Celebrating Four Years of Excellence: Lauder College House

At a grand celebration on Thursday, September 5, 2019, President Amy Gutmann and the Lauder family unveiled a new name for what was formerly known as New College House. Lauder College House continues the great tradition of student engagement that has brought residents back to live there year after year.  

In the spirit of getting to know Lauder College House, here are not only a few facts about the House but also a video showing what LCH has to offer!

• The Traditions Commission was a group of NCH residents who lead the house community in the process of selecting house colors, motto, and mascot during Fall 2016! Student leaders in this group were Morgan Thweatt, Nyasia Bey, and Jerome Cohen, with RAGA staff members Elaida Dimwamwa, Kevin Chen, Tyler Hallmark, and Haley Morin.

• The House motto, “semper ad meliora,” means, “always onward toward better things.”
   
• The Meliora Ambassador role was implemented during Fall of 2017 as a way to adapt to NCH’s transition from a first-year to four-year community. Upperclassmen take on the role of peer leader and support to help welcome new students and make connections. The official groundbreaking ceremony for New College House took place on November 8, 2014. Your House Dean was not yet a staff member at Penn, and your Faculty Director was a House Fellow at Kings Court English College House.
   
• The Class of 2020 is the first class of students to have lived in NCH. Twenty four of the students who originally lived here (including two RAs and one GA) continued to return to NCH in subsequent years, making this their home throughout their Penn careers!
   
• RA Kevin Chen was the first Convocation Flag Bearer for NCH in 2016. Since that year, the role of Flag Bearer has been taken up by undergraduate house leaders, either RAs or Meliora Ambassadors.
   
• Class of 1969 Green (at the top of the Lifted Lawn, overlooking Heyman Courtyard) was dedicated this past summer.