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WAYNE – Wayne State College’s Stearns Hall, the first residence hall built since the construction of Bowen Hall in 1966, began the Fall 2025 semester in style with 100% occupancy.
Stearns Hall, which began housing students in January, is located on the east side of campus, across from the Center for Applied Technology building.
“The addition of Stearns Hall has been a huge success to our residence hall offerings,” said Cody Westerhold, dean of students at Wayne State. “Student feedback about the building has been overwhelmingly positive. So much so that the building is 100% occupied. Students enjoy being able to live in a brand-new building but also enjoy the suite-style living.”
“Stearns Hall was designed to help students create a greater sense of community while at the same time providing space for students to maintain their personal privacy,” added Westerhold. “Because Stearns has become such a popular choice for residence halls, we strongly encourage students not to wait when the housing application portal goes live for the upcoming year.”
The four-story structure accommodates 276 new and returning students and features 168 suitestyle beds and 108 traditional beds. The main lobby has an open kitchen, two televisions, a lounge area, pool table, and a front desk reception area. Each floor above the main lobby will have a smaller lounge area, and there is an exercise area on the second floor.
Since the first day of classes, students who live there – and even ones who don’t – have been raving about Stearns Hall.
Halle Laursen, a Wayne State junior from Peterson, Iowa, has been living there since January. She was among the students living in Berry Hall that were offered the first opportunity to move into Stearns Hall when it was announced that Berry Hall would be demolished.
“I was so excited to get the first chance to live here,” said Laursen, who is majoring in Science Education. “Stearns Hall has several fantastic features. My favorites are the fitness center and all the lounges on the different floors. You can spread out and have some privacy.”
Laursen is also a fan of the suitestyle living.
“You have three roommates, but you don’t have to share a bathroom with the entire floor,” said Laursen. “It would be hard to go back to living in a traditional style dorm room.”
Bryce Faimon, a freshman from Omaha, echoed Laursen’s comments.
“I was really impressed with Stearns Hall during my campus visit, and I requested it on my application,” said Faimon, who is majoring in Pre-Chiropractic at Wayne State. “I was so glad that I got it. It has easy access to everything.”
Wayne State named the new residence hall in honor of Dr. Sheila M. Stearns’ distinguished leadership of the college from 1999 to 2003. Stearns served as the 10th president of the Wayne State and was the first woman to lead the institution. Stearns passed away May 23, 2023.
Wayne State held a dedication ceremony on April 30 to honor Stearns’ legacy and devotion to Wayne State College and its students.
