Job Details

Assistant Director for Lower Campus
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Position Number: 5790273
Location: Hamilton, NY
Position Type: Residence Life and Housing

Colgate University

Assistant Director for Lower Campus

Requisition Number: 2024S086Posting
Full Time/Part Time: Full Time
Division:
Department: Residential Life
Wage/Salary Range: $64,000-$65,000

Department Statement:

The assistant director for lower campus is responsible for the program management of thematic housing, coordinating effective residential housing processes for lower campus, stewarding financial resources, and providing clear communications within a liberal arts, undergraduate-focused, residential campus. Colgate University students, faculty, and staff are highly collaborative, and intellectually engaged with a genuine interest in working together to create and sustain a vibrant student residential experience. The successful candidate for this position will demonstrate their ability to excel through their capacity for building and maintaining collegial relationships, operating with a student-centered focus, engaging in creative problem-solving, providing strong attention to detail, and possessing strong skills in the use of housing software. This position is a hands-on educator with a keen interest in operationalizing a residential experience aligned with the developmental interests and needs of junior and senior undergraduates.

The primary responsibilities of this position include the development of thematic communities and oversight of the junior and senior residential experience, assisting with the management of housing processes including annual housing selection, the private off-campus housing lottery, and semester break and recess housing (including late stays and early arrival housing). Additional functional areas include key operations, damage billing, furniture inventory, and room management. Work with Lower Campus apartment communities and fraternity/sorority communities is also part of this position.

This position requires strong communication capacity and skills, as it engages often with students and families. The assistant director will build and maintain collaborative relationships with colleagues across campus, including with Campus Safety, Fire Safety, Facilities, Fraternity and Sorority Advising, Student Involvement, Student Disability Services, Information Technology Services, Summer Programs, and the Office of the Dean of the College. Additionally, this position is responsible for the growth of the thematic communities and will require collaboration with faculty and staff to build a robust junior and senior experience.

The position directly supervises student staff on Lower Campus. The Assistant Director reports to the Associate Director of Lower Campus and Operations. This position will also oversee the lower campus residence halls, thematic houses, and/or fraternity and sorority chapter houses.

This position is a required live-on position. As a visible member of the lower campus community, the incumbent will connect with residential students in the area, develop a first-hand awareness of the benefits and challenges living in the Junior and Senior community, attend occasional evening and weekend events sponsored by the interest communities and residential communities on lower campus, occasionally dine with junior and senior students, and provide on-site crisis response when needed.

Accountabilities:

The Assistant Director is a full-time, live-on position, primarily responsible for the effective and efficient execution of strategies and programs that enrich the junior and senior residential experience at Colgate. This position works closely with the Residential Life Leadership Team and campus partners to build an engaging junior and senior experience that will prepare students for life after college.

