Community Colleges Invest in Student Engagement and Retention with RecRe
Community colleges serve a diverse student body with unique needs and challenges as compared to their more traditional 4-year, residential counterparts. Community college students regularly balance work, family responsibilities, and unpredictable schedules. Ensuring that these students have access to campus resources—whether for academics, recreation, or student engagement—without the constraints of staffing or even building hours limitations is a challenge that many community college administrators face. That’s where RecRe comes in.
RecRe has partnered with six community colleges across the country, bringing its self-service model to urban and suburban locations on main and extension campuses, in remote locations and in satellite sites. By deploying RecRe’s automated lending lockers, our partners provide flexible access to important resources, making it easier for students to engage with their campus community on their own time.
Why RecRe is a Game-Changer for Community Colleges
Accessibility Beyond Staffed Hours – Community college students are often on campus during non-traditional office hours. Whether they attend evening classes, work full-time, or have family obligations, their schedules vary significantly. RecRe enables students the ability to check out resources on demand without needing a staff member present.
As Erich Zeimantz, Director of Student Life at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), puts it:
“We don’t necessarily have staff to be here all the times that students are here. That’s where RecRe kind of came in for us—to start looking at and using and trying to figure out how does this fit a model in which we can’t staff at all the hours that students are here.”
A Cost-Effective Resource for Administrators – Community college budgets are often stretched thin, making it difficult to justify hiring additional staff for equipment lending or activity space management. RecRe reduces the burden on personnel while ensuring students have access to what they need.
Ian Wolf, Assistant Dean for Student Engagement at Passaic County Community College (PCCC), highlights this advantage:
“Budgets are getting tighter, and finding ways to optimize student engagement without hiring more staff is essential. RecRe has helped us defray some of those costs while still improving student access.”
Flexible and Creative Inventory Options – RecRe lockers are not limited to a single use case. At Onondaga Community College, the system manages video game controllers, billiards equipment, and card games. At MATC, chess and checkers have become student favorites. Meanwhile, PCCC rotates board games in its student lounge to keep options fresh and engaging. The flexibility RecRe affords campuses to tailor inventory to students’ needs is a huge benefit. RecRe can be stocked with inventory beyond recreational items. At many campuses, critical resources like bike pumps, jumper cables, or mobile battery packs can be invaluable assets for students through the RecRe system.
Encouraging Student Engagement and Retention – Many community college students consider themselves commuters, and there is often little reason to be on campus beyond attending class. RecRe adds to the campus culture and encourages students to come early and stay longer. We know that when students engage with campus spaces and participate in recreational and social activities, they want to stick around. The result? A stronger sense of community, which is a key factor in student retention. Zeimantz underscores the value of RecRe in student involvement:
“If a student is engaging with a RecRe locker, it’s a signal that they are involved in their campus community beyond academics. That’s critical for retention and overall student success.”
Expanding RecRe’s Role in Community Colleges
While RecRe is already making an impact, colleges are looking for new ways to maximize its potential. Some campuses are considering placing RecRe lockers in athletics spaces, allowing students to check out sports equipment. Others are exploring integrations with academic services, such as lending out graphing calculators, laptops or media equipment.
A Smart Investment for the Future
As community colleges seek to differentiate themselves and provide greater value to students, solutions like RecRe become essential and very valuable. By enabling self-service access to engagement resources, reducing staffing costs, and enhancing student involvement, RecRe helps community colleges create more dynamic, engaging, flexible, and accessible campus experiences.
In an era where student retention is more critical than ever, RecRe proves that simple, automated solutions have a real impact.
