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Author John C. Maxwell coined the phrase “Teamwork makes the dream work,” and student housing operators are experiencing that truism firsthand as they deal with the nightmare scenario of the pandemic and its ripple effects. Closed campuses, virtual learning, COVID-19 outbreak concerns and an uncertain leasing season next spring are all challenges that property managers are tackling in real time. Ironically, industry professionals say that the pandemic may actually be a net positive in the long run as it has forged colleagues closer to one another. Demi Sterling-Kinney, vice president of operations at Aspen Heights Partners, a student housing owner and operator based in Austin, said that she met with her property managers more during the pandemic than she would in a normal year. “I feel like the shakeup was good; It was painful in the moment, but overnight it seemed like we were at war and we were all coming at it together,” said Sterling-Kinney. “It felt like everyone came together to be one team.” Sterling-Kinney’s comments were made during the Leasing & Marketing Spotlight panel at the 2020 NMHC/InterFace Student Housing Conference, a joint production between the National Multifamily Housing Council, France Media’s InterFace Conference Group and Student …

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