Traveling Through Time to See the Differences in Student Housing

A student housing professional who traveled back in time 20 years would find a different set of circumstance affecting the profession. To examine the changes that have taken place the most senior Canadian student housing officers gathered in Toronto in late November. This was the first time such a gathering was held with chief housing officers from across Canada.

To set the stage at the gathering I had an opportunity to share the following points with the group:

• Student housing looks very different today than 20 years ago. Today public-private-partnerships is an established option, real estate developers are actively targeting student housing and several Canadian schools have adopted a "first year guarantee" to assist recruitment efforts.
• The campus housing model is being scrutinized. For instance, CAUBO launched a study into the student housing business model which will culminate in a two day workshop this April.
• The rise of the public sector debt paints an uncertain future for publicly funded colleges and universities. The federal debt and most provincial debts are at their highest levels ever and post-secondary education funding continues its downward trend. 
• Canada enjoys some of the highest post-secondary education participation rates in the world, but when this fact is combined with enrollment pattern fluctuations the impact will affect institutions differently across Canada. For instance, institutions in urban centres, such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, will benefit from larger populations in close proximity when it comes to enrollment but students who live nearby should have less of a demand for student housing. Conversely, institutions outside major cities may need to rely on student housing even more to help with recruitment. 
• The increasing focus on accountability has meant resource allocation and outcomes are monitored much more closely and work must be justified much more frequently. The introduction of the NSSE in the past decade demonstrates the new tools now in use to measure effectiveness in higher education. 

The changing landscape certainly presents new challenges for student housing professionals, but opportunities abound as well. Revenue generated from residence fees represent a significant revenue source at a time when traditional revenue sources are dwindling. Moreover, institution owned student housing has credibility with student and parents and there is a long history, especially in the US, of research that shows the benefits of living in a residence on-campus. It will be important for student housing professionals to work together to understand the changes taking place and leverage the opportunities that are presenting themselves now. Doing so will make for some great stories for the time traveler who visits from 20 years in the future.