Staff Excellence: University Residences

Vehicles line the streets of campus as new and returning Boilermakers lug furniture into residence halls and apartments, ready to set the stage for the semester. Name tags and activity bulletin boards whiz by as they navigate the hallways, meeting roommates, neighbors and resident assistants along the way. The door swings open and a desk, bed and dresser await students inside the space that will soon be transformed into a home away from home.

It’s hard to imagine the college experience without these pivotal first memories, but none of them would be possible if it weren’t for the steadfast leadership and unwavering support of University Residences staff members.

This academic year, more than 17,500 West Lafayette students are living in one of the more than 30 residence halls and apartments operated by University Residences, with an additional 830 at Purdue University in Indianapolis. From the moment a student applies to live in campus housing to the day they move out, nearly 200 full-time University Residences staff and 750 student employees work their hardest to ensure every Boilermaker has a positive, memorable experience.

“They bring a sense of belongingness for students,” says Barb Frazee, assistant vice provost for student life. “Our most important job is to make sure students can find and believe that in their year of living with us — especially their first year — that they’ve found their home away from home and feel like this is a place they belong.”

University Residences comprises multiple teams that focus on different components of student success and wellness. The Administration team oversees and manages all housing contract and assignments of new and returning students. The Residential Academic Initiatives arm manages the university’s approximately 60 learning communities, trains resident assistants and oversees student office staff. The Capital Projects and Facilities team works in tandem with Administrative Operations on all construction projects, repair and renovation tasks, and day-to-day operations responsibilities. And the Living and Compliance department oversees ADA accommodations and offers support to students in crisis. Other areas’ functions include managing StarRez, the housing assignment portal that also powers critical front desk operations.

Though University Residences employees all have varying backgrounds and roles within the team, their passion for student success is a shared attribute, and for many, it stems from their own experiences as college students.

“Most people you would find who work for us at some point in their college days lived in a residence hall, and they either want to provide an experience like they had or better than they had,” Frazee says. “They have a real sense of care. It’s about giving back, wanting to serve students and really working to make an impact for the next generation.”

Considering University Residences’ student population is one of the largest nationally, its housing and dining rates are the lowest among Big Ten universities, and the return rate for upperclassmen is No. 1 in the Big Ten, these employees’ impact spreads wider with each year that passes.

More than 7,300 housing contracts for the 2024-25 academic year were for returning students, an increase of 821 from the 2023-24 academic year. And over 10,200 brand-new Boilermakers moved into campus housing this year, up by 934 compared to the previous year.

Even between the fall and spring semesters, University Residences has continued to serve an influx of students. This past summer, the team housed over 9,000 individuals attending 94 conference events like sports camps and gifted education resource programs.

But even with all the growth, they’ve stayed true to their overarching mission: delivering an environment that helps students foster new relationships and seize opportunities for personal and academic growth.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth, but we have continued to be able to provide every bit of the programming and amenity that we would’ve had in a traditional hall at all of the locations that we have grown into,” Frazee says.

Purdue University is committed to remaining a residential campus, and future plans reflect that. In the fall of 2025, a nearly 1,000-bed student housing facility will open on the West Lafayette campus at Third Street and McCormick Road. Fall 2026 will mark the completion of a new Hillenbrand Hall-adjacent residence hall, an eight-story facility that will include 896 pod-style beds. Housing developments at Purdue University in Indianapolis are also on the horizon, including the construction of a new apartment complex.

Each development brings Purdue one step closer toward increasing on-campus living opportunities for students, but the progress is also welcome news for John Eckman, who took over the role of assistant vice provost for student life from Frazee on July 29. Frazee will retire in December after 43 years of service to the university.

“It’s absolutely unheard of that somebody would be stepping into a role and having four new buildings coming online in the next two years,” Eckman says. “That just doesn’t happen, but it’s going to be happening for us. Continued growth is really important and is something that we’re putting a lot of time and energy into.”

Whether they’re assisting students with the housing application process, assembling and transporting thousands of pieces of furniture ahead of move-in, or hosting hundreds of programs and activities throughout the school year, University Residences employees are always giving it their all. Purdue’s housing facilities help promote and cultivate student success, and thanks to these employees’ daily efforts, campus housing remains an option for as many Boilermakers as possible.

“We know that students who live on campus have a greater sense of belonging, graduate faster and get better grades because that environment is more conducive to being a successful student,” Eckman says. “So, we’ve been really focused on having a strong residential campus that can support the number of students who want to be part of it.”

University Residences

University Residences is the official Purdue University department that is responsible for assigning and managing all University-owned housing facilities, including traditional residence halls, apartments and master-leased properties. More than just a place to sleep, University Residences offers numerous employment opportunities, clubs, programs, learning communities, cocurricular educational opportunities and retreats that serve as a catalyst for personal and professional growth. University Residences programming provides opportunities for students to build treasured relationships as well as leadership and professional skills that will last a lifetime.“We know that students who live on campus have a greater sense of belonging, graduate faster and get better grades because that environment is more conducive to being a successful student,” Eckman says. “So, we’ve been really focused on having a strong residential campus that can support the number of students who want to be part of it.”