Strategize for Success: How to Prepare Your Higher Education Institution for the New School Year

A Staples Business® Expert Solutions Guide.

As summer comes to an end, it's time for higher education institutions to prepare for another exciting school year. However, this year, with inflation driving up costs for college and universities, effective resource management is more vital than ever to create a safe, healthy and productive learning environment.

Welcome Learners and Lecturers

44 states saw enrollment increases in spring 2024.1

Enrollment rates at colleges and universities are steadily rising toward pre-pandemic levels, but even years following the return to in-class learning, challenges with student engagement persist. Due to pandemic-related learning loss, 13% of students delayed graduation, while 40% lost a job, internship or job offer.

Now is the time to prepare a safer, more immersive educational environment that helps students learn more effectively while satisfying your faculty's needs and well-being. Gear up today to improve academic outcomes with the right supplies from Staples Business.

Lecture Hall Engagement
55% of undergraduates have trouble staying engaged in classes.2

Educating an increasing number of students at once demands instruction delivered at scale, making lecture halls invaluable. But for some students, trying to learn in these spaces can feel impersonal and disengaging, especially when seated far away from the lecturer. Lecture halls can also make students more prone to distractions like friends, computers and cell phones.

Universities can assist professors and faculty in capturing learners' attention by equipping lecture halls with microphones, speakers and audio systems. Projectors and screens also help engage students in classroom material, no matter where they're seated.

Faculty Comfort and Peace of Mind
Research shows low faculty morale can lead to increased personnel turnover and negative student outcomes.3

Faculty members give everything to ensure students receive the knowledge needed to thrive in their careers and overcome life's challenges. Support your faculty as they navigate lesson plans, scholarly research, grading papers and more with organizational supplies like calendars, planners, folders, bookcases and desk organizers. Help them destress, refresh and boost productivity during office hours with comfortable chairs, water coolers, refrigerators for storing drinks and perishable groceries, microwaves for heating up coffee (or wintertime cocoa), and napkin dispensers.