News & Insights

ASK THE EXPERT

The Campus Housing Index: The most comprehensive housing dataset in existence

Welcome to our monthly “Ask the Experts” feature, where a seasoned B&D specialist joins us to unpack the most pressing topics in higher education facilities and operations. This month, we’re honored to introduce Dr. T.J. Logan, Executive Director of B&D’s higher education practice group. With over 20 years of leadership experience in campus housing, auxiliary services, and student affairs—most recently serving as Associate Vice President for the Residential Experience at Ohio State University—and having just completed a tenure on the ACUHO‑I Executive Board, T.J. brings both strategic insight and operational acumen to this conversation.

B&D: Can you explain what the Campus Housing Index (CHI) actually is and why it matters?
TJL: The CHI, managed by ACUHO‑I (Association of College & University Housing Officers–International), is the most comprehensive dataset in campus housing—providing confidential benchmarking on operations, staffing, and policy that you simply can’t get anywhere else.

B&D: How can participation benefit universities strategically?
TJL: By entering your own institution’s data, and completing at least 50% of a section, you unlock access to valuable peer comparisons, enabling apples-to-apples analysis and powerful insights that support planning, resource allocation, and internal advocacy.

B&D: What’s B&D’s role in all this?
TJL: As proud partners with ACUHO‑I, B&D helps housing professionals interpret CHI data with nuance—making sure you ask the right questions, understand the numbers, and maintain strict confidentiality while maximizing the CHI’s value.

B&D: Why should institutions participate now?
TJL: The CHI is our industry’s most powerful tool for planning and advocacy, and its value grows with every contribution. With the 2024–2025 data collection open now through November 1, your participation is more important than ever.

B&D: What kind of data does the CHI collect?

TJL: The CHI collects institutional data in three major categories:

• Profile: Includes institutional type, location, size, enrollment, organizational structure, and occupancy stats.
• Operations: Captures policies, staffing levels, residence life, maintenance, budgeting, and programming.
• Compensation: Includes salary ranges, job titles, benefits, tenure, and staff classifications. Note: B&D does not have access to compensation data from the CHI.

B&D: How is privacy and confidentiality handled within the CHI?

TJL: For university users, data is anonymized and aggregated, and filtering results are only available when seven or more institutions meet the selected criteria. Results are displayed in percentiles (25th, 50th, and 75th), not as individual data points, and never show minimum or maximum values, ensuring complete confidentiality. B&D has access to the full data set with no institutional indicators.

B&D: How often should institutions update their CHI data?

TJL: Institutions are encouraged to update their data annually. The CHI platform allows users to copy over previous years’ data and simply make updates, enabling easy participation and year-over-year analysis.

Thank you so much to Dr. T.J. Logan for his participation in our “Ask the Experts” column. If you have a question you’d like answered in a future edition of “Ask the Expert”, please submit them here.