The Director of Residence Life provides direction and leadership for a safe, healthy, and educational residential community, programs, and facilities for an approximately 5,500-bed residence hall and 500-bed apartment operation. Responsibilities include staff supervision, programming and community development, communications, policy development and implementation, supervision of facilities, day-to-day budget management, assessment, and overall administration of the program. Additional duties involve significant collaborative efforts with areas across campus, including Student Recruitment and Retention, Finance and Administrative Services, academic colleges, and more. The Director of Residence Life reports to the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and partners with this position to develop a strategic vision, budget, and facilities plan for residential living - including occupancy management - in partnership with the Finance and Administration Services division.

Bachelors degree.
Eight years of increasingly responsible professional experience in major functional areas of student services.
Experience developing forecasting models for residence hall and apartment occupancy.
Experience with campus judicial systems.
Experience managing mental health crises/challenges.
Experience with facilities, including major building projects and day-to-day operations.
Experience with coordinating and programming major campus events including camps and conferences.
Budget development and fiscal management experience.
Conflict resolution skills.
Supervisory experience.
Demonstrated ability to create, implement, and utilize mechanisms for evaluation of impact and satisfaction of residence life programs and activities.
Ability to formulate, articulate, and interpret policies, procedures, expectations, and practices.
Advanced knowledge and experience with network and distributed computing.

Masters degree or higher.
Experience with StarRez, Asset Essentials, and Advocate, or similar software systems that support a residential life program.
Experience managing organizational change and determining organizational structure.

Develops and manages human, financial, and physical resources for the Office of Residence life.
Leads the Office of Residence Life staff in emergency management and crisis response.
Provides strategic leadership for the development and implementation of the assignment process for residence halls and apartments.
Responsible for establishing, reviewing, updating, interpreting, and administering departmental policies and university policies.
Oversees the development of marketing plans, publication materials, and web applications.
Encourages and supports staff development and training.
Provides leadership to staff and provides effective conflict resolution, when necessary.
Responsible for the hiring, training, staff development, and evaluation of professional and support staff.
Assists with occupancy projection models for budget development and setting of housing rates.
Assists with developing and maintaining a housing master plan.
Participates as a member of the Emergency Management Response Team.
Serves as a member of divisional and university committees as needed.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMUs culture of excellence.

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, masters, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 mens and womens Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. Its part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the states largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions - Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more - are within easy reach of the citys central location in Michigans Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering a broadly diverse and inclusive campus that respects all social identities, experiences, and perspectives. In an effort to further this initiative, we are especially interested in candidates who will advance and promote an inclusive and supportive environment for every member of our university community.


You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

This position will remain open until filled. However, the university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials by July 29, 2024.