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

Utilizing the “Pod” Concept in On-Campus Housing

April 5, 2013

The University of New Haven (UNH) is on a mission to create a groundbreaking residential center on campus that responds to the growing demand of incoming students who would like more privacy, more space to gather and socialize, and more technology and innovation than any previous generation living on campus. This evolution of student housing…

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Podcast

Join the Conversation Episode 15 – Interview with Dr. Sue Henderson

April 2, 2013

Welcome to “Join the Conversation,” a podcast of the Student Housing Matters blog. Join the Conversation features interviews with higher education leaders about their institutions and careers in higher education, and their perspectives on the role on-campus student housing plays on a university campus. In this interview, we spoke with Dr. Sue Henderson, President of…

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What is the Value of a Quality Education?

March 28, 2013

Okay, a read of an article by an economist isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this is one I had to share.  John Norris is the chief economist at Oakworth Capital Bank and in the attached he presents a compelling case for the national economic benefits of education.  Being an economist, there are lots of…

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Podcast

Join the Conversation Episode 14 – Interview with Darlena Jones

March 22, 2013

In this podcast, we interviewed Dr. Darlena Jones, Director of Education and Program Development for EBI MAP-Works, LLC.  Since 1994, EBI MAP-Works has been dedicated to improving retention, student success, and the quality of the college student experience. Darlena received her Ph.D. in Physics at Oklahoma State University and has served as a faculty member…

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Burst Your Own Bubble Daily

March 20, 2013

A short blog article (Unpack Your Knapsack) from an Assistant Director for Residence Life at The Ohio State University, Aramis Watson, inspired me to go reinvest time each day to burst my own bubble. In the blog post, Watson was encouraged in a RA class to question her own biases and predisposition to see the…

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I Learned to Supervise Millennials While Taking Piano Lessons: Part Five

March 15, 2013

I recently learned that much of my supervisory toolkit was developed while sitting on a piano bench.  In particular, the methods that I’ve used with success for the millennial generation are derived from things I learned during piano lessons.   This article is an installment of my ongoing musings about drawing inspiration for better supervision from my…

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Podcast

Interview with TJ Logan

March 12, 2013

We interviewed TJ Logan on “forward-thinking” in the student affairs world. TJ is the Associate Director of Housing for Administrative Services at the University of Florida and is a leader in the world of student affairs innovation. Watch the video below, or listen to the audio through the media player at the top of this…

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College Grads Living Back at Home

March 8, 2013

Before you convert the spare bedroom into an office, you may want to consider this. The Atlantic recently posted an article about college graduates moving back home after school.  There were some pretty fascinating differences within the last ten years.  The graph below is from the article and the link is below.  How do you…

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A Funding Fight Battled Everywhere

March 6, 2013

Recently the University of Kansas via KU News sent a tweet of the Chancellor’s testimony to the Kansas House Education Budget Committee (KU Article). Kansas is my alma mater and I bleed the crimson and blue, so to keep up to date with my Jayhawks I checked out the article. In doing so, I feel…

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Upcoming Interview with NASPA President, Dr. Kevin Kruger

February 27, 2013

Tomorrow at 12:00 CST we will be talking to Dr. Kevin Kruger, President of NASPA, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Join us for this live, dynamic discussion about the latest trends and news in student affairs.  This podcast is sure to get you excited for the NASPA Annual Conference which kicks off in…

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Student Housing is everyone’s business. Or at least it should be.

February 22, 2013

I’ve heard folks talk about how “sticky” your website is, how grocery stores are laid out to make customers walk through the whole place just to buy a gallon of milk, how Wal Mart shelves product in a manner that somehow draws you deeper into the store.  In all honesty the mental part of this…

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