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

Podcast

Listen Your Way to Leadership in Student Housing – with Brian Kraft

December 4, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast How I Got Into Student Housing – with Brian Kraft To be a successful leader in the student housing space, you need buy-in from all of the players involved. But how do you determine what’s driving each stakeholder and make decisions accordingly? Brian Kraft argues that learning to listen is the…

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Podcast

21st Century Challenges Facing Higher Education – with Brian Mitchell

September 6, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast 21st Century Challenges Facing Higher Education – with Brian Mitchell There is no doubt that institutions of higher learning face a number of challenges, not the least of which is an unsustainable financial model. Tuition, fees, room and board no longer pay the bills—despite sticker prices as high as $72K a…

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Podcast

How I Got into Student Housing – with Jeremy Biddy

August 31, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast How I Got into Student Housing – with Jeremy Biddy Many professionals in the world of student housing began as RAs, gaining exposure to the industry as college students and eventually realizing the opportunity to pursue a career in the space. But what if you weren’t a resident assistant in college?…

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Blog

Ribbon Cutting at UMass Boston’s New Residence Hall

August 30, 2018

UMass Boston excited to open its first-ever residence Students now can truly call UMass Boston home. This past Tuesday, Mayor Walsh, Interim Chancellor Katherine Newman, University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan, local elected officials and university supporters gathered to celebrate a ribbon cutting for the very first residence hall at the University of Massachusetts, Boston…

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Podcast

Understanding Diversity of Sites – with Brian Kraft

August 30, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast Brian Kraft on Diversity of Sites When it comes to student housing, there is simply no way to copy/paste a set of processes on each new campus. Rather, you need to gain an understanding of the institution and the property itself and customize your approach based on the circumstances at hand.…

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Podcast

How I Got Into Student Housing: Kelly Podach Francis

August 29, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast How I Got Into Student Housing – with Kelly Podach Francis When a residence hall comes in under budget, that money can be invested in the building itself. But how do you make decisions around what improvements to prioritize? Kelly Podach Francis designs an action plan based on student feedback, and…

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Podcast

Driving Innovation at the Urban Research University

August 15, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast Driving Innovation at the Urban Research University – with Harlan Sands How can an urban research university serve as an anchor for its community—attracting employers and giving talent a reason to stay in the city after graduation? Harlan Sands believes that the key is to serve as a hub of innovation,…

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Podcast

Rebuilding the Reputation of a Struggling Site

July 11, 2018

Join the Conversation Podcast Rebuilding the Reputation of a Struggling Site – with Jeremy Steed ‘We came in humble and approachable, wanting to collaborate.’ How do you turn around a student housing site that has spiraled into decline? Where do you begin when all of the problems—occupancy, reputation and facility issues—are intertwined? How do you…

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Podcast

From RA to Operations Director – with Jeremy Steed

June 15, 2018

Join the Conversation From RA to Operations Director – with Jeremy Steed   Time management. Customer service. Conflict mediation. Critical thinking. Teamwork.   Whatever your motivation for becoming a resident assistant, the position allows you to hone a number of incredibly valuable skills that carry over to any career you might choose to pursue. And…

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COCM: A Talent Agency of Student Housing Professionals

June 12, 2018

In this new series, “Questions to the President,” we are asking questions that dive deeper into COCM and its mission and values. We hope that as Doug Brown answers these questions, you learn more about who we are as a company and how we work to provide great services in our partnerships across the country.…

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Blog

Going Above and Beyond for Students

May 11, 2018

Marshall University, one of COCM’s campus partners, planned a surprise for one of their students this past week at graduation. Claudia Lea, one of over 1700 students graduating, was taken aback when Marshall University’s president, Jerome Gilbert, announced that her father, Major Brett Lea, had recorded a video to share from Germany where he was…

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