The controversy over Cross Village probably won't put the brakes on future public-private partnerships — and, says Risher, of the Scion Group, it shouldn't. "There's still value to be had by doing a good P3 project," he says.

But universities should always be circumspect when setting up such arrangements. “We see a lot of universities trying to rush out deals and get them done quickly — ‘Hey, we just want to get shovel-in-ground,’” says Jamieson. “If ever there was a cautionary tale, this is one. Take your time, do it right.”

Lee Gardner writes about the management of colleges and universities, higher-education marketing, and other topics. Follow him on Twitter @_lee_g, or email him at lee.gardner@chronicle.com.

Update (11/25/2019, 6:22 p.m.): This article has been updated with a link to an op-ed by the university's general counsel to which the university directed The Chronicle after this article was published.

A version of this article appeared in the December 6, 2019 issue.

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