Student Housing Business magazine posed this question to industry experts in their March/April 2010 issue:

ON DECEMBER 31, 2010, WHAT WILL THE INDUSTRY LOOK BACK ON AS THE DOMINANT STORY LINE AND TREND OF THE YEAR FOR THE STUDENT HOUSING INDUSTRY AND WHY?

"I think that the trend of the year will be the continued, consolidation of the industry with medium-to-large-sized operators getting larger while witnessing a "disappearance" of the smaller operators. With owners focusing more than ever on the expense line items in their budgets, the economies of scale offered by sizable companies simply provides too much allure for owners to pass up."

- Ryan McGrath, Senior Vice President Corporate, Asset Plus Companies