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.

Submit a Topic

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Podcast

Podcast

Emotional Intelligence in Student Housing – with Natalya Cook

February 10, 2022

It’s important for students to feel valued in the place where they live. And emotional intelligence is key in giving Gen Zers that sense of belonging and connection. Listen in as Natalya Cook explains what student housing communities can do to make EQ a priority and create a culture of transparency, vulnerability and trust!

Read More
Podcast

Achieve 100% Occupancy in a New Student Housing Community – with ReNesha Martin

November 30, 2021

How do you achieve 100% occupancy in a new student housing community—during a pandemic? Today on Student Housing Matters, RaNesha Martin shares her experience launching the new Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community at Bowie State University, explaining what differentiates the ELLC and how student involvement in marketing and recruitment contributed to the project’s success.

Read More
Podcast

Meeting People Where They Are – with Corey Reedy

May 6, 2021

2019 Excel Award winner Corey Reedy doesn’t do what he does for the recognition. He truly cares about the people he works with, and that inspires him to meet them where they are. Today on Student Housing Matters, Corey explains how he provides individualized support to the staff and students he manages at COCM.

Read More
Podcast

Why the Excel Award Is a Win for Your Team– with Michelle Smith

April 28, 2021

The head coach may get all the kudos, but the folks who work behind the scenes truly deserve recognition too. Today on Student Housing Matters, Michelle Smith shares her history as part of the COCM founding team and explains why earning the Excel Award was a WIN for her entire staff at Florida Atlantic University.

Read More
Podcast

To Earn Respect, Be a Team Player – with Kerissa Hobstetter

April 21, 2021

Some student housing professionals are only willing to perform the duties listed in their job description, while others do whatever it takes to provide the best possible experience for residents. Today on Student Housing Matters, Kerissa Hobstetter explains how being a team player earned the respect of her colleagues—and the COCM Excel Award!

Read More
Podcast

Connecting with the Students We Serve – with Meera Ramsoondar-Cuevas 2020 Excel Award Winner

March 30, 2021

Western University of Health Sciences takes a whole-student approach to educating future healthcare professionals. And that complements the way COCM’s Meera Ramsoondar-Cuevas serves her team and the students she works with, connecting with people through the lens of their individual experience. Meera is the Director of Housing Operations at The Daumier at Western University of…

Read More
Podcast

Summer Internship Housing – with Emily Eskridge-June

February 16, 2021

We associate summer on campus with conference programs. But summer interns need housing, too, and many campuses are capitalizing on this need. Today, Emily Eskridge-June joins us to explain how she developed a thriving internship housing program at Cornish College of the Arts and what summer interns are looking for in a place to stay.

Read More
Podcast

Facilities & Operations in Student Housing – with Patrick Shanahan

February 9, 2021

What does it look like to serve students from the facilities and operations side of student housing? What does it take to keep a residence hall complex well-maintained and running smoothly? Patrick Shanahan is the Director of Facilities and Administration at The Heights, Montclair State University’s newest residence halls complex. Patrick has worked at The…

Read More
Podcast

Solving Complex Problems in Student Housing – with Kern Williams

February 2, 2021

LISTEN HERE: As you rise through the ranks of a career in student housing, you face more and more complex problems. Imagine, for example, taking on a site that has occupancy concerns, building issues AND staffing challenges. So, what do successful leaders do to avoid overwhelm and focus their energy on finding solutions? Kern Williams…

Read More