June 9, 2006

Facilities Play a Key Role in Students' Enrollment Decisions, Study Finds

By AUDREY WILLIAMS JUNE

Do dormitories, libraries, academic buildings, and student unions really help colleges recruit — and keep — students? A new study sponsored by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers says the answer is a clear-cut yes.

However, the buildings that matter most to students may not be the ones college administrators and others would expect.

"Buildings related to academics are the most important," says David A. Cain, vice president and associate