Area residents are invited to tour the new residence hall at Ancilla College this afternoon. An open house and blessing of the building ceremony is scheduled at 4 p.m. Student-athletes are already moved in, and the remaining freshmen will be there Friday.
Ancilla President Dr. Ken Zirkle says it’s just one of the new buildings on the campus. A dining hall and recreation complex is under construction next door and should be ready by mid-year.
Zirkle says Ancilla is also adding several new athletic and academic programs. Men’s and women’s lacrosse, wrestling and tennis will bring quite a few student-athletes to the school. So will the two-year agriculture program that’s starting this fall and the culinary and hospitality offering the school will add next year.
Zirkle says the combination of new programs and available student housing has opened Ancilla’s enrollment up beyond the immediate area. For now the residence hall is limited to students who live more than 25 or 30 miles away. He says that regulation will be released when a second dorm is added. Zirkle plans to broach the subject of a second residence hall with the board of trustees when they meet next month. He says there’s room on the campus for it, but there aren’t any firm plans at this time.
