Small Colleges and Boutique Hotels

Several small colleges are mentioned in an interesting post written by Laura Powell, "Luxury Boutique Hotels Become Part of the College Experience," published on the Skift website in early December 2017.  Powell interviewed college administrators and representatives of The Olympia Companies that have developed are operating hotel properties for Oberlin, Swarthmore, and Rollins College.

The Alfond Inn in Winterpark, Florida is owned by Rollins College and is the largest of the featured hotels with 112 rooms.  Powell indicates the property is exceeding expectations with an occupancy rate of 90% and estimated $50 million in annual revenue.  She also notes that any net profits are used for scholarships.

The Hotel at Oberlin with 70 rooms was developed by Smart Hotels of Shaker Heights, OH,  It has been open just over a year and meets U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum requirements by incorporating solar, geothermal, and radiant heating and cooling.  

The Inn at Swarthmore opened in May 2016 and is the smallest of the three with 40 rooms.  

Powell also briefly mentions Colby College is finishing a boutique hotel as part of a broader downtown redevelopment effort in Waterville, Maine.  You can read more details in an article, "Colby College picks Portland firm to build boutique hotel in Waterville," on the Portland Press Herald website with reporting by Amy Calder.

The Williams Inn at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts offers 116 rooms.  The property was initially built in 1974 and was acquired by the college in 2014.

Please leave a comment below if you know of other small colleges that are developing and operating hotels on their campuses or in the communities they serve.

Chatham University's Aqua Lab

KDKA, the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh featured Chatham University's aqua lab in a two-minute video segment this week, "Chatham University's Aqua Lab Helping Students Learn A New Kind of Farming."  You can also learn more about various sustainability initiatives associated with the Eden Hall Farm by visiting the Chatham website.

Chatham's Falk School of Sustainability and the Eden Hall Farm were also featured in an earlier post on the Small College Garden blog in April 2016, "Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage for Small Colleges & Universities."

Food System Center promises big changes for Northland College and its broader community

Northland College announced a fascinating project where they are building a Food Systems Center that will take in shipments of local fruits and vegetables; freeze, dry, and can these products; and store them for off-season use. The facility will provide the capacity for the institution to locally source food for the campus....and, it will also serve as lab for students and as a resource for people from the broader community.  Northland College is located in Ashland, WI.

Interesting Approach for Financing Solar Panels at Agnes Scott College

Agnes Scott College is featured in Atlanta magazine for the novel approach used by the institution to finance placement of solar panels on the roofs of campus building.  The article, "Agnes Scott College leased its roof space for solar energy," provides information on how the institution solved a couple of problems.  The author notes that if small institutions would like to use solar panels, they will have a substantial outlay of funds and if they are non-profits, they will not be able to directly take advantage of programs using federal tax credits.  Agnes Scott worked with Georgia Power and private investors, who could access the tax credits and use depreciation for tax advantage. to finance the installation of solar panels.

Agnes Scott College is located in Decatur, Georgia and enrolls just over 900 students.

Spotlight on Sterling College as a model Work College

Kevin Picard of Seven Days interviewed students and administrators at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont for his fascinating article, "Students Work It at Sterling College."  Picard provides details of Sterling's Work College model where students integrate work within their academic program.  Sterling College was founded in 1958 and currently enrolls one hundred thirty students.

Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage for Small Colleges & Universities

Chatham University's Falk School of Sustainability and the new Eden Hall campus are featured in the March 2016 issue of NACUBO's Business Officer magazine.  "Water Conservation as Competitive Advantage," focuses on the institution's effort to create a campus characterized by zero carbon emissions and energy production exceeding consumption.








Walter Fowler, Chatham's senior vice president of finance and operations and Michael W. Takacs, principal with Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. authored the article.  They list various aspects of the initiative from waste water treatment to the network of rain gardens, retention tanks, and irrigation systems.

Fowler and Takacs conclude that that this type of project can be a cost-effective way for colleges to demonstrate good stewardship  to all stakeholders from students through the broader public.  The Eden Hall web pages include a short video and a number of photographs or other interesting resources.

Presidio Graduate School with focus on Sustainable Management is Featured

Presidio Graduate School is featured in an interesting article written for Bloomberg Business by Natalie Kitroeff on January 5, 2016, "This Business School Will Change the World, if It Can Survive."

Kitroeff notes that Presidio is a small institution with 150 students and a mission focused on graduate programs in sustainable management.  Presidio was founded in 2003 and has been granted initial accreditation by WASC Senior College and University Commission through 2019.

Kenyon Farm: Students Balance Courses and Farming

The Kenyon College Farm is featured in an article by Tara Fitzpatrick, "Talking local turkey at Kenyon," in food Management on December 7, 2015.  Students living on the farm raise a variety of livestock and harvest crops that are used on the campus.  Fitzpatrick's article focuses on turkeys that were raised by students and the partnership with the college's food service vendor, AVI Fresh. 

Sustainability and Solar Power at Agnes Scott College

Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA announced that it is producing and selling solar power to Georgia Power.  The efforts are part of a larger sustainability initiative on the campus.