on campus - Article - Manhattan College

East Hill Tower II
Instead of traveling 40 minutes to Yorktown Heights, Tom
McCarthy ’06 ends his day in Horan Hall, which he calls home
nine months out of the year. McCarthy is among the many students
who live close enough to commute to campus everyday but decided
instead to enroll as a resident. In fact, McCarthy never considered
the possibility of becoming a commuter student.
“I knew I’d be better served as a resident,” McCarthy says.
“Part of the college experience is that you have to live there.”
McCarthy speaks for his generation; college is a residential
experience. Living in an organic, learning community is an essential
element of undergraduate life in the 21st century.
Manhattan is not the only school that has experienced a shift
from local commuter students to residents, but, according to
William Bisset, vice president for enrollment management at the
College, it is one of the first.
“Students that are coming from 300 miles away or three miles
away all want to live on campus,” Bisset says.
In 2002, McCarthy’s freshman year, 74 percent of the students
enrolled as residents. Two years later, 80 percent of freshmen
requested housing.
In order to keep up with the trend toward college residency,
Manhattan College is planning to build East Hill Tower II, a near
twin to Horan Hall. It is estimated to cost $30 million. Funds for
the project are being secured through the Sesquicentennial Capital
Campaign, which is directed by Mike McMorrow ’64 and assisted
by Stephen Laruccia ’67.
“Manhattan is not choosing resident students over commuting
students,” McMorrow says. “We are responding to the reality of
a national trend. The world of secondary education is highly
competitive, and we have to maintain our momentum.”
Despite the greater costs, parents and their children have very
good reasons for choosing residence over commuting. Lifelong bonds
of friendship are created when students live and learn together.
East Hill Tower II will be a state-of-the-art facility providing
beautiful, technologically connected and safe accommodations
for some 570 students. The design is nearly the mirror image of
Horan Hall. Its completion will establish a residential complex
overlooking Van Cortlandt Park for approximately 1,300 students.
This new residence will enhance an already lively, caring
environment, where a diverse student body has become one of our
greatest assets. This diversity is one of the most significant changes
at the College in 25 years. It is a decisive advantage in preparing
young people for the global marketplace.
More students in residence will necessitate an expansion in
student activities, including those oriented toward community
service and mission. More activities must be planned for nights
and on weekends. There will be increased opportunities for the
College to encourage moral growth and spiritual values. A multistory
parking lot is being planned, and food services will be enlarged.
Attractive residential options are part of continuing to attract a
high quality student body. East Hill Tower II is critical because it
will allow the majority of the undergraduate student body to live
together in a modern, comfortable environment.
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