Staff members in live-in positions often find themselves faced with a difficult choice: Leave their roles in search of a job that offers a better work/life balance or stay and hope their department is invested in making the changes necessary to support their staff. Live-in staff are in a unique position because the challenges they face in…

The multidimensional role of entry-level, live-in residence life and housing staff has grown even more complex in recent years. These staff members, often referred to as resident directors, are frequently asked to go beyond the role of RA supervisor, community builder, and policy enforcer. Now they also serve to support students with significant…

The recruitment and retention of residence life staff has become increasingly difficult for many colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Back in 2008, a report supported by the ACUHO-I Commissioned Research Program, "Recruitment and Retention of Entry-Level Staff in Housing and Residence Life," indicated that the problem was…

Well-developed helping skills are essential among entry-level housing professionals to effectively perform their duties and responsibilities. This regional survey of senior housing officer perceptions of entry-level housing professionals' proficiency with helping skills revealed the need for increased training. In addition to the survey, the…

Residence Life Training Programs have evolved over the past quarter century, yet few studies have explored how changes in training impact the preparation and retention of staff. Utilizing a mixed-method design of survey and interview data with housing professionals trained since 1993, this study explores trends in residence life training and…

Most workers aspire to jobs where they are highly satisfied. This satisfaction may come from remuneration, opportunities for advancement, the work itself, or other factors. Studies have shown that job satisfaction has the potential to reduce absenteeism and employee turnover, but we still know little about the specific satisfaction levels of…