Student Housing Matters
Join the Conversation is a podcast of the Student Housing Matters blog. The Student Housing Matters blog is 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. http://studenthousingmatters.com
- Update frequency
- every 20 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 99
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2024
Perspectives on Student Housing Facilities and Operations - Recorded LIVE at the 2019 Annual Meeting with COCM Assistant Directors
Every year COCM hosts an Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. In February, COCM’s Assistant Directors fly in from over 40 different sites for a week of learning, listening, sharing, and building …
Reflections on Working in Student Housing with Brian Collins
Brian served as the IT Coordinator at COCM for 10 years. In 2018, he left COCM to join the BL Harbert Team as an IT Manager for the US Group. In today’s episode, Tara Wilkinson catches up with Brian …
Lessons-learned from Student Housing Professionals – Recorded LIVE at the 2019 Annual Meeting
Every year COCM hosts an Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. In January, site directors from over fly in from over 40 different sites for a week of learning, listening, sharing, and building commu…
Building the Foundation for a Successful Community – with Rob Olson & Greg Houghton
Opening a brand-new residence hall, on a campus that is not used to serving its students 24/7, is quite an undertaking. How do you manage the expectations of a diverse student population? How do you …
Student Housing on the Community College Campus – with Tracy Morris
Close your eyes and picture a community college. Did you envision student housing? You may be surprised to hear that many campuses DO have housing, and just like any four-year school, living on campu…
The Benefits of Nonprofit Ownership of Student Housing – with Will Givhan
Even among student housing professionals, few are familiar with the idea of nonprofit ownership. What is it? How does it work? And why would a university choose to work with a nonprofit to develop st…
Listen Your Way to Leadership in 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? Bria…
Student Housing in the Public vs. Private Sector – with Gray Bekurs
What are the key differences in working as a student housing professional for COCM versus a public institution? How does working within the confines of a bureaucracy for a university contrast with se…
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—d…
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 wha…
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 …
Leveraging Student Feedback to Make Facilities Improvements – 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 a…
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 t…
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, repu…
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 …
Interview with Dr. Lisa Guion Jones - ACE Fellow
Dr. Lisa Guion Jones joined us to discuss the pivotal role of persistence, passion, and people in higher education.
Getting Out of Debt and Staying Out
Timothy Evans joins us today. Timothy is the assistant director of operations at the University Village Apartments, an on campus housing facility at California State University San Marcos.
One of th…
How I Got Into Student Housing - Jeff Kirkpatrick
COCM's Jeff Kirkpatrick shares his story of how a dangerous situation propelled him into being an RA and eventually a full time student housing professional.
How I Got Into Student Housing - Gretchen Smutney
In this "How I Got Into Student Housing" series, we've been talking to housing professionals to understand how they got into this field. In every episode of the series, you’ll hear how a mentor and/…
Solving The Resident Package Delivery Problem
Va'Shajn Parr, Director of University Village and the Quad (on-campus housing) at CSU San Marcos spoke with us about the service he is using to solve the resident package delivery problem.