Examining the “Amenities Arms Race” in Higher Education: Shifting from Rhetoric to Research

Abstract:This article provides an analysis of published writing on amenities in higher education with the goal of bringing order to the voluminous information and helping to advance research. It examines over 40 articles and books to answer four interrelated questions: 1) How are amenities defined in the context of higher education? 2) How are amenities measured and what trends are discernible? 3) What are rationales and possible consequences of amenities? and 4) What questions remain unanswered and merit researchers’ attention? Findings of the analysis provide a working definition of amenities in higher education and reveal significant shortcomings in our knowledge of the topic. These shortcomings make it difficult to substantiate claims that colleges and universities are engaged in an “amenities arms race” and identify numerous areas for future research.