FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Maddy Elledge
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Young Harris College Receives Accolade for Excellence in Facility Design
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Young Harris College and VMDO Architects recently received an ACUI’s Facility Design Award of Excellence for the design of the Rollins Campus Center and the Zell and Shirley Miller Library. A special awards ceremony took place during the Architecture and Design Showcase on March 21 at the 2017 ACUI Annual Conference in Philadelphia.
“It is an honor to be recognized by ACUI for the partnership between VMDO and YHC in designing a top-of-the-class student center,” said Director of Facilities Planning and Operations Chadley Gray. “This building has truly transformed the campus experience for all students, community members, faculty and staff.”
The Rollins Campus Center is the largest building to ever be constructed at Young Harris and serves as the social and intellectual heart of campus. Designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly, the Rollins Campus Center was awarded LEED Gold certification by the Green Building Certification Institute.
Named after longtime friends and supporters of the College, the Rollins Family, the Rollins Campus Center opened in August 2014. It houses a game room, multimedia theatre, classrooms, meeting spaces, offices, the Student Success Center, Chick-Fil-A Express, the Grace Rollins Dining Hall, the Charles Suber Banquet Hall, and the Mary Ripley Warren Student Organization Loft. The center is also home to the 40,000-square-foot Zell and Shirley Miller Library named in honor of two of YHC’s most distinguished alumni, which also received the Facility Design Award for Excellence.
For 13 years, the Facility Design Award of Excellence has recognized outstanding renovation and construction project collaborations between architecture firms and college staff and students. Applicants and awards were divided into categories: four categories based on budget for college unions, and one category for other student life facilities. Projects were judged on 11 criteria by a jury of peers in the architecture and higher education industries.
ACUI is the professional home to thousands of campus community builders around the world. Primarily focused on the work of those within the college unions and student activities field, the Association strives to provide an inclusive, welcoming community for all those who choose to belong.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private, baccalaureate degree-granting college located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through the highest quality liberal arts education. The College currently has more than 1,100 students across five divisions—Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Mathematics and Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The historic campus in Young Harris, Ga., has completed major campus improvements to accommodate the College’s growth. Recent LEED-certified campus improvements include the 121,000-square-foot Rollins Campus Center, new residence facilities, and a 57,000-square-foot recreation and fitness center. The College is an active member of NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. YHC is among fewer than 300 colleges and universities nationwide named to the 2016-2017 list of Colleges of Distinction and is listed as a “Best National Liberal Arts College” by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
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