West Chester University’s president is finding creative ways to curb the student housing shortage and graduate student enrollment slump, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Christopher Fiorentino said that there’s a “sufficient demand” to fill more beds on campus, especially since the university welcomed its largest first-year class of 3,006 students in 2022, and the number is only expected to exceed it this coming fall. 

While a residence hall is in the works, it could take three years to construct. Because of this, Fiorentino is in talks with hotels and nearby towns to serve as additional housing for students. Aside from auxiliary spaces, he is also considering how to best make use of the 409-acre campus. The new dining hall has left a vacant space in its old building.  

“It’s very exciting to just kind of look at the campus not as a complete blank canvas, but as a flexible canvas where we have latitude to do some things because of the increase in the use of technology and some other factors that have come into play in recent years,” Fiorentino said.  

Over the years, West Chester has seen a slight decline in enrollment, especially when it comes to graduate-level students. Fiorentino is hoping to attract more graduate students through the increase of online programs. He’s also exploring partnerships with community colleges to allow courses and credits to align between institutions. It would also guarantee housing for incoming transfer students from the partnered schools. 

“With my economist hat on, I think that’s a good way to provide opportunities for students at a relatively low cost right now,” said Fiorentino.  

Read more about these solutions in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Take flight over West Chester University’s campus.