Specific Responsibilities

Junior and Senior Experience
- Collaborate with the Associate Director in the development and implementation of the Residential Curriculum for the junior and senior experience.
- Actively engage with students who live on lower campus to establish positive relationships, convey expectations and provide accountability.
- Responsible for the development of theme communities partnerships. Develop connections with appropriate students, student organizations, campus departments and faculty to enhance theme communities.
- Directly select, train, and supervise student staff for lower campus.
- Maintain high visibility in junior / senior housing areas.
- Partner with Facilities to document and address facility needs for the Lower Campus (junior and senior) area.
Housing Processes
- Utilize housing software to contribute to the management of on-campus housing by processing assignments, status changes, waitlists, and other assignment-related requests.
- Utilize housing software to contribute to the management of Residence Life processes including early arrival and late stay coding, key management, and room condition reporting.
Community Development & Engagement
- Provide support in the development and furthering of the departmental philosophy, mission, and programs by translating the mission, vision, and strategic goals in ways that impact and transform residential communities
- Manage the facilitation of the residential curriculum, which may include one-on-ones, event planning, community meetings, and other strategies
- Provide accurate advice and guidance that actively supports the growth, maturity, and intellectual development of individual students and groups of students within assigned residential communities
- Facilitate the administration of protocols and processes to address the needs of students of concern and to connect them with appropriate resources and support systems
- Participate in the management of student behavior by responding to incidents, meeting with students, and applying appropriate sanctions as detailed in the University student handbook.
- Resolve student conflict and conduct issues within assigned residential area (or broader when on-call), ensuring proper documentation of conduct issues
- Ensure the development of a safe, welcoming, accessible, and fair environment that actively includes and engages everyone
- Actively address issues and concerns that diminish the capacity for all students to feel like they belong and are able to engage in their respective communities
Staff Supervision
- Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and evaluate a team of student staff in accordance with department expectations, goals, and established procedures
- Participate in and plan on-going staff development and in-service activities for the purpose of continued training and opportunities for personal development for student staff
- Advise departmental committees for student staff members and students.
Facilities & Building Management Duties
- Coordinate, maintain, and monitor the administrative and operational functions associated with the management of a residence hall (occupancy management, room condition, maintenance, technology, etc.).
- Exercise judgment in effective day-to-day management of multiple housing facilities
- Manage residence hall opening and closing procedures for all assigned areas
- Facilitate regular health and safety inspections in each residential area
- Ensure that all reported damages and problems with residential facilities are fixed within an appropriate time frame
- Coordinate the damage billing processes for the department, including closing procedures
- Manage the weekly inspection processes conducted by student staff on lower campus, including follow up on concerns
Crisis Management & Emergency Response
- Serve as a referral source for student staff during counseling and crisis issues
- Provide crisis intervention along with necessary follow-up after an incident, working in coordination with other Residential Life staff, as well as professionals from the Counseling Center, Deans Office, Campus Safety, and other areas as needed
- Participate in scheduled professional staff on-call duty rotation
Core Departmental Responsibilities
- Build and maintain collaborative relationships with others in Residential Life, Dean of the College, Facilities, Faculty, and the University community, creating opportunities for them to engage and be involved with students around their areas of expertise
- Disseminate information regarding policies, conduct, administrative matters, and campus events to staff
- Become familiar with central department processes and policies in order to accurately promote and communicate with campus partners, students, and families, cover central office on a rotating basis to ensure these constituents are met with a welcome and informative presence
- Assist in assessment of student learning, student needs, and program effectiveness
- Manage room assignment changes in partnership with the Associate Director
- Meet regularly with supervisor to review department goals, establish individual goals, assess progress and solve problems
- Work with students, parents, co-workers, supervisor, department staff, and University staff from diverse backgrounds on a variety of issues
- Communicate with parents, resolving concerns and addressing questions with care and support
- Facilitate weekly staff meetings and 1:1 meetings with assigned student staff
- Participate in university committees as deemed appropriate by members of the Residential Life Leadership Team, supervisor, or Director
- Model professional behavior appropriate for living in and among students
- Other duties as assigned

This position has been designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA), in accordance with the federal statutory requirements of the Jeanne Clery Act. CSAs are required to and responsible for reporting allegations of crimes they receive from students and employees to the Campus Safety Department.

Professional Experience/Qualifications

Ideal candidates will have well-developed:

Written and verbal communication skills and be capable of creating and maintaining productive and collegial working relationships with a diverse group of faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
Knowledge of student development and/or human development theory and practice.

Ideal candidates will bring:

Must be available to work occasional evenings and weekends as required.
Must be self-motivated and able to manage multiple projects, programs and student challenges simultaneously with an appropriate sense of urgency.
A minimum of two years of relevant work experience is required.

Examples of relevant experience include: leadership, student development, administrative, and community-building. Similar roles could include but are not limited to: student affairs and residential life, supervisory and staff management, crisis management and conflict resolution, and/or student engagement.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates who have college or university experience in crisis management, student conduct, and student staff supervision.
Experience working with faculty within the context of a learning community or similar program is highly desired.
Experience working with housing software, especially StarRez, and reporting is preferred.

Education

A Bachelors degree is required.
A Masters degree in higher education or related field is preferred.

Other Information

This position will require occasional evening and/or weekend hours. This position will require participation in the residential life on-call rotation.

This position requires living on-campus.

Room and partial board are also required and included in the compensation package.

Work Schedule:

The typical work schedule will be Monday through Friday with occasional evening and weekend work required to meet the needs of the department.
There is an expectation to serve in a rotating on call schedule.

Job Open Date: 11/06/2024
Job Close Date: 1/7/2025
Open Until Filled Yes

Special Instructions Summary

To view the full job posting and apply for this position, go to: https://careers.colgate.edu/postings/6095

The University recognizes that equal employment opportunity can only be achieved through demonstrated leadership. It is the Policy of the University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and train employees on the basis of merit, ability, and valid job qualifications without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable local, state or federal laws or Executive Orders.

CAMPUS CRIME REPORTING AND STATISTICS

The Department of Campus Safety will provide upon request a copy of Colgates Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education for the previous three years concerning reported: 1. crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Colgate University; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus and 2. fires that occurred in student housing facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and fire safety, such as policies concerning sexual assault, life safety systems, and other related matters. You may access the report from the Clery Compliance web page at: https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/dean-college/campus-safety-staff/clery-compliance. Printed copies of this report may be obtained upon request from the Department of Campus Safety via e-mail at cusafety@colgate.edu.