{{Unreferenced, date=November 2023 A residence hall director is

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

employee generally responsible for the management and daily operations of campus

residence halls A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

. While the term residence hall director is the common title used for this position in the United States, they are also known at different schools as area coordinators, area directors, hall coordinators, community directors, hall directors, resident or residence directors, resident deans, residence hall coordinators, or residence life coordinators. While different titles are used by different colleges and universities, the positions generally have similar job requirements, dependent upon the size of the institution and scope of the position's overarching department.

Qualifications

Although not universal, some universities require residence hall directors to have earned the minimum of a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

(common at many institutions in Canada), while most others require a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in college student personnel,

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

, or another related or relevant field (more prevalent in the United States). Some universities fill the residence hall director positions with

graduate students Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

who are only part time and may be required to complete fewer tasks or are responsible for smaller residential areas. There are also institutions that hire undergraduate students for the position. These students are often overseen by an area coordinator or a mid-level student affairs officer.

Responsibilities

The main responsibility of the hall director is the direct supervision of

resident assistant A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establish ...

s (RAs). Often carrying out the training of the RAs themselves, residence hall directors meet frequently with their RAs to ensure the residence hall community is healthy and operating smoothly. In addition to meeting and managing the RAs and any other hall staff, residence hall directors frequently (depending on the university) have many of the following responsibilities: *manage the hall

secretaries A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, Personal assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project manageme ...

and custodian staff *teach sections of transfer or first-year seminar classes *oversee the judicial process of residence students ranging from fines, behavioral contracts, community service to eviction. *provide

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...

to student residents *refer residents to proper campus offices and support services *plan and implement social activities *advise the Hall Council *provide crisis support to parents and students *coordinate emergency/crisis response to the rest of the University *serve as a liaison to university officials and law enforcement personnel *enforce hall behavior codes and meet with students who break policies *general administrative work for the hall *mediate roommate conflicts and oversee room change process. *manage a budget for the community/communities they oversee Another aspect of being a residence hall director is that they also tend to live in the hall or a separate adjoining

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

. They also tend to participate in an on-call crisis response rotation where they may be called by RAs, campus public safety, or other staff members if problems arise needing professional attention. Academic administration Community building Student culture Student housing