Student Housing Business is the voice of the student housing industry.
Issue link: https://studenthousingbusiness.epubxp.com/i/616872
VIE W FROM THE ACADEME NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 STUDENT HOUSING BUSINESS .COM 94 HOUSING CREATIVITY Todd Duncan oversees housing at the University of Cincinnati, known for education in the arts, medical, engineering and other felds. Interview by Randall Shearin T Todd Duncan has a large role at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Responsible for campus hous- ing, vending, food services and retail services, he wears a many hats. In the student housing indus- try since his college days, he's also been very involved in the evolution of the on-campus student housing industry. The University of Cincinnati has been a forerunner in education, and its housing program fts its students' needs, serving a diverse, creative population in its urban environment. SHB recently interviewed Duncan to hear more about UC and his career. SHB: How has your career led you to your current position at UC? Duncan: I completed my undergraduate bachelor of science in social studies and my masters in education, college student person- nel, at Western Kentucky University. I was a fve-year hall director and staff member there, leaving in 1995. I joined Lindsey Wilson College for three years as director of residence life and built my frst resi- dence hall in 1995- 96. Then, I moved to the University of Central Oklahoma in 1998 where I stayed until 2001, completing two P3 developments of 700 beds with Capstone. From there, I moved to Northern Kentucky University where I served as director of university hous- ing from 2001 to 2003 and designed and built one state-funded residence hall there. In 2003, I moved to the University of Cincinnati as the director of housing and food services, where I opened a multi-use recreational center that included housing and dining. We did a full gut renova- tion of Morgens Hall, which received an SHB Innovator Award in 2014. I was promoted to assistant vice president for housing, food and retail in 2014, which added responsibilities like oversight of our contracts for bookstores, vending and other activities to my portfolio. I currently have a second, 14-story tower under development called Scioto Hall, opening in fall 2016. SHB: What does your role at UC entail? Duncan: The housing aspect is a bifurcated organizational structure at UC. I have a wide range of responsibilities including budget rates, the auxiliary portion of the student housing and the facilities and master plan- ning. I also manage various food relationships for the university across three contractual relationships, and am responsible for book- store operations via a contract with Follett; cable and laundry contracts; the self-operated vending program; and the debit card function of our student ID, the BearCat card. SHB: How has your background prepared you for this role? Duncan: I come from the classic student affairs background of resident advisor and hall direc- tor, and moved into director roles in student affairs organizations. I recognized early on in my career that I had strengths in the auxil- iary and fnancial aspects of facilities. The P3 projects at Central Oklahoma helped with that professional development, which the student affairs background often does not prepare you for. It was a great opportunity for learning about the fnancial aspects of student hous- ing. I'd like to share that I've been a sponge; I've learned something in every context that I've been in and from every person that I have interacted with. My biggest piece of advice to others in this feld is to not be afraid to ask questions when you do not understand. SHB: What attracted you to the University of Cincinnati? Duncan: I was eight miles away at Northern Kentucky University, and the opportunity came to go from a 15,000-student regional UC's Stratford Heights complex is a village-like setting on the university's urban campus. TODD DUNCAN Assistant Vice President, Campus Services, Housing and Food Services, University of Cincinnati