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These Areas of Your College Campus Need More Attention (And Why)!

Your college staff and faculty are doing amazing things, making the campus one that students look forward to coming to every semester. But there are always areas to improve, and here are some that you have not thought of yet and why they’re so important to focus on.

While your attention cannot be everywhere as the head of the college, putting more attention on these things can ultimately lead to a better college for all.

Better IT Systems and Processes

You may not have improved your college’s computer network for some time. As many benefits can come from doing so, it’s time to look further at that.

Updating hardware and software on-campus for students and staff can improve their performance, making user experiences more positive within a properly maintained infrastructure as it runs more efficiently. That can increase student satisfaction.

If you’re unsure how to enhance your IT strategy and align it with your college’s mission, consider campus IT services for a tech assessment, management of applications and infrastructure, and other valuable services.

A better computer system can also improve campus security. Reducing the risks of cybersecurity attacks and other malicious intent protects your students and the college’s reputation.

Improve Wheelchair Accessibility

Making accommodations for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities is integral for a school to uphold its mission to provide equal education to all and be legally required.

In addition to putting in the physical supports for wheelchair access, such as ramps, it is also important to create a campus culture of inclusion by encouraging students to have discussions about disabilities. These conversations can improve understanding, reduce stigma, and provide an environment conducive to student success.

Reviewing accessibility policies regularly is a must to ensure the school is doing all it can in this area. Upon doing so, the school administration may realize some valuable supports are missing and, thus, must be added.

Removing physical challenges to accessibilities in academic buildings, parking areas, and other areas students go to on-campus is a must, and the design changes may be significant. Accessible door buttons at building entrances should be installed, if not already done, for those who otherwise cannot open doors.

Also, make it known that the school will happily provide barrier-free furniture upon request, if not already available, upon request. These steps help make for a more inclusive campus.

Mental Health Support

Student wellness can impact academic performance, so finding ways to support it as a higher education institution is crucial. On campus, your faculty may provide counseling services to pupils to help support them and offer them access to resources like helplines and referrals to relevant community organizations.

Addressing students’ mental health needs involves creating a campus culture that takes a holistic look at well-being, from policies to classes and extracurriculars.

In addition to offering counseling services on campus, your college may also provide them online. Schools can also be proactive about mental health issues by providing an information session on healthy coping strategies to newly enrolled students.

Providing students with mentors may also be a powerful way to provide students with coping tools and bolster emotional stability in those who struggle. It can also improve feelings of connectedness among those who do not yet feel ingrained into campus culture, potentially reducing loneliness.

More of a Sustainability Focus

Improving how sustainable your institution’s campus is could improve enrollment numbers. If your student body is largely made up of Gen Z, knowing the importance this generation, particularly, puts on their environmental impact is important.

Reducing the ecological footprint of your institution’s campus can make it more attractive to students who want to support helping the planet. You can also feel good about taking steps to combat climate change for future generations.

Some ways to improve on-campus sustainability are expanding solar power use and reducing energy waste. Your campus may also encourage students to carpool, setting up an online platform for them to coordinate group rides to and from campus. That can lower the number of vehicles on the road, reducing emissions in the air.

Adding more bike racks beside student buildings can make it easier for them to pedal to school rather than drive. Another initiative to improve is adding more recycling bins on college grounds.

About Financial Supports

For new and returning students, daily campus life can feel overwhelming when the costs of tuition, books, meals, and accommodations add up. Financial hardship can reduce student mental health, a topic earlier discussed, and lead to limited participation in classes and social activities on campus.

Along with efforts to simplify the process for students applying for financial aid, with the goal of improving opportunities to complete college, colleges can provide low-income students with tech access they might not already have.

That could be through access to shared computers in spaces across the campus so those who cannot afford computers at home have equal access.

Also, laptops may be available for rental through the school library after filling out a written agreement. Faculty may also perform targeted outreach to students to gain more information about their circumstances and potential ways to help them.

Conclusion: Improving Your College Campus

Even if your campus is not large in size, that need not limit the amount of resources available to students. The college years are a life-changing time for many pupils, providing lessons they carry forward, thus having an impact on society and the future.

Providing them with equal access to a campus where they can thrive and learn has a bigger impact than you may even realize. With that in mind, improvements in the school environment can have many positive effects for students and beyond, reaching into the community after they graduate and working to better it.

Taking steps to modify your school’s campus can help all who attend have a better experience. That can lead to a healthier college culture, helping students have the best experience possible, boosting your institution’s reputation, and improving enrollment in the coming semesters.