If you build it will they come - or, how much can a campus change?

[33girl]

A few months ago I went to an alumni reception for my alma mater. The current president was there talking about the changes they were making. Some of them sounded great - like having a movie theater on campus that will run more arty movies than Fast and Furious 24. But a lot of them sounded - I don't know - out of touch. The school is primarily attended by middle class students. Many of them are first generation college students. It seems like the school wants to attract people from higher socioeconomic strata and thinks that these things will help. There seemed to be more emphasis on buildings and facilities than increasing involvement in student life.

I agree that more needs to be done to invest the students in the campus but it seems like rather than attract a new market, it could alienate the current students, if for no other reason than pricing them out of the possibility of attending.

Has your alma mater or any other college/university you were associated with tried to change its "image" in any way? What were the results?