The Student Housing Matters blog explores ideas with leaders in higher education and the student housing profession. This is the place to find stories from those who have worked in the field for many years, podcast interviews, and videos about relevant topics in the student housing world.

It’s about matters relating to on-campus student housing, as well as why quality on-campus student housing really matters. We want this blog to serve as a forum for sharing ideas and insights about how your on-campus student housing can do things beyond simply housing students. How it can be used as a more powerful tool to recruit and retain students on your campus. We look forward to you joining us in the conversation.

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Posts by: Alton Irwin

Fantastic Infographic on Millenials

January 13, 2016

A well done infographic is one that can visually tell a story. I ran across one the other day that I thought was very interesting, and applicable to things we talk about on this blog: Millenials. It gives  statistics on who they are, how they spend, where they live, etc. You may be able to…

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Podcast

Podcast | How I Got Into Student Housing – Mecca Marsh

December 11, 2015

In a new series we’re calling “How I Got Into Student Housing,” we’re interviewing COCM employees at sites all around the country asking them what brought them to this field.  It’s a fascinating look at what makes people who work in student housing tick. In this episode we interviewed the Director of Spartan Suites at…

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Percentage of adults with degrees increases | Marketplace.org

December 8, 2015

      http://www.marketplace.org/2015/12/03/education/percentage-adults-degrees-increases#.VmbT-IG5pwg.mailto Percentage of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree has increased from 25% to 28% (from same Census Bureau report 5 years ago).  A new outcome: women are more likely to have a degree than men. This trend bodes well for increasing demand for strong on campus housing programs, since…

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Podcast

Podcast | The Art of Mingling

December 3, 2015

Today on the podcast we have Jeanne Martinet, author of The Art of Mingling.  In every facet of society these day, there are times when we must be able to mingle or make small talk. It can often times be a painful experience, but it doesn’t have to be.  So how do you work a…

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Blog

Authentic

December 1, 2015

Webster defines authentic as “real; or genuine.”  Brigid Lawler, Dean of Admissions at Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT, recently contributed an article to College Planning and Management entitled “What do Colleges Need? Authenticity.”  Please take a few moments to read. It exemplified the care felt and shown to a prospective student, that we all hope those…

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Podcast

Podcast | Interview with Alison Levine – NACAS Keynote Speaker

October 23, 2015

As the second part of our interviews with the NACAS keynote speakers, we’re speaking with Alison Levine today.  Alison can be described as adventurer, explorer, professor, and author of The Edge: The Art of High Impact Leadership, a New York Times best seller. Alison holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Communications, and a…

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The Buzz: Intuition

October 21, 2015

The Buzz is a feature on the blog where we ask multiple people in the higher education world to give us their thoughts about a single topic. Today the word we’re focusing on is: Intuition Click the image below for the full sized article.

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Landscaping Woes? Get Some Goats!

October 19, 2015

The staff at Towson Place Apartments had some landscaping to do, so they hired some help. Gretchen Smutney, the site director, had recently seen an article in the Baltimore Sun about how their school found a creative and environmentally smart way to manage overgrowth and invasive plants. They brought in goats, who will, over time, get rid…

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Podcast

Podcast | Interview with Tim Sanders – NACAS Keynote Speaker

October 16, 2015

These next two weeks, we’re excited to bring you interviews with the two upcoming keynote speakers at this year’s NACAS annual conference, held at the beginning of November NACAS, or the National Association of College Auxiliary Services, is an organization providing the higher education community extensive opportunities for members to share ideas, develop business solutions,…

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What We’re Reading: Negotiate This

September 21, 2015

I am re-reading one of my favorite books.  It’s called “Negotiate This,” written by Herb Cohen back in 2003. This is a great book for anyone in higher education and in fact, for anyone who wants to improve their negotiating skills.  And if you don’t think you negotiate in what you do every day –…

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The Buzz: Promises – Sept 2015

September 16, 2015

The Buzz is a feature we’re bringing to the blog where we ask multiple people in the higher education world to give us their thoughts about a single topic. Last month our topic was “Intentionality.” Today we have Capstone On-Campus Management personnel from the campus of Florida Atlantic University share their thoughts on the six COCM Promises.  All six…

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Podcast

Podcast | An Inside Look At The First Year Of College

September 9, 2015

Joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Roger H. Martin, author of the recently published book entitled, Off to College: A Guide for Parents, published by The University of Chicago Press. With Off to College, Dr. Martin helps parents understand the important period of the first year of college by providing the perfect tour of…

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