Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Renovated Dorm to Serve STEM High Schoolers

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/23/21

A college in Huntsville, Ala., has just undergone a $6 million renovation. The first guests in the 100-room facility at Oakwood University will be high schoolers attending Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE), which draws students seeking advanced engineering and cyber technology studies.

Oakwood is a private, historically black institution owned and operated by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. It has an enrollment of about 1,600 students. ASCTE is a public, state-magnet residential school specifically for students in Alabama with 150 students during the 2021-2022 school year, in grades 9-11. According to local reporting, the latest work was a collaboration between the two schools.

Peterson Hall at Oakwood University
Source: Oakwood University Photography

The structure was built in 1955. With completion of the renovation, the building now features 52 private rooms, four suites, meeting rooms, an auditorium, a business center, a laundry and vending areas and a sauna and exercise room.

About 60 ASCTE students are expected to move in next month. The room and board are free and will accommodate those STEM students who live outside of the area.

The expectation is that next year, the high school students will move to a different building currently under construction elsewhere in the city. Peterson Hall will then become a residence hall for university students.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.