Innovating Residence Life Experiences for Community Engagement

Abstract

As higher education becomes more competitive in terms of student recruitment, program delivery models, and student retention, increasing options in housing and residence life has become more critical for institutional sustainability. Traditional institutions with thriving on-campus living programs have made critical enhancements to their housing and residence life departments to enable students to directly connect with peers, faculty, and the community as a whole. This paper describes community living features at Arizona State University, an innovative leader in housing and residence life, which enhance residential life experiences and create opportunities for students to engage with the local and global community. This paper describes four key features of Arizona State University’s model, including food access, transportation access, unique customization of housing experiences based on major, and curated majors based on campus and local economy. By engaging with the local and global community, Arizona State University has created a model in their housing and residence life department where students are better prepared for life post-graduation, which can enhance the surrounding community and help to create an economic benefit to the local and global economy.