Living-Learning Communities are residence-hall communities geared toward specific interests and majors that offer supplemental programming and faculty support. Each LLC occupies its own hallway or wing in a residence hall. The communities vary in size from fewer than a dozen to the largest, the Honors Community, with approximately three hundred. The first Living-Learning Community was the Volunteer Community, begun on a trial basis in fall 1980. It was begun by Dr. Harry Jacobson, associate dean of the (then) College of Liberal Arts, as an experience that would make the transition from high school to college as effective and as much fun as possible. The community consisted of 90 first-year men and women who did not specify a roommate on their housing applications, were undecided about a major, had a high school GPA of 2.25 or greater, had a composite score of 17 or greater on the ACT test, and were from more than 50 miles away from campus. It was housed on the 10th floor of North and South Carrick Halls. Community members took Freshmen English together and participated together in University Studies.
The program was so well received that it spawned additional Learning Communities. In 1997 the Stewart Learning Community began. That community was named for Professor Emeritus Bain Stewart, the first recipient of the Hesler Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service. That community offered taking a cluster of freshmen courses with other students in the community. The EXCEL (Experience the Community of Excellence) was located in Hess Hall (6th floor). The EXCEL and Stewart Communities were replaced by an Honors Community, and others were added. In fall 2014 there were 18 Living-Learning Communities.