In "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" Jane Jacobs reminds us that "Lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves". Among both urban and exurban cities alike schools, colleges, and universities enjoy a time-honored, town-gown relationship where the […]
Gone is the single cafeteria line in the Maryville University dining hall, with the Missouri institution’s students making their way down a familiar row of plates, picking up food not much different from the day before. Enter Fresh Ideas, featuring a vibrant food hall that offers innovative meals prepared in front of students by culinarians […]
According to a recent survey of auxiliary directors conducted by the National Association of College Stores, we know that the top reason (41 percent) for outsourcing the campus store is to eliminate operational headaches and simplify processes. Those are valid reasons. Managing a retail operation is a complex business—and quite different from other higher education […]
The campus bookstore traditionally was the one place students could purchase the right edition of texts for their courses—albeit at full cost. With the rise of online retailers came competition for the bookstore, as student access to more affordable textbook options grew exponentially. “Prices in our store were way more expensive than prices online,” says […]
A bit of institutional self-interest motivates campus leaders when they work to spend money with businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans and other underrepresented groups. In fact, the institution’s own bottom line comes into play, says D.M. Hodnett, director of the University of Missouri System’s Supplier Diversity and Small Business Development Program. “If we can’t […]
Print marketing is often an opportunity for improvement for higher ed institutions, particularly print mailings. What is the most common setup? Recruitment typically begins with the purchase of lists of prospective students’ addresses. Ensuring those lists are accurate is a huge undertaking, especially when marketing leaders want to segment mailings by different criteria. For 95 […]
The founders of George Washington University could not have anticipated that, almost two centuries later, the institution’s prime location in D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood would be a developer’s dream—and a golden opportunity for the university. Their major venture, a mixed-use retail, residential and office development called Square 54 and completed in 2011, has close to […]
Two different worlds, divided by a gate: It’s a familiar scenario in any college town or urban neighborhood. The phrase “town and gown” is rooted in the notion that universities and the surrounding communities are naturally at odds. But forward-looking colleges and universities are finding deep value in blurring those lines, and instead are leveraging […]
The traditional model of course content creation and distribution—textbooks written by faculty and publisher-produced—is being disrupted. New digital players and learning content formats—such as courseware, open educational resources and adaptive (or personalized) learning—promise lower costs and better outcomes. Based on a recent analysis of the course content ecosystem by the National Association of College Stores, […]
Part of the University of San Diego’s forward-thinking mission is to ensure that all campus facilities are capable of serving not only today’s students, but tomorrow’s students as well. Over the past two and a half years, USD leaders have applied this philosophy to redesigning the campus bookstore. “Course materials come from a wide range […]
