Shopping Centers Today

MAR 2015

Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

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hen universities are selling them- selves to attract the best students and faculty members, whatever else may also happen to be on sale in the general proximity can become a decisive factor. the presence of retail offerings nearby or on campus itself has become a critical way for some universities to promote themselves. it seems that besides the choice of ma- jor and other academic considerations, college applicants could now begin weigh- ing the sorts of entertainment and shopping experiences a prospective university might have in the vicinity or immediately on hand. "When a university professor has applied and been accepted to teach at Kent state but has the same offer from the university of akron and Bowling green, that professor often makes the deci- sion on where to go based on their quality of life," said adam Branscomb, project manager at Fair- mount Properties, a Cleveland-based development firm that specializes in mixed-use college retail developments. "Creating retail districts on the edge of campus can become the key differentiator in creating and maintaining high-quality faculty and staff." acknowledging the trend, schools as diverse as iowa state, Kent state, the university of Con- necticut and Yale university have been working with developers and city managers to revamp their campus and downtown spaces. the university of Connecticut began the process of reworking its downtown some 20 years ago, after the state committed to spending about $2 billion for improvements and up- grades to all of its campuses. at the time, mansfield — in which the village of storrs, home to the university of Connecticut campus, is located — was an agricultural town with more cows than stores. surveys showed that two-thirds of the admitted students declined to attend W stOres On the sYllaBus RETAIL pRojEcTs ARE hELpIng UnIVERsITIEs sELL ThEmsELVEs To fAcULTy And sTUdEnTs As smART pLAcEs To LIVE And woRk By Rebecca Meiser m A R c h 2 0 1 5 / S C T 37

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