Florida Atlantic University officials have named the soon-to-be residential building “Talon Hall,” which will be located east of Parliament Hall on the Boca Raton campus. 

The dorm’s construction started this spring semester and is expected to be completed by fall 2026. This announcement came after the university put out a proposal form posted earlier this January, asking the community for name suggestions. The form received 235 pitches, but officials ultimately selected “Talon Hall” as the name to link to the university’s branding, according to FAU’s Associate President of Operations, Brian Fisher. 

“The name was appreciated for its connection to the mascot,” wrote Fisher, in an April 17 email to the University Press. Talon, by definition, means the claw of an animal when hunting, in this case, a burrowing owl. 

According to Fisher, popular name suggestions from the form were “Airfield Towers,” “Nightbird Hall” and “The Boca Burrows.” He said the submissions also suggested naming the hall after historical figures such as Kennedy Hall and Jimmy Carter. Others suggested names including “Raccoon Hall,” “Hoot Hoot Hideaway” and “Don’t Bring a Car Hall.”

Fisher also stated that a committee had selected the list of names to be sent to the university leadership in February, who then went through the list and selected the name “Talon Hall.” This committee included representatives from students, staff, faculty and alumni board members. 

Mohit Vasishta is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email mayalasoma2025@fau.edu.