Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

These days many college stores are joining the fight against student anxiety. Searching for ways to offer students more than just a place to shop, collegiate retailers have found numerous innovative strategies   — from hosting de-stress events to bringing in therapy dogs — for reducing stress among college-goers. Those who invest in promoting student well-being know it’s a worthwhile effort: students’ outsized anxiety not only precipitates other health concerns, it interferes with academic success, driving some out of school altogether. Most higher education institutions are aware that anxiety is a problem. What’s less obvious is why.

In the changing educational landscape, colleges and universities need ways to improve the student experience, increase retention rates and revenue, and meet the student demand for a more affordable college education. The bookstore can play a significant role in supporting your institutional mission and helping students achieve long-term success.

College stores are a misunderstood part of campus. Tasked with supporting students and generating revenue, stores are caught in the middle of two conflicting goals. For those who don’t live and breathe the industry every single day, it’s easy to lose sight of how the store enhances day-to-day campus life and all it does to help students, faculty and the school. That’s why it’s important to share more of what you do to enhance affordability and student life with the campus community.

The image many of us create in our minds when we think of a college freshman is an 18-year-old student fresh out of high school who is financially dependent on her parents and unmarried with no children. This student attends school full-time, lives on campus and joins organizations to get more involved. However, that isn’t reality for most of today’s students. On many campuses today, the nontraditional student is the new normal.

Most collegiate retailers love students, and faculty and administrators share that passion. It’s one of the reasons campus citizens choose a career in a learning environment where profit, however vital, is not the only goal. The ever-changing population of young people arriving on campus challenges older adults to stay sharp, creative and open to learning. Lately, the students coming to college have campus authorities searching for ways to help them find relief from mental health issues, too. Young people born after 1995, known collectively as Gen Z, have the highest-ever reported struggle with anxiety. Thankfully, campus retailers have a variety of resources at their disposal, which can help students become loyal customers and turn their retail experience into a source of refuge.

College should be challenging, but, lately, many students find it downright overwhelming. Research shows a larger-than-ever percentage of students experience excessive pressure in school that harms their health, their learning and their chances for success. Anxiety is No. 1 among student-reported mental health issues, and collegiate retailers are stepping up to help solve the problem. Stores nationwide are hosting events dedicated to helping students combat stress, so they can stay in school and achieve their goals. Some empathetic and innovative retailers have turned to a resource not usually available on campuses: Furry, four-legged friends like dogs and cats.