Community College Housing can Improve Enrollment, Retention
JACKSON, Mich. — Student recruitment and retention impact revenues and the overall reputation and competitive edge at educational facilities.
Although an effective approach to attracting and retaining students is a challenge for most institutions, it is especially challenging for small and rural community colleges. By meeting the students’ wants and needs in a cost-effective manner, institutions can achieve student retention while boosting enrollment.
Despite the presence of award-winning faculty, low tuition charges, and quality programs and services, Jackson Community College was having difficulty retaining students.
College president Dan Phelan found that the college was simply not relevant to some students. To change that trend, he set out to shed Jackson’s commuter-college reputation to provide a more comprehensive experience for students.
To achieve the goal, college officials partnered with architectural firm SHW Group to develop a campus master plan that includes a new technologically advanced, on-campus student housing project.
The completion of the Campus View housing complex set JCC apart from the majority of community colleges in the state as one of six college campuses — there are 28 in the state — that offers student housing. More importantly, the amenities-laden housing project exponentially advanced the college’s attractiveness by meeting student expectations and addressing their concerns regarding student housing and student life.
Students often leave a college because of a shortage of affordable, quality housing; a campus environment that does not foster a sense of belonging and connectedness; the absence of competitive athletics; and the lack of an active student life program. Designers and planners at SHW Group reflected upon their experience and research to understand what critical design elements had to be included when meeting student expectations of modern campus housing.
Between the data provided by Anderson Stricker — a leading provider of college and housing market data research — and research at some of the dozens of campuses the firm has worked on across the country, SHW Group planners found that freshmen retention rates increase from as low as 60 percent to around 90 percent when modern, learner-centered, on-campus housing is provided.
College students are not simply seeking shelter, they are also seeking community. When a college demonstrates that it is an inviting living and learning center, students respond favorably. The student response was so enthusiastic that JCC’s Campus View had commitments for 98 percent occupancy prior to the building’s completion.
Higher Expectations
SHW Group performed a survey of current college students and students finishing high school to determine which amenities are most attractive. The study revealed that today’s students have higher expectations than what is traditionally provided by colleges.
Students are looking for more than amenities with dorms, which traditionally have poor lighting, non-functioning floor plans and a lack of privacy. They also are interested in more than developer housing, which typically leaves out the essential element of community connectedness.
Some of the amenities students want in on-campus housing are individual bedrooms and an suite bathrooms, cable, wireless Internet, full kitchens, comfortable furniture, study spaces, ample daylight, common facility gathering spaces, eco-conscious design and security.
The first phase of housing not only met all of the expectations of students and campus officials, it exceeded them and transformed the culture of the rural 6,000-student campus.
The first-phase building includes furnished apartments that allow for privacy and interaction. Each apartment has four bedrooms that open into a generous living room and kitchen/dining area.
Each apartment also includes two bathrooms with four sinks, a full kitchen with dishwasher and breakfast bar, free long-distance phone service and wired/wireless Internet access.
In addition to the building’s central community room and study space, each floor also provides a common area and separate study room. Other features include a convenience store, storage rooms and a laundry room.
A roof deck on the third floor provides another location for relaxation, college-sponsored events and student life activities.
Security features include an on-site 24/7 resident director, keycard building and apartment access to the building and each apartment, surveillance cameras and ample lighting.
More Than the Bottom Line
The design of the building provides more than the obvious bottom-line and immediate benefits to JCC. Campus View is a physical marketing device, and it creates immeasurable opportunities for the college when satisfied resident students act as free word-of-mouth advertisers to the next generation of students.
SHW Group and the college collaborated on a marketing campaign that included a constructed suite mock-up and a strong link to campus athletic programs, resulting in selling out the first phase of the project prior to the beginning of the academic year.
The project is subsidized by a short-duration bond to minimize long-term costs, and revenue from rent payments will eventually match bond repayment. Expectations are that the building will be financially self-supporting within 17 years. This success has lead to acceleration of the second phase of the project, which will add 96 more beds as soon as possible to achieve a 100 percent increase in capacity.
Campus View is tangible proof that on-campus housing, rather than being a budget burden, can be a boon to educational institutions.
Patrick Calhoun is a planner/programmer with SHW Group’s Detroit studio. With more than 15 years of architectural experience, Calhoun has extensive experience in planning for higher education campuses, facilities assessments and feasibility studies.