Centenary earns regional School of Year award for Residence Life Programs

SHREVEPORT, La. (Centenary News Service) — It was a typical "David versus Goliath" story when Centenary College took on much larger schools and captured the regional School of the Year award for residence life at the recent Southwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls 2011 No Frills business conference.

The College will now compete against seven other regional winners at the National Association of College and University Residence Halls national conference held later this year in Chicago. Centenary last captured the prestigious award in 2004.

The regional conference was held Feb. 25-27 at Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas, with Centenary competing against schools from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Mexico. Some of the larger schools included the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, Louisiana State University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Arkansas.

In years past, few private schools have won the School of the Year award, which is the paramount achievement at both the regional and national level. The award usually goes to much larger state schools. It recognizes the overall level of commitment to student development and education displayed by the chosen school's residence hall organization. This year, the award submission was written by National Residence Hall Honorary members Macy Stockton along with Josh Coco, former director of residence life.

"This was a huge accomplishment for residence life and for Centenary as a whole," said Coco. "This was the most prestigious award a school can earn at the conference. People are now recognizing all the great things happening at the College."

Along with capturing the top award, Centenary also garnered five national "OTMs" or "Of the Month" awards, the most any school in the region has won. Every month these awards are given out for 13 different categories, recognizing outstanding student involvement and leadership, along with programs that have made an impact on each campus.

The National Association of College and University Residence Halls recognizes living on campus as an integral part of the college experience, and provides comprehensive resources for college and university students seeking to create the ultimate residence hall environment and experience.

It is considered to be the largest student run organization in the world, completely student run, in all of the national and regional positions. It brings together more than 400 schools from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Qatar.

Centenary College falls under the regional branch, SWACURH, the Southwest Affiliate of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 371 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.