Historic feel, modern amenities

For a short moment, Jacob Huyett had the rare opportunity to feel the magic of discovering his K-State home for a second time.

Huyett and his fellow Putnam Hall residents had been waiting all semester for the chance to see their new residence hall, ahead of Kansas State University’s planned move into the newly renovated Boyd Hall in the historic Strong Complex.

On Sunday, the residents had a brief opportunity to explore the soon-to-open Boyd Hall, rushing through the building's spacious common areas and finding their new rooms.

"It's so modern, and just very nice, especially the common areas and entryway," said Huyett, freshman in horticulture, and Putnam Hall Council president. "Putnam has that very classic, older hall feel, and Boyd also has some of that, but now with a very new look to it."

Nearly 75 years old, Boyd Hall is reopening to residents this month after being closed for a few years, with just over the last year being under construction.

In addition to reconfiguring Boyd and giving its living areas a new face, the renovation is creating a new home for K-State's University Honors Program and its honors students.

Boyd Hall renovation: Modern amenities with historic feel

Plans to update Boyd Hall have been in the works for several years, said Nick Lander, director of housing and residence life.

"Throughout this process to renovate Boyd, we've kept in mind that students really like that historic feel of a college campus and its buildings, but they also want modern amenities," Lander said.

Some of those modern amenities include bigger lounge areas on each floor, as well as individual study rooms and collaboration areas in the lower level of the building.

One of the top reasons why students move off-campus is a desire for more privacy, Lander said. On-campus living can also be a big source of anxiety for new students, as they adjust to sharing space with other residents.

That's why K-State's Housing and Dining Services is emphasizing bathroom upgrades in recent renovation work across its residence halls, including the Boyd Hall remodel.

The traditional community bathrooms on each floor have been reconfigured to a "bathroom pod" style. Each floor's bathroom pod includes a central area with mirrors and sinks, as well as several private, individual-use bathrooms that each have their own toilet, sink and shower stall behind a lockable door — giving students the amenity of a private suite's bathroom while still having it maintained and cleaned by Housing and Dining Services staff.

The bathroom pods are "a major game changer," Lander said.

"Bathroom pods are now more popular and something that students look for when they're choosing a residence hall or even college," he said. "This style of bathroom gives an extra layer of privacy, while still maintaining some of that benefit of passing by people in the hallway."

Additionally, the renovation focused on improving accessibility, with upgrades to several rooms, a redesigned entryway and new, modern elevator allowing students with all levels of mobility to enjoy the building.

The hall will house about 200 residents, Lander said — a slight decrease after the renovations removed a few rooms and suites to expand lobby areas on each floor and create the bathroom pods, as well as the suites that were on the lower level have been converted into the University Honors Program offices along with collaboration space.

Once residents move their belongings from Putnam to Boyd this month, Housing and Dining Services will begin renovation work on Putnam Hall and Van Zile Dining Center as part of a broader project to update buildings in the Strong Complex.

Lander said residents in the complex should expect new dining options at Van Zile starting in fall 2026, with overall work on the complex tentatively complete by January 2027.

"We're reinvesting in our facilities and making them something students can be excited for and spaces where they can feel at home," Lander said.

Making Boyd Hall an honors home

The Boyd Hall renovations come as K-State has worked to create a home and physical community space for the University Honors Program.

The project is part of an investment from university supporters Paul and Sandra Edgerly to bolster K-State's efforts to create applied learning experiences for every student.

"The Edgerleys have been significant supporters of K-State's applied learning work, and this gift has made it possible to give the University Honors Program a home," said Mary Tolar, dean of the Staley School of Leadership. "They are committed to creating an unmatched student experience, and a renovated scholarly community will be a differentiator and attract prospective students to K-State."

Most of the Boyd Hall's rooms are reserved for honors students, and the program will relocate its staff offices to Boyd's lower level to take advantage of the hall's meeting rooms and collaboration spaces, said Sara Luly, director of the University Honors Program.

"That opens up so many possibilities," Luly said. "We can create this fusion of living and learning and have classes where the discussion can feed out into these public spaces and the building at large. Even if students don't live in Boyd, students can come and be a part of the Honors community, which is something we haven't had as much of an opportunity to do in the past."

The move into Boyd comes as K-State sees a surge in interest in the University Honors Program.

Besides a deep curiosity and drive to dive deeper into their academic work, as well as perks like priority enrollment and cultural opportunities, honors students are attracted to K-State's program for its flexibility, Luly said.

Compared to other universities, K-State's honors program gives students broad latitude to tailor their honors experience to match and enhance their degree needs.

Through scholarships like the Robert E. Campbell Scholars — a program that supports high-achieving and academically talented students with renewable, $6,000 scholarships — K-State is committed to developing the next-generation of high-achieving, intellectually curious honors students.

"We're seeing a lot more interest in the honors program from everyone," Luly said. "There are more students enrolling in the program, and there's more interest from faculty reaching out to offer service work, teach honors contracts or get involved in any number of other ways. It's on people's radar in a way it just hasn't been before."

Long term, the goal is to develop the entire Strong Complex into a scholar community and include students who receive some of the university's other scholarly awards, such as the Presidential Scholarship recipients or inductees into the Developing Scholars Program.

"We're building a scholarly community," Tolar said. "The idea is that we create spaces where students can get that scholarly engagement, and we can show students the opportunities available for them."

Renovations tie into K-State's efforts to build student community

At Boyd and across all of K-State's residence halls, the university's housing staff has developed strong communities that provide wraparound support to promote student success and retention, said Thomas Lane, vice president for academic success and student affairs and dean of students.

This sense of community, in addition to other student success efforts, has allowed K-State to maintain an 85.8% first-time freshman retention rate.

"Facilities matter, and we want to make sure our residence halls are welcoming, inviting buildings that inspire students to do their best," Lane said. "When we embed services like the University Honors Program along with helpful, supportive staff into halls like Boyd, they become true living, learning environments."

That's been the case at Putnam this fall semester, said Garrett Satterly, community coordinator for West Hall and the Strong Complex. Even though they've known they'll have to move this month, the students have eagerly made friends and built a sense of camaraderie throughout the semester.

Moving always involves some degree of stress, but the hardest part — building a community where everyone feels like they can belong — is already done.

"We've built a community in Putnam by creating programs and places where people can feel comfortable and hang out," said Jacob Huyett, the soon-to-be Boyd Hall Council President. "We moved into Putnam knowing we'd only be there for a semester, but now that we're moving into a place where we know we'll be for a while, we can really make a home for our community."

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