About Us

Regional History

The SouthWest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SWACURH) was organized in 1980. Originally, states in the SWACURH region were part of the Midwest Affiliate. The Midwest states consisted of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. At this time the primary purpose of the organization was conferences. Because of the large geographical area of the region, schools struggled to attend regional conferences and attendance was sparse.

In 1979, two student leaders, Bob Tattershall, the Regional Director of MACURH, and Kevin Wyatt, Director of the National Information Center (NIC), submitted a proposal to realign the NACURH regions to be more in harmony with the national professional housing organization, Association of College and Housing Officials-International (ACUHO-I). The ambitious goal of restructuring all of the regions was met with opposition by many; however, people from various schools understood the logic, concept and benefits of aligning the student organization with the professional organization.

In continuing the effort to realign the regions, Bob and Kevin initiated a plan to help facilitate participation and growth in the region. Bob became the catalyst in increasing membership of MACURH before SWACURH was organized. In order to do this, he sent 250 letters to schools in Minnesota and Louisiana—MACURH membership increased from 22 to 48 schools.

The 1980 NACURH conference, held at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, marked the true beginning of SWACURH history. Bob and Kevin prepared a proposal to the National Board of Directors to split the Midwest region. As a result, the South Atlantic and Great lakes regions released their affiliation with Louisiana and Minnesota respectively. The National Board of Directors accepted the proposal.

In August 1980, at the regional MACURH conference, two copies of governing documents were prepared. The documents consisted of financial, administrative, organizational, and miscellaneous policies. Two sets of files were created from the MACURH files. Two business meetings were held, and policies and by-laws were established for the new SWACURH and MACURH regions. Each region also elected a new director, selected conference host sites, and voted on School of the Year and Advisor of the Year. The newly formed SWACURH had eight schools in attendance and has continued to grow from this foundation.

Throughout the years, SWACURH kept growing and progressing. In 1985, a $50 scholarship was given to the NCC OTM winners, and in 1987 the NCC of the Year award was created. In 1995, the first schools in Mexico became affiliated with SWACURH, creating the current affiliated areas of the region. As a move towards a more environmentally friendly organization, on-line bidding was implemented in 2003, and the 2006 SWACURH Regional Conference boardroom was the first to go almost completely paperless.

Check out our Resources Page to obtain our Regional History Document.

The purpose of SWACURH is to promote and carry out, on a regional level, the purpose, goals, and legislation of NACURH, Inc.

NACURH Vision

The National Association of College and University Residence Halls, NACURH Incorporated, seeks to create a network of engaged citizens sharing common experiences through residential leadership opportunities.

NACURH Mission

As an organization, NACURH empowers, motivates, and equips residence hall leaders by providing them with skills and resources in order for them to excel and positively impact their campus communities.

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NACURH History

The first conference for on-campus students, The Midwest Dormitory Conference, was held at Iowa State University in 1954. The first meeting was organized as a result of a feeling, on the part of the Iowa State Residence Halls Government, that such an organization was needed to encourage the exchange of ideas and information. Four schools -Iowa State University, University of Colorado, University of Missouri, and University of Northern Iowa were in attendance at this first conference.

The following spring, the organization met on the University of Missouri campus. At this time, the name was changed to the Association of College and University Residence Halls.

During the 1961 conference at Oklahoma State University, the Inter-Mountain Residence Hall Association affiliated with ACURH. It was during this conference that the organization was renamed NACURH. With this change, two regional organizations were created within NACURH: the Inter-Mountain Affiliate (IACURH) and Midwest Affiliate (MACURH).

At the 1964 National Conference at the University of Denver, three new regions were created: Pacific Coast (PACURH), North Atlantic (NAACURH), and South Atlantic (SAACURH). In 1968, the Midwest region was divided to from the Midwest (MACURH) and the Great Lakes Affiliate (GLACURH). In 1980, the Midwest region was divided again to form the South West (SWACURH) region, and in 1991, the North Atlantic region split forming the Northeast Atlantic (NEACURH) and Central Atlantic (CAACURH) regions. Thus, NACURH’s structure incorporates eight regional affiliates.

On November 16,1971, NACURH became incorporated under the doctrines of the State of Oklahoma. At that time, regional associates became affiliates to NACURH, Inc. In February of 1972, NACURH designated blue and white as its organizational colors, as well as adopting an official logo. In 1997, NACURH was reorganized as a tax-exempt corporation, allowing for the organization to look into investment of contingency funds to increase long-term financial stability of the organization.

To date, NACURH, Inc. is the largest student-run non-profit organization in the world. The organization is governed by representatives from each of the affiliated schools (NCCs) and overseen by the National Board of Directors (NBD). The NBD is comprised of national executives, representatives from each region, national office, and the national conference host school. The NBD is dedicated to the improvement of residence hall life through student involvement. With their excellent leadership, NACURH, Inc., continues to grow, not only in size, but also in programs and activities.

NACURH, Inc. and its students are committed to progress and constantly strive to meet the changing needs of member schools. During recent years, several national projects have been initiated, organized, and developed; these have made significant contributions to the Association. Today, NACURH continues to grow, not only in size, but also in programs and services as we strive towards the ideals of the NACURH, Inc.

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