This strategic research project was designed to provide institutions of higher learning, colleges, and universities the ability to deploy a strategic process rapidly to address the student housing shortages gripping many institutions. The development process is guided by overwhelming literature demonstrating the immediate benefits to students while living on campus. Typical housing development for institutions can range from years to decades, and often these projects are sidelined by administrative changes within the institution. To better understand the political, social, and economic factors in building large-scale student housing, this SRP focused on a typical Florida College System institution, Indian River State College (IRSC), located on the Treasure Coast of Florida. IRSC is a statistical median institution on crucial metrics associated with student housing outlined through literature. Using IRSC as an example institution could provide other system schools a baseline to approach student housing. However, IRSC is today progressing on a student housing development project. This SRP will augment, if not replace, the ongoing development process. Given an ongoing effort to develop student housing at the institution, the SWOT analysis performed was uniquely relevant to the SRP. The SWOT factors unearthed parallel literature findings on student housing development globally. From the foundation provided by a timely SWOT, a Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix tool was used to identify the most robust strategic approach for housing development. Flexibility and the ability to navigate the unknown rapidly, identified from the literature as a critical factor, led to a strategy of non-exclusive contractual relationships for development. The action plan, while detailed, followed the successful high-level conceptual approaches described in the literature. It is clear from the literature that student housing development on campus can become an albatross around the budget of even the most prominent institutions. What is also clear is the sense of belonging, improved satisfaction, and general well-being of students who live, study, and play in on-campus housing environments are positive despite negative factors. This SRP provides a template for an accelerated strategic process to develop on-campus student housing.
| Date of Award | Jul 1 2023 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Gina L. Peyton (Supervisor) |
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