Director of Residence Life

Job Summary

Towson University (TU) is one of the nation's top 100 public universities. Located north of Baltimore, TU currently enrolls over 19,000 students and is the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland. Towson University fosters a climate that is grounded in respect to cultivate the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.

The Director of Residence Life position provides visionary, strategic, and operational leadership to the residential experience. The director leads a team of staff in creating and providing a foundational student experience that promotes belonging, learning, and connection. This leadership role provides oversight for a residential population of nearly 6,000 undergraduate students, supervises four associate directors, two assistant directors, 16 residence life coordinators, eight graduate assistants, and over 150 resident assistants. The director brings innovative approaches to residential curriculum, learning communities, engagement, student leadership, staff training, and operational effectiveness.

Responsibilities and Duties

Leadership:

• Provide leadership and oversight of the full resident experience comprised of 18 buildings and 5,800 residents.
• Strategic Direction: Develop and implement a comprehensive vision for residence life that promotes academic success, personal growth, and community engagement among students.
• Policy Development: Establish and refine policies and procedures that foster a safe, inclusive, and engaging residential environment.
• Team Leadership: Provide direct supervision to senior residence life staff, (four Associate Directors of Residence Life, Assistant Director for Residential Education, and Assistant Director for Residence Life Operations) fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Staff Training: Equip residence life staff with the necessary tools and knowledge to ensure consistent and impactful residential learning experiences that align with departmental and university values and strategic goals.
• Collaboration: Serve as Housing and Residence Life (HRL)s key liaison and collaborator with University stakeholders including Student Affairs colleagues, Academic Affairs partnerships for Living-Learning Communities, and Public Safety.

Project Management:

• Program Development: Provide direction and vision for residential engagement initiatives that enhance student learning and community belonging, aligning with the department's residential curriculum framework, as well as University and Divisional priorities.
• Process and Procedure Oversight: Align departmental protocols and procedures for residence life functions to ensure processes are appropriately timed, direction is clear and efficient, and student safety is prioritized. Keep accurate records and ensure protocols are consistently followed.
• Policy Oversight: Develop a cycle of monitoring and reviewing policies and procedures applicable to HRL and students and staff that they serve.
• Collaborate with the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices on code of student accountability and housing policy development and revisions.
• Ensure policies and their supporting documents are appropriately current and stored in the various manuals, SharePoint sites, and review website content.

Administration:

• Budget Management: Oversee financial aspects of residence life, including budget planning, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting.
• Program Evaluation: Provide direction and oversight on use of assessment tools to measure the effectiveness of residence life programs and initiatives.
• Data Analysis: Utilize assessment data to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement and innovation.
• Reporting: Prepare comprehensive reports on program outcomes and present findings to university stakeholders.

Staff Development:

• Recruitment and Training: Provide strategy and direction for the selection, training, and evaluation of residence life staff, including Residence Life Coordinators (RLC), Resident Assistants (RA), Community Center Assistants, and Community Center Managers.
• Professional Growth: Promote continuous professional development through annual development sessions, a facilitated community belonging curriculum, and mentorship opportunities.
• Solicit and Provide Feedback: Host the RLC Advisory Board and RA Advisory Board meetings as spaces for staff to provide essential feedback on processes and departmental initiatives. Oversee residence life evaluation processes for student staff with an eye to meet high impact practices standards. Provide constructive feedback and support for career advancement for direct reports.

Crisis Management:

• Work closely with university colleagues, such as Housing Operations, Student Outreach and Support, Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, Public Safety, to coordinate appropriate residence life response and outreach to resolve critical incidents.
• Convene a debrief/recovery after major incidents and events to identify learning and improvement opportunities.
• Provide direction and support for the Residence Life On Call system during elevated incidents.

Committee and Other Assignments:

• Represent the department/division on University committees and projects as assigned.
• Serve as liaison with Capstone On Campus Management staff (Towson's Public Private Partnership) on residence life matters.
• Assist with and attend major University events such as Welcome to TU, Homecoming, Family Weekend, and Admitted Student Days.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Telework may be available for this position up to two days per week following the completion of 90 days of service in good standing.

Qualifications and Skills

• Master's degree.
• Six or more years of experience in residence life, program development, housing/residence life operations, student affairs administration, and working with diverse students and staff.
• The selected candidate must have demonstrated commitment and sensitivity to working with students, faculty, and staff to build a diverse and inclusive community which facilitates positive outcomes.
• The candidate must display effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience with program design and knowledge of restorative practices highly preferred.

Salary and Benefits

Targeted Hiring Range is $100,000-$105,000 and full University benefits that include 22 days of annual leave, up to 15 holidays, personal and sick days; excellent health, life, and retirement plans; and tuition remission. To learn more about our benefits, click here . TU also offers a variety of great perks and discounts, which can be found here .

If you are motivated, innovative and team-oriented, we would love to hear from you.

For consideration, please submit a cover letter and resume with your online application.

This position will be open for a minimum of 14 days.

The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors has been our top priority and the focus of every one of our decisions since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the University System of Maryland (USM) has strongly encouraged full COVID vaccination and up-to-date booster shots (when eligible) for all faculty, staff, and students at all schools in the USM as both a reasonable and necessary means of protecting our health and safety.