The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 1 - 48

Sean A. Grube

most consistent within-college determinant of the impact of college. Net of important background traits and other confounding influences, living on campus had statistically significant, positive impacts on increases in aesthetic, cultural, and intellectual values; liberalization of social, political, and religious values and attitudes; development of more positive self-concepts; intellectual orientation, autonomy, and independence; tolerance, empathy, and ability to relate to others and the use of principled reasoning to judge moral issues. Residing on campus also significantly increased the likelihood of persisting in college and earning a bachelor’s degree....Little evidence, however, suggested that living on or off campus influenced either knowledge acquisition or general cognitive growth. Living on campus, however, appears to foster change indirectly, by maximizing the opportunities for social, cultural, and extracurricular engagement. (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005, p. 63) In addition to contributing to the altruistic goals of increased student satisfaction and engagement, residential facilities also provide a revenue stream for the institution. Generally, a college or university relies on six sources of revenue: students or parents, federal government, state government, private gifts, endowments, and auxiliary enterprises (Toutkoushian, 2003). Institutions must maximize each source of revenue in order to be truly competitive with comparable colleges and universities. While the institution’s business rules determine whether student housing rents flow to the institution’s bottom line or are held by the housing department in an auxiliary capac-

ity, a stable student housing program combined with appropriately managed fiscal policy provides steady revenue for the institution. Whether the revenue contributes to or detracts from the bottom line is another matter entirely. Certainly, the only way that constructing new residential facilities makes sense for an institution is to deliver housing that is desired by students and then charge an ample fee to ensure fiscal responsibility for the institution instead of creating a financial strain. Besides the goals of an enhanced student experience and additional revenue stream for the institution, colleges and universities use new residential facilities as a marketing and recruitment tool for prospective students. Very rarely do students limit their higher education options to only one school. Colleges and

Fostering student success and engagement is a goal for any institution of higher education. Many institutions have found that the most viable way to enhance student success is to promote the residential experience. Research has shown that residential environments provide a strong link between student engagement and overall success in higher education, and institutions are all too ready to provide that link.

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITy STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 1