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

Seeing a Campus Through the Eyes of a High School Senior

October 11, 2013

Even though I have worked for an on-campus housing company for 18 years, I have always enjoyed taking campus tours with each of my three children.  I find it fascinating to see a new campus from their eyes and take the campus tour with them.  In the process, it helps me gain insight into what’s…

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How a Little Data Can Solve One of Higher Education’s Biggest Problems

October 8, 2013

Jeff Selingo has a great, inspirational article up about an institution getting innovative using information sitting in its databases to find real ways to help their students. It has created a WIN WIN situation for Georgia State and their students.  The University has been able to improve their retention and graduation rates.  And GSU students…

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Student Housing Matters: A Real Life Example

October 4, 2013

Now that move-in has come to an end and we have been able to get back into the normal flow of business, I have been rereading some of the old posts on here. Seeing the pictures from all of the different sites, great interviews and, of course, the new freshman class that have just moved…

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Cost Tipping Point?

October 1, 2013

I found this to be a very interesting article about college costs and the perceptions that they have dramatically increased in recent years. I was especially intrigued by the statement that the actual cost (in inflation adjusted dollars) to parents for private school tuition and fees was only about $3,000 more than in the early…

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10 College Presidents on Twitter Who Are Doing it Right!

September 26, 2013

Hats off to the 10 presidents listed in this article about the presidents who are “getting it right” with using Twitter. The presidents are: 1.            SANTA J. ONO, UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI 2.            WALLACE D. LOH, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND 3.            WALTER M. KIMBROUGH, DILLARD UNIVERSITY 4.            ANGEL CABRERA, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY…

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Move-In Photo Contest 2013 Winner: University of Houston

September 24, 2013

Day 5 – Univ. of Houston giant team photo[/caption] The 2013 move-in contest was a really neat way to see what the move-in process looks like at schools across the country.  We received over 125 photos over the two weeks and hate that everyone couldn’t win because it was extremely fun going through them all. …

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Podcast

Recognizing the “Click Moment” – Interview with Frans Johansson

September 18, 2013

In this interview, we spoke with Frans Johansson. An author, entrepreneur, and consultant, Frans has spoken to audiences around the world, from the boardroom of large corporations to villages in developing countries.  We spoke with him about his most recent book, (“The Click Moment”) as he shared some thoughts and ideas with us on how people working…

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Upcoming Interview with Frans Johansson

September 17, 2013

I am really looking forward to my “Join the Conversation” Podcast interview tomorrow (Wednesday 18 September) with author Frans Johansson. I had the opportunity to attend Frans’ keynote talk during the NACUBO conference in July.  Fantastic speaker and intriguing ideas / perspective on seizing opportunities! Can’t wait to talk with him about his most recent book,…

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Gratitude

September 9, 2013

As higher education professionals, we did not choose this field for the financial rewards or never ending praise. We understand our success is measured often in the results we can’t see or hold – students graduating, recognizing an “A-Ha” moment during a judicial conversation or watching friends engage during a program. We may receive “kudos…

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Freshman Bond Over Shared Love for the “Today Show”

September 3, 2013

Tight knit community is one of the main advantages to living on-campus early in a college tenure.  That community builds a sense of belonging, which then translates to a student being more likely to finish at that university. In the spirit of building community, and fresh off of move-in, a group of Freshman students living…

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