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The New Century Retirement Living team of consultants provides a complex set of service from initial “big idea” concept through the steps within detailed planning and careful implementation. Transforming a college into a new educational direction will not be an easy “cookie cutter” operation. Our services help you decide if the “big idea” will work for your college. Our services will identify clusters of retired persons that will want to become a part in this new form of life long learning. We will lead teams of your people transforming your college into a learning center for the 21st century.
As we move forward NCRL will bring together experts in community planning, marketing, housing construction and financing. As the project nears completion, the firm will train existing staff and recruit top level management in the continuous care retirement community side of the new campus. Below are some of the key services:
Walking the walk with you, your administration, your trustees to test the “big idea”
The initial step in determining the viability of the college for active retirees and a closely related retirementcommunity is to walk through an analytical draft business plan. Several studies specific to your campus will be conducted. A new draft college curricula based on Life Long Learning experience will be constructed to identify strengths, weaknesses and capacity as they apply to your school as it transitions to a retiree oriented student body. A careful examination of the physical campus will be made. NCRL will develop, in addition to the physical campus, the first architectural concept work of how the additional need for 100-120 acres needed for the retirement community will be undertaken.
Conceptual Physical Planning Model
From this initial work NCRL consultants will assist the colleges in creating a virtual physical planning model showing what this new dynamic community might look like. Every angle is examined including who will it primarily serve; determine the changes on campus and the number of units as
well as the type of building or buildings (high rise, low rise, clusters of cottages, villas, etc.); what health care services, quality of life services and list of amenities will be provided.
The Market Study -The NCRL Approach
Few consultants can put together a professional market study for a brand new product. (It is just not possible to ask people about a college that does not yet exist and expect a useable answer.) However, we will select an associate firm that can address the addressable. Market studies for the retirement can and will be done by an associated firm with the appropriate experience. With more than 50 retirement communities that are associated with universities in existence, and thousands of other types of retirement communities throughout the country, the market studies will be an important component of our work. In that work, we will reach out to older alumni, retired faculty and retired staff, friends of the college and others.
Market studies of alumni and others are frequently undertaken as part of the decision metrics used in moving forward. Some of the types of questions that would be asked will be:
* is there an interest in becoming a part of such a community?
* preferences of size, type and features of residential dwellings?
* interest in educational and cultural opportunities?
* interest in recreational activities both indoor and outdoor?
* interest in the continuum of health care and services?
* cost, revenues and other financial information?
* readiness and timing of moving into a college and retirement community?
Because there are 75 or so university-based-retirement-communities-in existance or in the planning stages, there are marketing practices that will undertake this phase.
Preparation of the Transformation Business Plan with detailed revenue and costs projections
The “big idea” can only be made implementable with a solid business plan. Everything NCRL will be doing in its consulting service for your college leads to the development of a hard facts business plan. Your confidential plan will lead to conversations with the financial community. NCRL will assist in the discussions with the financial community and advocate for a financial package that will fund “your big idea.”
Local Community Involvement new revenue new jobs but a new look
NCRL will help develop and implement positive interaction with most aspects of the community. We will work with local elected leaders, civic leader and the community in sharing the transformation. The new college, when opened, will create hundreds of new jobs and bring to the community wealthy seniors. Interaction will be positive and strengthen the college’s community standing.