Dare Northward is Shaping Colby as a Global Leader

Dare Northward, among the most ambitious initiatives by a liberal arts college, continues to reshape Colby. The latest major campus addition is a new residential hall for more than 200 juniors and seniors under construction on Mayflower Hill Drive and slated to open in fall 2026.

Designed with input from current students, the residential hall will feature four-, five-, and six-person suites with single-occupancy bedrooms and shared bathrooms, living spaces, and kitchenettes. The living spaces and common areas are intended to promote social engagement at the individual and community levels, representing the College’s effort to build stronger connections between residential, academic, and community experiences, said Andrew Barnett, principal with Hopkins Architects, the firm that designed the building.

Hopkins was the lead architectural firm for the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, which opened in 2020 and has earned numerous industry accolades. That experience made Hopkins eager to collaborate with Colby again.

“We enjoyed a good relationship with Colby both in the design and construction of the athletic center, and we’ve also enjoyed observing the success of that building as it has become part of the College campus,” Barnett said. “We’re always keen to extend positive relationships with clients.”

To blend with the landscape of Mayflower Hill, the new residential community will consist of several connected smaller buildings that are three and four stories and clad with masonry and timber instead of one large structure. Each building will include multiple entrances leading to suites of rooms, as opposed to a traditional college residential hall with a main entrance and long hallways with rooms on either side. When completed, the residential hall will feature two landscaped courtyards and a café open to the community.

With a goal of $1 billion, Dare Northward is focused on improving the Colby experience by making the liberal arts more deeply engaged with and connected to the broader world and its complexities. The campaign extends the strategic vision of the College to include continued investments in affordability with support for financial aid and an expansion of the academic program to address the world’s most complex issues. In addition, the campaign has allowed Colby to create opportunity-rich experiences in residential life and athletics and recreation, as well as in downtown Waterville and central Maine with unprecedented support for the arts, civic engagement, and the community at large.