Students lucky enough to land a spot in Colorado State University's newest residence halls could find dorm life downright comfy, thanks to such amenities as private bathrooms, air conditioning and the ability to attend class without leaving the building.

Those conveniences are part of the school's new Academic Village, a community that combines living and learning spaces. This week, a select group of 240 engineering students and 180 honors students will move into the $42 million facility - one of a slew of new offerings college students will encounter on Colorado campuses this fall.

Those changes range from an expanded business school at the University of Colorado at Boulder to a new University of Denver MBA program that requires graduate students to take ethics classes.

"This is the first residence hall we've ever built that integrates the classroom experience into the learning environment," Tonie Miyamoto of CSU's housing and dining services said of the Academic Village.

The Honors Living Learning Community includes study rooms as well as a fireside lounge for lectures and presentations. The Engineering Living Learning Center has electronic classrooms and design studios modeled after similar rooms at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.

An employee of the school's Women in Engineering program will live at the center and help coordinate student activities.

Students at CU-Boulder's Leeds School of Business will have access to more resources and more room in their newly renovated home.

"Basically, we had 3,600 students in a building that was designed for 1,400," said Doug Nogami, director of marketing communications for the business school.

The 100,000-square-foot Koelbel Hall (named for the prominent Denver family that donated $4 million to its construction) has 16 classrooms, three research labs, 25 meeting rooms and an "information commons" area to encourage more interaction between students and faculty.

At the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, students will see changes in curriculum rather than environment. The school is now requiring new MBA students to take an interdisciplinary set of courses. The so-called Daniels Compass includes six classes on values, innovation and globalization.

"We wanted our students to develop a skill set that will allow them to go into the marketplace and adapt to a changing global business community without missing a beat," said Dean Bruce Hutton.

To help its students become more marketable, CSU is offering a new MBA program in Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise. The program is designed to teach students how to use entrepreneurship to address such global issues as poverty and environmental protection. Students will be required to perform field work with international companies and private institutions in developing countries.

As part of its growing globalization initiative, Metropolitan State College of Denver is offering a beginning course in Chinese this fall.

At the University of Northern Colorado, students will have the chance to take a special three- week course, Economic Analysis of the European Union, taught by the dean of the Warsaw University Faculty of Management. Visiting professor Alojzy "Alek" Nowak also serves as an adviser to the prime minister of Poland.

Of course, college students need fuel to keep up with all those new learning opportunities. But instead of just pizza and burgers, UNC is providing a healthy foods option at one of its dining halls this year, including allergy-free entrees as well as meals with no trans fats, low sodium and less fat.

And after experimenting with the popular cuisine last spring, CSU is making sushi regularly available at some of its dining halls this year.

Back in session

University and college start dates:

• University of Colorado: Aug. 27

• University of Colorado at Denver: Monday, Aug. 20

• University of Northern Colorado: Aug. 27

• Colorado State University: Monday, Aug. 20

• Metropolitan State College: Monday, Aug. 20

• University of Denver: Sept. 10

gonzaleze@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5350

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