The University of Missouri-Rolla is adding a new learning community for students living in UMR’s Residential College. The second of two buildings that form the Residential College is scheduled to open in the fall of this year.         

The first building opened in 2005. Approximately 500 students will be housed in the completed Residential College buildings. Those accepted by the Residential College are required to participate in a learning community. The idea of the learning communities, a recent trend on campuses across the nation, is to fortify traditional classroom learning with after-hours education that is linked to residential living.         

The new community at UMR will be called “Seeds of Success.” Learning communities that have already been established at UMR include “Women as Global Leaders,” “Experiential Design,” “Global Research” and “Global Entrepreneurship.”         

Learning community classes usually meet formally once per week, and after-hours activities are scheduled throughout the semester. Students get credit for 1/2 hour of coursework for each semester of participation.         

“Studies show that students who are part of a learning community have an academic advantage,” says Dr. Ralph Flori, associate dean of engineering for pre-college and undergraduate affairs at UMR.         

Flori will lead the “Seeds of Success” community. He says the students will read books like Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and talk about things like time management, professionalism and the different meanings of success.         

Prospective students and current students may apply to be in any of the learning communities, regardless of major.