While the debate persists among office workers and employers on when and how “return to work” will occur as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, there is little doubt about what the nation’s 19.7 million college and university students are planning to do this fall.
They want out of mom and dad’s house. They want to be back on campus. And, it’s not up for debate, according to a survey of more than 1,500 college students by student housing developer and manager Core Spaces. The study, conducted among residents of Core Spaces properties across 14 states, showed that an overwhelming majority—92 percent—said they wanted to come back to campus when classes began for the spring 2021 semester, up from 89 percent in the fall 2020 semester. Moreover, nearly 88 percent said that they planned to go back to campus even if online/distance learning protocols were still in place. (Core Spaces has not released data for the fall 2021 semester, but we surmise that this sentiment will hold true.)
The rush back to campus places the pressure squarely on higher education institutions to maintain health and safety protocols campus-wide to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In fact, public health and safety just might be the new in-demand amenity at U.S. universities and colleges, according to a research study on college/university selection factors by JLL’s Higher Education team.
The JLL survey asked 500 parents of high school-aged children who are currently evaluating higher education institutions to rank their top selection factors for choosing a school. Not surprisingly, “quality of academics” and “affordability of college or university” were cited most often by parents. The eye-opener was number three on parents’ wishlist—“campus cleanliness and indoor air quality”—which was cited as an “important” or “somewhat important” factor in the selection process by 84 percent of respondents. IAQ/cleanliness outranked more traditional selection factors like location, campus housing options, financial strength of the school, diversity of the student body, and commitment to sustainability.
Admittedly, most parents—59 percent—said that they did not consider campus air quality a factor prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ron Gregory, JLL Higher Education’s Executive Vice President North America, believes that prospective students and their parents will demand “the highest standards around cleanliness and air quality” from their school of choice.
JLL says cleanliness extends to the overall look and feel of the campus and the physical condition of the buildings. Nearly nine in 10 respondents—88 percent—said the physical condition of buildings was important; 86 percent for campus condition.
“While transparency around campus cleanliness and air quality remains top of mind, the way prospective students and their families perceive the health and safety of the campus based upon appearance could also play a pivotal role in the decision process,” the study’s authors wrote.
The survey also sheds light on the growing importance of sustainability on college campuses. More than a fifth of parents—21 percent—indicated that the pandemic raised their awareness of a school’s overall commitment to sustainability.
Related Stories
| Feb 23, 2011
The library is dead, long live the library
The Society for College and University Planning asked its members to voice their thoughts on the possible death of academic libraries. And many did. The good news? It's not all bad news. A summary of their members' comments appears on the SCUP blog.
| Feb 11, 2011
Sustainable features on the bill for dual-building performing arts center at Soka University of America
The $73 million Soka University of America’s new performing arts center and academic complex recently opened on the school’s Aliso Viejo, Calif., campus. McCarthy Building Companies and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects collaborated on the two-building project. One is a three-story, 47,836-sf facility with a grand reception lobby, a 1,200-seat auditorium, and supports spaces. The other is a four-story, 48,974-sf facility with 11 classrooms, 29 faculty offices, a 150-seat black box theater, rehearsal/dance studio, and support spaces. The project, which has a green roof, solar panels, operable windows, and sun-shading devices, is going for LEED Silver.
| Feb 11, 2011
Research facility separates but also connects lab spaces
California State University, Northridge, consolidated its graduate and undergraduate biology and mathematics programs into one 90,000-sf research facility. Architect of record Cannon Design worked on the new Chaparral Hall, creating a four-story facility with two distinct spaces that separate research and teaching areas; these are linked by faculty offices to create collaborative spaces. The building houses wet research, teaching, and computational research labs, a 5,000-sf vivarium, classrooms, and administrative offices. A four-story outdoor lobby and plaza and an outdoor staircase provide orientation. A covered walkway links the new facility with the existing science complex. Saiful/Bouquet served as structural engineer, Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers served as MEP, and Research Facilities Design was laboratory consultant.
| Feb 11, 2011
A feast of dining options at University of Colorado community center, but hold the buffalo stew
The University of Colorado, Boulder, cooked up something different with its new $84.4 million Center for Community building, whose 900-seat foodservice area consists of 12 micro-restaurants, each with its own food options and décor. Centerbrook Architects of Connecticut collaborated with Denver’s Davis Partnership Architects and foodservice designer Baker Group of Grand Rapids, Mich., on the 323,000-sf facility, which also includes space for a career center, international education, and counseling and psychological services. Exterior walls of rough-hewn, variegated sandstone and a terra cotta roof help the new facility blend with existing campus buildings. Target: LEED Gold.
| Feb 11, 2011
Chicago high-rise mixes condos with classrooms for Art Institute students
The Legacy at Millennium Park is a 72-story, mixed-use complex that rises high above Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. The glass tower, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, is mostly residential, but also includes 41,000 sf of classroom space for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and another 7,400 sf of retail space. The building’s 355 one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominiums range from 875 sf to 9,300 sf, and there are seven levels of parking. Sky patios on the 15th, 42nd, and 60th floors give owners outdoor access and views of Lake Michigan.
| Feb 11, 2011
Apartment complex caters to University of Minnesota students
Twin Cities firm Elness Swenson Graham Architects designed the new Stadium Village Flats, in the University of Minnesota’s East Bank Campus, with students in mind. The $30 million, six-story residential/retail complex will include 120 furnished apartments with fitness rooms and lounges on each floor. More than 5,000 sf of first-floor retail space and two levels of below-ground parking will complete the complex. Opus AE Group Inc., based in Minneapolis, will provide structural engineering services.
| Feb 11, 2011
Four-story library at Salem State will hold half a million—get this—books!
Salem State University in Massachusetts broke ground on a new library and learning center in December. The new four-story library will include instructional labs, group study rooms, and a testing center. The modern, 124,000-sf design by Boston-based Shepley Bulfinch includes space for 500,000 books and study space for up to a thousand students. Sustainable features include geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater harvesting, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
| Jan 21, 2011
Primate research facility at Duke improves life for lemurs
Dozens of lemurs have new homes in two new facilities at the Duke Lemur Center in Raleigh, N.C. The Releasable Building connects to a 69-acre fenced forest for free-ranging lemurs, while the Semi-Releasable Building is for lemurs with limited-range privileges.
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
