enhancing culture and student life
Jackson Community College has award-winning faculty, low tuition, and quality programs and services, but the college’s president had a vision of creating a comprehensive college experience for all students. Student life programs and a residence facility that would rival those of premier universities are the first steps toward building a new culture that would transform the college and the student experience.

a growing trend
Designers at SHW Group know that community colleges must foster a sense of belonging and connectedness to attract and retain students. In understanding and addressing this trend, designers and planners shared their insight on the design elements that would meet modern students’ expectations while adhering to the budget.

“Through our research and partnerships, we’ve found that freshmen retention rates increase from as low as 60 percent to around 90 percent when learner-centered, on-campus housing is provided,” says Patrick Calhoun, educational planner at SHW Group. “This, along with researching what amenities students prefer in modern college housing, led to a design that would set a trend for community colleges nationwide to provide student-friendly housing.”

beyond a dormitory
The first phase of Campus View, located in the heart of the campus, houses 96 students in furnished apartments that allow for privacy and interaction. Each apartment has four bedrooms opening into a spacious living room and kitchen/dining area, along with two bathrooms with four sinks, a full kitchen with dishwasher and breakfast bar, free long-distance phone service, and wired/wireless Internet access.

In addition to the building’s central community room and study space, each floor also provides both a common area and separate study room. Other building features include a convenience store, storage rooms and a laundry room. A roof deck on the third floor provides another location for relaxation, college-sponsored events, and student life activities.

Security features include an on-site 24/7 resident director, keycard access to the building and each apartment, surveillance cameras and ample lighting – all of which round out the building’s attractiveness to both students and parents.

The dynamic design of the building provides more than the obvious bottom-line and immediate benefits to JCC. Campus View is a physical marketing device, as it creates immeasurable opportunities for the college when satisfied resident students act as word-of-mouth advertisers to the next generation of students. In fact, the buzz about Campus View led to 98 percent occupation prior to the building’s completion, as well as the beginning of the design phase for Phase II.

Campus View is tangible proof that on-campus housing, rather than being a budget burden, is a boon to educational institutions and the students served.