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Some Collective Thoughts on the Future Direction of the Housing Profession
By Jim Grimm
When Terri Scanlon asked me to write an article for Reslife.Net, I debated with myself for a number of days on what I could write about. I thought about college housing construction or residence hall safety and security, but then I have already touched on those topics. Then Terri suggested that I consider doing something on the future of the profession. That idea appealed to me since I have a few thoughts on where the housing profession might be headed.
As I thought more about the topic, it dawned on me that ACUHO-I had just published a book edited by Norb Dunkel and Paul Jahr (2000) entitled "Peak Experiences," and one of the questions the editors had asked each of the contributors to comment on was, the future of the profession. And, so, I take this opportunity to widen the range of the Reslife.Net article with the inclusion of key contributors' thoughts and ideas about the future.
These contributors are among the most influential housing officers of the last 50 years. This idea was even more appealing, since Dunkel and Jahr had already selected, through a survey of all living ACUHO-I Presidents and all living ACUHO-I Award winners asking them to identify the 12 individuals that they believed had the greatest influence on shaping the housing profession. The editors selected the top18 individuals listed by that group. Besides having these shapers of the profession comment on the future of the profession, the editors also asked them to comment on how they got started in the profession, their thoughts on professional development, what obstacles had to be overcome by the profession, tips for the profession, what would the author change if they were starting over, some thoughts on how to work with your supervisor, and how to balance work and family. Sixteen contributors are included in the book, as S. Earl Thompson and Harold Riker have passed away.
As I reviewed the comments of the 16 contributors, 7 authors caught my attention that I feel had clear and definite direction toward the future of our profession. These 7 authors were able to present their ideas in an inclusive and clearly detailed style denoting the agenda needs of tomorrow's professionals. These are the comments that I want to share with you along with my own.
The first comment on the future of the profession is a quote from Doris Collins, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at LSU. Doris has spent the vast majority of her professional career in housing working with and for students. She suggests that changes need to be made in how we will work with students and manage our programs:
Listening to customers and learning what they value are critical components of housing leadership and will be even more critical in the future. Students' needs are changing and housing officers must provide housing that meets those needs in a cost-effective manner, services, amenities, and technology must be enhanced and the double-loaded corridors must be replaced. Existing housing will need to be renovated and new housing will be added, but because there is not enough money to keep up, private housing developers increasingly will provide the resources to develop and manage additional housing. Housing leaders must improve what exists within the current organization and build on traditional strengths: community, student involvement, location, and a bottom line that is educational as well as for profit. (page 7)
I know, and so does Doris, that many of her suggestions on working with students are already in practice on some campuses. I believe the emphasis is now being placed on all of our campuses to follow these suggestions.
I felt that this might be a good place to insert the concept of the future role of many of our housing operations that I noted in the book. You will note from the quote that Bill Zeller is really the originator of this concept:
I had an interesting discussion less than a year ago with Bill Zeller, Director of Housing at the University of Michigan, about the matter of distance learning. Bill indicated that he didn't think it would put residence life out of business. He said that distance learning may change our direction and focus, and programs may be less ongoing, but there might be more people who would come back to campus as part of their overall educational program for shorter periods of time. Bill gave an example which I found most interesting, from the television series "Star Trek" in which the officers had an academy, a physical place where they attended classes, lived, studied, and trained. I assume that Gene Roddenberry gave that some thought as he looked 500 years into the future and saw the need for an academy for officer training. They had to live somewhere. I think housing operations will be around for a while, but the functions may be different. (page 24)
Mike Hoctor, Director of Housing and Residential Life at San Diego State University offers another projection on the future direction of our programs. Mike suggests that we will need to be more entrepreneur-like in providing quality residential experiences for our students:
In order to continue providing quality residential experiences for our students, we must learn to think like entrepreneurs think. For example, as we provide educational programs and staff in our housing operations, we need to identify those expenses as contributions to the academic program of the university. Thus, when we compare our expenses with those of non-programmed student housing, we can separate the educational expenses from operational costs and compare our operational budgets, therefore comparing "apples" to "apples." This entrepreneurial focus is supported by the bias that unless the university housing program provides for the education of residents, we should leave simple housing and food service to the private sector. We must demonstrate entrepreneurial savvy ourselves and market the educational goals of our work. then the pendulum may swing at least toward the center again. (page 52)
Mike brings to the forefront the "privatization" scenario and whether we are a part of the core mission of our institution. If we are not, then the thought here is why not let the private sector do what it does cheaper, without the service programs housing professionals provide?
