Residence Life

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

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.

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

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…

Top Channels for Communicating with Students – with Mellissa Taylor

During her tenure at COCM, Mellissa Taylor quickly became known among students as The Housing Lady. So, what did she learn as the face and voice of student housing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham? How have those lessons around communicating with students carried over to her current role in higher ed?Mellissa serves as…

Perspectives on Student Housing Facilities and Operations – Recorded LIVE at the 2019 Annual Meeting with COCM Assistant Directors

What all is involved in running a student housing site? And who are the people behind the scenes managing and operating all the jobs that need to get done? During the 2019 COCM Annual Meeting, we sat down with four assistant directors – with various roles, including building operations, maintenance, business operation, and residence life – to learn from their experiences and stories.

21st Century Challenges Facing Higher Education – with Brian Mitchell

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…

Understanding Diversity of Sites – with Brian Kraft

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.…

How I Got Into Student Housing: Kelly Podach Francis

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…

Rebuilding the Reputation of a Struggling Site

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…

From RA to Operations Director – with Jeremy Steed

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…

Figuring Out How Many Beds You Need Keeping You Awake at Night?

We’ve got an App for that!   Introducing the Student Housing Calculator.  About 10 years ago, COCM developed a proprietary tool called the Student Housing Calculator, to help take the mystery and confusion out of the planning process for a campus housing program.  It is a tool we have used to assist numerous institutions with their…