WESTMINSTER HOUSE, abutting fraternity row just off the University of California’s Berkeley campus, is a dorm with a mission: “Share the ‘Good News’ of God’s love in Jesus Christ.” To explain: Three years ago, Westminster House, a home owned by the Presbyterian Church since 1911, added accommodations for 126 students, complete with wireless access and T-1 ports. The dorm was the brainchild of the Rev. Randy Bare, the campus pastor, and has drawn admiration and imitation from campus ministries across the country.
Pres House, a church and community center bordering Library Mall at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, began a $17 million renovation this month that will add 61 units with up to four beds each. Feasibility studies are being conducted for similar projects at six other campuses, including the University of Illinois at Urbana.