The next look to the future of housing is almost more of a plea for common sense in operational programs. Bill Paleen, retired Director of Housing at Cornell University encourages us to look at our management style:
I hope that the cult-like commitment to "buzz-word" management schemes, such as total quality management and management by objective, has run its course. I do not mean to imply that such ideas do not have merit, but I am convinced that they must be components of a more basic, common sense approach to management. Persons who are grounded in and committed to student and community development are the basic component to a successful organization and this should not change. From custodians to senior administrators, the core value of caring for the welfare of students is essential. As the pace and complexity of our technology-driven world increase, this basic personal connection will be all the more critical. (page 80-81)
John Schuh, currently Professor of Education and Director of the Higher Education Program at Iowa State University, has been writing about housing programs and student learning for many years. He is probably one of the most prolific authors in our profession and in student affairs. However, John not only provides quantity; his thoughts and comments are vital to the issues of today and at a quality level we would all like to obtain. So, John's thoughts on the future of the profession are of a special interest to me and as usual he comes through like the pro that he is:
I see the future for student housing essentially as continuing with current trends. Operations will continue to be very sensitive to student needs. Programs will sustain the current emphasis on providing links between living in campus housing and student learning. Of one thing we can be sure: the future will be shaped as much by external forces as internal. That means that demographic and economic trends will influence student housing in the future, as they have in the past. In preparing for the future, the savvy housing officer will develop plans by paying careful attention to publications and reports related to the country's economic health and social trends. A thoughtful housing director should pay careful attention to the demographics of the region from which his or her students come. (page 91)
I have only included the lead paragraph of John's comments on the future of the profession. In order for the reader to gain a full understanding of his ideas I would suggest that you read the entire text. Also, John once again brings us back to reality in noting that we in housing don't always control our future, the presence of external and internal decisions affect us all.
I am sure by now somebody has said something about technology and how it will play a major role in our future plans. Carmen Vance, retired Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Housing at the University of Connecticut has some interesting thoughts on this topic:
Improved technology is beginning to seriously affect the educational process in all our institutions. No longer is it acceptable for a faculty member to lecture for 50 minutes from a 20-year-old set of notes! Students want classes taught over the Internet. Knowledge is changing so rapidly that you cannot learn all the information you need to know to become a practicing professional in a prescribed set of hours. I think that this will eventually change how we deliver a college or university education, not that there won't continue to be some traditional residential campuses. However, I see colleges and universities becoming much more like learning centers where people come and go for short periods of time to meet with faculty while doing most work over the Internet. Residence halls will become more like hotels where students pay as they go and stays are of variable duration. The clientele will be all ages, not just the traditional 18 to 21-year-old student. (page 134)
Carmen alludes to the concept that I obtained from Bill Zeller about our campuses becoming short-term learning centers and our housing programs having to support that role.
The final comment that I have included is from Ken Stoner, Director of Housing at the University of Kansas. I believe that Ken has put a nice finishing touch on our look to the future with his story about the caravan.
There is an old Arabic proverb that says, "A dog barks in the night, but the caravan moves on!" To be successful, all university administrators, including directors of student housing, must find ways to keep moving toward established goals. Colleges and universities often seem to venerate "process" over "outcome," and one concern for the future is what appears to be an increasing tendency for the caravan to stop in an effort to quiet the barking dogs along the way. We must find mechanisms to keep the caravans of progress moving. Processes are designed to facilitate action, not to prevent action from occurring. (page 126)
All of the aforementioned projections and or suggestions on what we must do to ensure future goals are excellent. In addition to these, we must continue to keep the basic housing program functioning. I feel Ken has hit the nail on the head. Awareness of campus issues are paramount and keeping an open door is an absolute, but we must also keep the practical operational functions at a high priority, for they are both dependent upon each other. As Ken has noted, process cannot out weigh outcomes. They must get equal attention at the appropriate time. The timing in balancing these two elements is the key to successful housing management. Knowing when to put one ahead of the other, or when to split them 50/50 is a decision of vital importance. It is a talent that some people seem to have naturally, or at least it seems so, and for others they learn the hard way through trial and error. However it is for you, if you want to stay in the profession, something you best master, and the sooner the better.
The suggestions for the future included in this article are just a few of the challenges that wait the housing officer over the next 10 to 20 years. It can be a heavy task if you don't take the time to do some visionary thinking. Planning ahead for your own operation, and being aware of what is happening in your profession are two ways to keep yourself current. A third way is being involved in the changes that are happening to our housing programs. How can you be one of those "Shapers of the profession?"
References:
- Dunkel, N.W. & Jahr, P. (2000), Peak Experiences. Columbus, OH: ACUHO-I
About the Author
Jim Grimm was the Director of University Housing at the University of Florida from May of 1977 to June 2000. Prior to that he was Director of Residence Halls at the University of Miami for 15 years. He received his Bachelor and Master Degrees from Bowling Green State University, after which he served as BGSU's Director of Residence Services for 5 years. He has a cumulative professional housing career of 43 years. Mr. Grimm has been an active member and author with the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International since 1959. He served as the Association's President in 1984-85 and as the chair of the ACUHO-I Research and Educational Foundation from 1991 to 1995. He has served on numerous state, regional and national committees and task forces. He has been the ACUHO-I liaison to the United Kingdom's housing association for the past ten years. He consults on a range of topics from design and construction of campus housing to management techniques, safety and security and organization structure. He has been a consultant for more than 50 institutions of higher education and published over 15 college housing related articles and monographs. His latest ACUHO-I monograph "Campus Housing Construction and Renovation, An Analysis of Cost and Design" was published in the summer of 1999.