transfer students and commuter students, will be assigned to a house. After a transition period, the university expects all undergraduates will be assigned to a house by 2023.

Each house will have its own recreational and service activities, with competitions between houses. University faculty and staff will be designated to support the individual houses.

For first-year students living on campus, their house will correspond to the hall floor where they live. Students will remain a member of the same house throughout their time at the university, no matter where they live.

“Most American universities treat residence halls as not much more than a place to eat and sleep, with a few themed halls or living communities offered to some students,” said Christine Tracy, Ed.D., vice president for student development. “For the past several years, QU has been striving to make each residence hall a place where students feel included and welcome, and we have also worked to make QU a great place for commuter students. The house system is our next big step to ensure that all QU students succeed and thrive, whether they live on or off-campus.”

Different versions of house systems exist at other universities, more often in Europe and on the East Coast. House systems are rare in the Midwest. QU will become the only university in downstate Illinois to have a house system.

“At QU, we are rejecting the one-size-fits-all industrial model for campus life. In the old approach, college administrators would cross their fingers and hope that students would make connections in class or residence halls, or by being lucky enough to join the right organization on campus. But we never want to count on luck where student success is concerned,” said McGee. “At QU, we want every experience on campus to be designed for student success, and we know a house system will create the right foundation for our students.”

Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University (www.quincy.edu) is a Catholic, co-educational, residential university offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult education programs that integrate liberal arts, active learning, practical experience, and Franciscan values. Quincy University’s intercollegiate sports are members of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference for men and women. For more information, please contact the Quincy University Office of Community Relations by calling (217) 228-5275.

Original source can be found here.