The new Robert E. Knoll Residential Center will be dedicated at a ceremony 5 p.m. Sept. 10 at the second-floor lobby of the residence hall.
The new student residence is a 565-bed, five-story structure that features suite-style housing units with fully furnished living rooms and in-suite bathrooms shared by four residents per suite. The units are either 2-bedroom, with two people per bedroom; or 4-bedroom, with each of four residents having his or her own bedroom. There are private single bedrooms for upperclassmen in upperclass suites. The suite units have food prep areas similar to kitchenettes (but not including a stove) - a refrigerator, sink, microwave and cupboards for food storage and kitchen utensils. The hall is coed (men and women are both housed on each floor but not mixed within each unit).
During his 40-year career at UNL, Robert Knoll taught generations of students to enjoy the rich beauty of English language and literature, pioneered a number of innovative teaching initiatives, and was an exemplary academic citizen and first-rate scholar. Knoll, emeritus professor of English and formerly a Paula and Woody Varner Professor of English and a George Holmes Distinguished Professor, died Jan. 8, 2009, at age 86.
A memorial display featuring Knoll will be unveiled at the ceremony, with dedication speeches delivered by UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman, University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Juan Franco, and student government ASUN president Justin Solomon. Two of Knoll's children, Sarah Knoll German ('81) and Benjamin Knoll ('83) will also speak at the dedication.
Virtual tours of the hall and individual rooms can be seen at http://housing.unl.edu/halls/knoll.shtml. It was finished in August and students moved in for the first time in August in preparation for classes starting Aug. 23.
WRITER: Kelly Bartling