The UH System Board of Regents approved the purchase and renovation of a hotel near UH-Victoria, which will cost an estimated $9 million, during its meeting Wednesday.
The Inn Place Hotel, located at 2705 E. Houston Highway, will serve as UH-V’s first residential housing for incoming freshmen and sophomores.
The decision is pending approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which will meet Dec. 15. If approved, the purchase would take place Dec. 18, with construction and renovations to begin February 2010.
‘This is another important benchmark on our road to becoming a destination university,’ UH-V President Tim Hudson said in a press release. ‘We’ve already received more than 100 applications since we started taking them on Nov. 16. These students and new citizens will now have a fine place to live.’
The residential facility would be named ‘Jaguar Hall’ and would feature a fitness facility, a welcome and information center, academic tutoring and advising, study and social areas, as well as double-occupancy rooms with separate bathrooms and Internet and cable access.
UH-V administrators said they are considering providing a television, microwave and small refrigerator in each room, as well as building indoor and outdoor swimming pools for the complex.
‘This will be a top-notch facility that will give our new students a safe and secure environment where they can live and build a supportive campus community,’ UH-V Vice President for Administration and Finance Wayne Beran said in the press release.’
If approved, renovations to the hotel will be made in two stages. The first, to Building A, is expected to be completed by August 2010, and will have 125 double-occupancy rooms that can house 250 students. Renovations to Building B will begin in March 2010, and are expected to be completed by December of the same year. This building will house around 166 students, also in double-occupancy rooms.
The hotel is located about 10 minutes from the UH-V campus, and Beran said in the press release that it would be a great living space, particularly for freshmen who do not have cars, because they could walk to class.
Students living at Jaguar Hall will also be able to walk to UH-V Student Success and Enrollment Management offices, as they will be in the same building. SSEM provides student services regarding financial aid and academic and career services.
‘We want these students to be successful, and this will free up some space on our campus to make way for the new faculty members we’re hiring to teach these students,’ Hudson said.
‘ The estimated cost of living at Jaguar Hall will be about $4,000 for the academic year and $8,200 for residential housing. Student residents will receive 24 credit hours of tuition. Meals, books and incidentals will not be included.
‘These students have the chance to make history as our first freshmen and sophomores at UH-V,’ Hudson said. ‘I can’t wait for them to come to campus, see all we have to offer and be part of this wonderful community.’
