Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning

Major Professor

Thomas E. Miller, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Amber D. Dumford, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jennifer Smith Schneider, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jennifer Wolgemuth, Ph.D.

Keywords

college/university, document review, higher education, outsourcing, P3, privatization

Abstract

This study examines public-private partnerships (P3s) as represented in the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I) publications from 1951-2023 and shares themes and patterns found. P3s have been used for on-campus student housing since the 1960s, yet the method is not well represented in the discourse of the student housing profession. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis is to serve as a resource for higher education administrators to support the evaluation of the P3 methodology for future student housing projects.

Less than 2% of the 12,264 ACUHO-I publication entries reviewed were related to on-campus student housing P3s. Over half of the P3 entries were conference programs (104), followed by newsletter or Talking Stick magazine articles (46), and finally Journal of College and University Student Housing chapters (11). The six themes found in this study were 1) Novelty of P3 as a trend, 2) Motivation, benefits, and drivers prompting P3 exploration, 3) Adversarial, fear, and risk framework, 4)Acceptance and adoption, 5) Implementation, 6) Storytelling. This research encourages ACUHO-I to take an active role in building a body of knowledge to support membership development as subject matter experts in P3s.

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