Beyond the Bed: The Growing Opportunity in Community College Housing

Community colleges are deeply woven into the communities they serve. They often have limited institutional resources and must work closely with local partners to expand access, support students, and respond to regional needs. For architects and planners, this creates a growing field of opportunity that calls for inventive design, financing, and partnerships.

As part of a multi-part series focused on Community Colleges, this webinar will explore how housing can do more than provide beds. It can make transfer pathways more attainable, connect students to campus resources, and contribute to community revitalization.

Speakers:

Ann Volz
President, Volz Company

With more than 30 years of real estate experience, Ann has been involved in nearly all aspects of development, from early feasibility to property management. This includes planning and implementation services for over 200 educational institutions, and operational advisory services for more than 20 professional services firms and not-for-profit agencies. She is recognized for her straightforward, collaborative and empathetic communication that strategically advances favorable outcomes and sustainable growth, while driving respect and rapport.

Ann founded Volz Company in 2015 with the mission to collaborate with individuals who are dedicated to making a positive influence in the world. Since its inception, the firm has been focused on continually advancing mission-based outcomes.

AJ Yoon
Vice President, Volz Company

AJ is a proven leader in strategic planning, with experience supporting more than 50 community colleges and four-year universities with on-campus housing. As Vice President at Volz Company, she helps mission-driven organizations align market realities, financial feasibility, and stakeholder priorities to develop actionable housing strategies.

AJ leads strategic objective alignment sessions that bring together leadership teams and stakeholders to define priorities informed by market trends, financial analysis, and qualitative insights. She conducts focus groups and stakeholder interviews to understand current and aspirational housing needs and integrates quantitative market and financial data into strategic plans with measurable objectives and clear implementation pathways. Her work helps organizations anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and remain adaptable in evolving environments.

Alexia Leonardo
Project Director, Volz Company

Alexia works on planning and implementation services for community colleges and universities, including feasibility studies, master planning, and project management. Her research is used to examine market conditions, assess operational performance, and drive creative solutions for Volz Company clients. She is an analytical thinker with strong business acumen as well as the ability to summarize data into clear and concise recommendations for strategic decision support.

Using her strong communication skills, Alexia coordinates, designs, and facilitates discussions that allow stakeholders, students, and cross-functional team members to explore priorities based on needs and to align intended outcomes with the institutional vision.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain how community colleges’ local ties and resource constraints shape planning and design decisions.
2. Compare partnership and financing approaches for community college housing, including intersegmental collaboration, public-private development, and institutional financing.
3. Evaluate how student housing can serve student needs while contributing to broader institutional and community goals, including through mixed-use development.
4. Analyze how the three case-study models use housing to support transfer pathways, connect residents to campus resources, and contribute to community revitalization.

For AIA Members: AIA Chicago will report your attendance for continuing education credit directly to AIA national. Please ensure your name matches your AIA membership record and your AIA number is correctly entered at the time of registration to receive proper credit. AIA Members cannot self-report courses for AIA CES credit.

For Non-Members: AIA Chicago does not report attendance for non-members. If you would like to request a certificate for proof of participation, please click here.

For Vendor Education Program Attendees (AIA Member and Non-Member): The hosting Vendor will report your attendance for continuing education credit directly to AIA national. Please ensure your name matches your AIA membership record and your AIA number is correctly entered at the time of registration to receive proper credit. To ensure accuracy, please request a certificate of completion from the Vendor.