Director of Residence Life and the Student Experience
College of the Atlantic
Application
Details
Posted: 15-Mar-23
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Type: Full-time
Categories:
Residence Life and Housing
Student Conduct Administration
Preferred Education:
Masters
Overview
Founded in 1969, College of the Atlantic was the first college in the United States to focus on the relationship between humans and the environment. COA enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy—human ecology. A human ecological perspective integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to investigate—and ultimately improve—the relationships between human beings and our social and natural communities. The human ecological perspective guides all aspects of education, research, activism, and interactions among the college’s students, faculty, staff, and trustees. The faculty, students, trustees, staff, and alumni of College of the Atlantic envision a world where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and the diversity of nature and human cultures. With respect and compassion, individuals will construct meaningful lives for themselves, gain appreciation for the relationships among all forms of life, and safeguard the heritage of future generations. More than forty years later, our 350 students, 35 faculty, and 75 staff members still share that original focus on engaged learning and community, and more than ever we believe that an interdisciplinary, human ecological perspective is critical to addressing the world’s most pressing problems.
General Summary
Reporting to the Dean of Student Life, the Director of Residence Life and the Student Experience is a full time, live-on employee, who manages the college’s residence life program including supervision of the resident advisor team and will be responsible for managing processes related to student conflict, discrimination, and other behavioral issues. Living on campus will be a condition of employment. Essential Job Functions:
Direct the residence life program
Select, train, and supervise the college’s team of approximately 12 Resident Advisors
Support RAs in building house community and managing issues and interpersonal conflict arising in campus housing
In collaboration with others, provide support and programming to help students thrive
Serve as a member of the Student Support Team
Provide crisis response (some nights, weekends, and breaks) as part of the on-call team
Collaborate with the Director of Student Support and Wellness and/or the Dean of Student Life to respond to student mental health issues, when the aforementioned are unavailable
Oversee prevention, education, response, and resolution efforts related to incidents of student conflict and behavioral issues
Resolve issues of student behavior falling outside our community expectations, including discrimination and bias, using formal and informal complaint and conflict resolution processes
Serve, as needed, as chair of student social misconduct hearing boards
Work with relevant groups to respond to discrimination and bias, possibly including a Bias Response Team
Work closely with the Campus Safety Coordinator to ensure a safe and welcoming campus environment
Collaborate with the Student Life Operations Manager to support the housing selection process and facilitation of mid-year housing changes
Membership on appropriate committees relevant to the position
Perform other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree required (Master’s in Higher Education, Student Personnel Administration, Counseling or related field preferred) with 3+ years of post-grad experience in higher education
Familiarity with supporting students with mental health issues and with negotiating student privacy and confidentiality
Knowledge of and experience with traditional and alternative methods of resolving student conduct issues, including mediation, restorative justice, etc.
Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to respond and adapt to dynamic situations
Experience with and ability to work with students and staff from diverse cultures and of diverse identities
Capacity to balance competing priorities in a highly demanding environment
Sense of humor and willingness to work as part of a team
Founded in 1969, College of the Atlantic was the first college in the United States to focus exclusively on the relationship between humans and the environment. COA enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy—human ecology. A human ecological perspective integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to investigate—and ultimately improve—the relationships between human beings and our social and natural communities. The human ecological perspective guides all aspects of education, research, activism, and interactions among the college’s students, faculty, staff, and trustees.
The faculty, students, trustees, staff, and alumnx of College of the Atlantic envision a world where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and the diversity of nature and human cultures. With respect and compassion, individuals will construct meaningful lives for themselves, gain appreciation for the relationships among all forms of life, and safeguard the heritage of future generations. Our 350 students, 35 faculty, and 75 staff members share COA’s original focus on engaged learning and community, and more than ever, we belie...ve that an interdisciplinary, human ecological perspective is critical to addressing the world’s most pressing problems.