TWU Housing Earns Prestigious SWACUHO Award

Feb. 3, 2026 — DENTON — Texas Woman’s University Housing & Dining has been named the 2026 recipient of the Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers (SWACUHO) Frank Cloud Award of Excellence, one of the highest honors in the region for student housing operations.

The department received confirmation of the award in January and will be formally recognized at the SWACUHO Annual Conference in Waco at the end of February.

Established in 1975, the Frank Cloud Award of Excellence honors member institutions that demonstrate outstanding achievement in a specific area of housing operations. Each year, SWACUHO selects a different focus area and invites departments to submit applications showcasing exceptional work.

This year’s theme, “Elevating the Student Experience Through Campus Partnerships,” gave TWU Housing & Dining the opportunity to spotlight its collaborative work with TWU Facilities Management & Construction, a partnership that judges described as transformational.

Out of 68 SWACUHO member institutions, only four applied for the highly competitive award. Finalists presented their cases to SWACUHO judges in the fall.

According to Zyia Nelson, residence director in Stark Hall who helped complete the application, presentations that meaningfully highlight Facilities partnerships are rare at SWACUHO. The department focused on how they coordinated and planned move-in collaboratively with Facilities through proactive maintenance, shared tracking tools, improved communication systems and consistent cross-departmental planning.

SWACUHO representatives noted that TWU’s early, intentional collaboration between Housing & Dining and Facilities turned move-in from a traditionally high-stress process into a seamless, coordinated, and student-centered experience, setting TWU apart from its peers. They also noted the initiative for its sustainable approach. 

This is only the second time that TWU Housing & Dining has received the award. The first time was in 2000 for New Academic Initiatives in Residence Life.

Page last updated 3:08 PM, February 3, 2026