Residence Hall Director Testimonials

Being a Residence Hall Director at BGSU often means that you could be (and typically are) dealing with multiple competing priorities at any given time. It helps to keep my mind at ease knowing that I have a very strong support system of supervisors, colleagues, and student staff surrounding me while I work through these priorities.

I also greatly appreciate the autonomy that I am given in my position. There are, of course, specific procedures and protocols that I need to follow, but I have the freedom to make my experience as a Residence Hall Director my own. This has been done by being a part of different committees within our department, taking on projects that I am not completely familiar with, and being offered a number of different experiences that are helping to grow my skill set as a Student Affairs Professional.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to work as a Residence Hall Director at Bowling Green State University and I cannot wait to see where my time here takes me.

The building I worked in at BGSU was part of a public-private partnership on campus where we collaborated closely on all facility issues, opening and closing preparations, and providing seamless service for our residents. I learned how to navigate the processes of both the university and the private corporation, build effective working relationships, and advocate for the student experience as necessary. I enjoyed learning from my counterparts who managed the facilities in my building and working together to accomplish all of our goals while effectively and efficiently serving our residents.

At BGSU, one of my favorite things was being able to explore my interests outside of my work within my building while also representing our department and students. I was able to interview new Hall Director candidates at The Placement Exchange, serve on the housing contract appeals committee and the departmental training committee, help edit and clarify the Community Living Standards, work with our Dean of Students Office to develop training materials for our staff on the student conduct process, assist with readying the new Greek Village for opening, and help advise RHA and NRHH. BGSU is a community in every aspect of the word and getting involved around campus is easy and encouraged.

Another important skill I gained from the Hall Director position is learning how to put theory to practice through the great deal of professional development opportunities coupled with student interactions and programming experiences. As a Hall Director, I had the opportunity to plan and implement Resident Advisor training, write curriculum, work with various learning communities, and adjudicate student conduct. These experiences were tremendous assets in preparing to become an academic advisor. As an academic advisor, I use many of the techniques and methods I learned through student conduct, advising hall council leadership, and supervision meetings.

The Hall Director position at BGSU also helped enhance my administrative skill as well as taught me the importance of administration in the student affairs profession. I gained a great deal of administrative skills as a Hall Director such as budgeting, writing reports, serving on university committees, developing a community development model, and establishing standard operating procedures within my hall. These skills and experiences have been tremendously beneficial as I create programs and retention initiatives for students as an advisor and continue to serve on university committees.  I am truly thankful for my time as a Hall Director because it gave me a wide variety of meaningful experience in such a short period.

I appreciated that while I was at BGSU, I was able to build my own experience by getting involved in other professional development opportunities. When I wanted more challenges within the department, I was given the opportunity to organize the Student Staff Banquet. When I wanted to learn what other departments on campus were doing to support students, I was given the opportunity to work with Academic Advising for New Student Orientation in the summer. These opportunities were all beneficial in my growth in the field and helped me in my next few positions after being a Hall Director at BGSU.

I learned many other things that I brought to my current position, such as the ability to balance multiple (and oftentimes competing) priorities, including expectations of the department, institution, and my own wants/needs.  I discovered how invaluable Outlook was as an organizational tool (particularly when trying to balance said priorities) and wondered how I ever lived without it.  I recognized my responsibility as an employee to my supervisor and department, including anticipating what my supervisor(s) would want/need and being ready with an answer or action.  I learned to own the autonomy that comes with working independently while simultaneously learning how to function in a larger organization.  I saw the importance of passing on lessons learned so others could work smarter, not harder.  In the 2013-14 year, I oversaw a pilot programming initiative that focused on intentional interactions with residents and involved volunteer faculty members participating in small-scale programs throughout the year.  Designed to positively impact student persistence and retention, this initiative was a collaborative effort between the Provost’s Office and the Division of Student Affairs, giving deeper significance and perspective on how to establish successful working relationships with campus partners.  At the close of each semester, my staff and I provided critical feedback to improve the program for its campus-wide implementation in 2014-15.  Listening to their perspectives demonstrated firsthand the importance of buy-in from staff and how critical it is to invest in those who work for you.  I became more adept and confident having difficult conversations, including advocating for staff.  I developed my supervision style and can adapt it as needed, which has been an asset in my current position.  My former supervisor and mentors emphasized that my professional development was my responsibility, powered by intrinsic motivation.  With consistent encouragement to seek out different opportunities, I successfully diversified my skills.  Though at times challenging, the Hall Director experience was critical in preparing me for my next professional position.  Most importantly, BGSU taught me how to layer in the cold!

My time at BGSU assisted my growth professionally and within the field of Student Affairs and Higher Education. I was able to move on from BGSU and work two other institutions while moving up the position ladder. Again, it was the skills and experiences I received from BGSU that granted me those opportunities. If it was not for the time I spent learning and developing my professional identity and networking at BGSU, I honestly do not think I would be where I am today in my professional career. I owe a lot of my growth to the time I spent at the wonderful BGSU!

The Residence Hall Director position at BGSU has really forced me to develop tremendously as a professional because of the fast-paced environment and the responsibilities that are asked of the position. The position has been able to give me the opportunity to develop my supervision skills because of the wide variety of student staff that I have been able to supervise, especially a Graduate Student from the College Student Personnel Program at BGSU. I have not only become an effective supervisor, but I have also been given a lot of experience with crisis management, advising, training development, student conduct, student staff selection, and among a variety of other areas. With all the experience I have been able to gain, I know that it will take me into the next position.

The position has forced me to be able to advocate for myself as a professional. There are many opportunities that are available just because of the Bowling Green State University name. A lot of professionals both nationally and regionally always state that BGSU is the crossroads of student affairs, because some would say that the profession really developed at BGSU. Therefore, I have been able to participate in a variety of professional development opportunities such as serving on conference committees, attending conferences, and taking doctoral level classes. All of these opportunities help me serve my students better and prepare myself for the next level professionally.

The Hall Director position is a position where you are taught how to multitask and prioritize work task while keeping students and the mission of the department at the forefront of all you do. I learned not only how to be an effective supervisor but also how to become and a true practitioner in the field. I also credit the Hall Director role for helping me to discover my passion of helping students in the area of career readiness. In my current position I have to listen to students, help them create action plans for their job or internship searches, as well as assist them in articulating their experiences on their resumes and cover letters. All of these skills are ones I enhanced during my 1:1 meetings with my student staff as well as judicial meetings with students. I learned how to create a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment, while at the same time creating an environment where students are expected to meet expectations. Throughout my time as a Hall Director I was also given the opportunity to work with multiple offices on campus. Being able to collaborate with other offices has enhanced my ability to serve our BGSU students by providing me with the knowledge of resources BGSU offers so I can inform students when I meet with them. The two years I worked in Residence Life were very important to my growth and I value not only the time I spent in the office, but the lessons learned and relationships I built.

The Office of Residence Life expects Hall Directors to function with high levels of autonomy in their buildings, and undertake ambitious tasks to improve the department.  Since I began working at BGSU, I have engaged in many impactful projects such as: revising policy, participating in the recruitment and selection of student and professional staff members, facilitating department wide training, and working with important stakeholders across campus.  I have developed my own priorities and expectations for the student staff I supervise, and leadership recognizes me as the expert for the student populations living in the building I supervise.

Bowling Green State University is a challenging and exciting place to work, and it would be a good fit for any ambitious professional looking to work in a cohesive team environment.