Scion Advisory Services Launches Strategic Housing Planning Service

New offering provides colleges and universities with cost-effective solution to align housing program with institutional mission

Scion Advisory Services today announced the launch of its Strategic Housing Planning service, a new collaborative planning process designed to empower colleges and universities to make critical, strategically driven decisions regarding their on-campus housing programs.

“We created this option to go beyond the limitations of a traditional single-building feasibility study by providing a complete assessment of a campus housing program,” says Jay Pearlman, Senior Vice President of Scion Advisory Services. “Significantly, for an institution not needing a full facilities condition assessment or a design exercise, a Strategic Housing Plan can provide the value of a full housing master plan at a reduced cost and in a much shorter timeframe. Our team is ready and eager to serve the higher education community with these new customized consulting services.”

The new service reflects Scion’s ongoing commitment to offer cost-effective solutions that help institutions best align the residential experience with institutional mission. Unlike many feasibility or demand studies, which focus on a single residential facility, Scion’s Strategic Housing Planning service considers the needs, challenges and opportunities across a full campus housing system.

Scion’s Strategic Housing Planning helps colleges and universities answer critical questions facing many institutions, including:

• Does the current housing program appropriate support institutional mission?
• How to improve existing facilities to best support the needs of today's students and anticipate future student needs?
• How to address aging facilities and make them more attractive to students?
• How to convey to university leadership the impact of aging facilities on the student experience?
• How to prioritize buildings for significant renovations or for decommissioning and new construction?
• How will decommissioning older buildings, renovations or new construction impact departmental cash flow?
• What strategies and financing options are available to pay for necessary repair, replacement and construction?

Scion collects data through rigorous engagement with both institutional stakeholders and current and former residents. The service concludes with a comprehensive assessment of the current programs, scenarios that help align the residential program with current needs, options that accommodate future growth, and financial models that illustrate the financial sustainability of Scion’s recommendations.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused many campuses to rethink the role of residential life. The Strategic Housing Plan addresses a notable void in the market for student housing planning services,” continues Pearlman. “Our approach has been shown effective at institutions concerned with current conditions of housing facilities or the quality of the student experience, or who are working to improve their competitive position among peer institutions or with the off-campus market. A Scion Strategic Housing Plan provides a framework for future housing investments and could serve as a key first step in evaluating the viability of alternative financing, including public-private partnerships.”

About Scion Advisory Services

Scion’s Advisory Services practice is North America’s foremost expert in all aspects of campus housing. As the only consulting team offering services across the full lifecycle of campus housing and with a rigorous multi-disciplinary team, Scion serves both institutions of higher education and off-campus providers to make sound housing investments that maximize every student’s residential experience. Scion has provided advisory services in more than 350 campus markets throughout the US and Canada, as well as in Mexico and the UK, resulting in more than $6 billion in student housing projects. For more information, please visit https://scionadvisory.com.

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