Please turn off cell phones, pagers, and PDAs or set to a silent/vibrate setting.

1. If you must leave the program early, please do so in a manner that does not interrupt the presenters or the other program attendees. Thank you for your cooperation. ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition Program Committee Please turn off cell phones, pagers, and PDAs or set to a silent/vibrate setting. Version June 23, 2008

2. ACUHO-I Orlando Recruitment and Retention of Entry-Level Staff in Housing and Residence Life Tom Ellett Stewart Robinette Holley A. Belch Thomas Scheuermann ACUHO-I sponsored study report Session 4: Recruitment June 23, 2008

3. Recruitment Session Overview • Introductions • Literature Review • Career Cycle • Problem Analysis • Job Analysis • Best Practices and Professional Development • Shared Experiences • Questions 3

4. Project Overview • Position analysis • Best practices study • Supervision and mentorship • Image of housing/residence life (perception) • Role of professional development 4

5. History and Literature Déjà Vu:20+ years of ACUHO-I efforts on R & R Deliberation:Recent assessment efforts Decisive Action:Commissioned research-comprehensive approach Source: Scheuermann and Ellett (JCUSH, 2007) 5

6. History and Literature • Déjà vu: 20+ years of ACUHO-I efforts on R & R • Longstanding topic of dialogue • -More attention given to this in the mid 2000s • Dr. Donald Kilbourn, one of the first ACUHO-I presidents (1951): “recruiting staff is our biggest challenge facing our profession” • ACPA/NASPA Task Force-factors impacting recruitment and retention • Jahr (1990): “no two more critical areas…than recruitment and retention” 6

7. History and Literature • Deliberation: Recent assessment efforts • Housing and Residence Life Professionals Recruitment and Retention Survey Report (2002): differences between “new” and “experienced” professionals in benefits • Belch & Mueller (2003) “Pools or puddles?” • Quality of life, remuneration, interest in the housing/residence life profession 7

8. History • Commissioned Research Project Summer 2004 through Summer 2007 • Summer 2004 – Fall 2004 • Literature Review • Design Studies • Fall 2004 – Spring 2005 • International Study Problem Assessment (Study A) • Position Analysis (Study B Begin) • Summer 2005 – Spring 2006 • Position Analysis (Study B Conclude) • Best Practices (Study C) • Supervision & Mentorship (Study D) • Fall 2005 – Fall 2006 • Images of Job and Field (Study E) • Housing and Residence Life Career - Model Development • Summary Report • Spring 2007 • Final Report Prepared • Further Research Identified • Summer 2008 • Further Reporting • Glossy Prepared for Distribution at Annual Conference 8

10. Career Model • Holistic View • Preparation for professionals at different junctions • Impacts the declining or accepting of offers to join the field 10

11. Problem Analysis • Recruitment— 4”P’s” in the Literature: • Periodic fluctuations – housing and res life job availability • Pipelines – undergraduates, RAs, student leaders • Perceptions – views of entry level positions • Pools – of candidates; quality/quantity=related to above variables The literature and factors cited above informed our framework and approach to the ACUHO-I Commissioned Research study. 11

12. Problem Analysis • The Crisis in Recruitment and Retention of Housing Officers Report (2002) • Reasons for the perception of declining job offers • Geographic location • Salary • Fit with institution • Type/Size of institution • Position responsibilities • Quality of life Was this an issue or just a perception? Is it only a problem for small institutions? 12

13. Problem Analysis Recruiting is a Concern on my Campus Small Housing Operation < 1,000 beds Large Housing Operation > 1,000 beds 13

14. Problem Analysis Recruiting is a Concern on my Campus 14

15. Job Analysis Study Purpose To measure and examine aspects of the Residence Director (RD) work experience which predicts their commitment to a career in HRL. To achieve this, measures of several aspects of the work experience were tested for their relationship to measures of career commitment and loyalty among entry level and senior housing professionals. 15

16. Job Analysis Recruitment Related Factors 16

17. Job Analysis • Results • Job burnout was identified most frequently as the work experience measure for having a high impact on career measures and needing improvement among HRL professionals and RDs A second group of work experience measures - Job Involvement, Workload Dissatisfaction, Satisfaction with Promotion Opportunities, and Professional Development Outcome Fairness For the RDs alone, role ambiguity impacts happiness Identified as having an impact on career measures and needing improvement 17

18. Job Analysis Recruitment Implications: Role Ambiguity King and King (1990) identified role ambiguity as a sense of confusion about expectations on the job • Housing leaders can reduce role ambiguity by providing job descriptions that are focused on clarifying job tasks and job requirements • Ambiguity may be reduced by having RDs negotiate expectations for tasks that are outside of the scope of their job Window Counting Example 18

19. Best Practices A Delphi method of inquiry used to identify the institutions with best practices; ACUHO-I’s Leadership Assembly and Small College Network participated as expert panelists; 11 institutions and over 75 interviews 19

20. Best Practices Key strategies in recruitment Policies:- Pets- Domestic partners - Respecting living space - Collateral assignments - 12 month contract length and/or accommodating flexibility - Professional development support 20

21. Attractive Benefits Supervision and Mentorship Study Taken from the Supervision and Mentorship Survey - contained over 381 participants in ACUHO-I membership of entry level professionals 21

22. Best Practices Key strategies in recruitment Processes: - Ongoing communication during process - Attention to the individual - Broad approach to professional development 22

23. Best Practices Key strategies in recruitment Perks:- Personalizing campus residence External entrance Washer/dryer Non-institutional furniture Wooden kitchen cabinets - Meal plan - Plan for addressing amenities in living space 23

24. Best Practices Key strategies in recruitment Personalities:- Professional development encouraged through words, actions, and resources; - Staff ownership; staff exhibit genuine enthusiasm for work-Acknowledging the importance of fit between individual and dept/institution 24

25. Best Practices • Keys to Recruitment • Dedicated person with attention to detail • b. Full interview schedule • c. Candidate access to decision maker • d. Current staff are professionally visible & involved • e. “Employee Alumni” assist in recruiting new candidates 25

26. Professional Development Professional Development Study A stratified random sample of 240 mid-level professional representing all U.S. ACUHO-I regions; Sample criteria included the size of the institution’s residential operation Small - Less than 1000 beds Medium - 1000 to 2500 beds Large - More than 2501 beds 69.5% (167 of 240) Response rate 26

27. Professional Development • Professional development plans, expectations, and institutional support: • Introduced to the idea of professional development by a former supervisor • Reported that employers encouraged staff to participate in professional development activities • Reported having a written professional development plan and 40% of those who had a written plan wrote one because they personally believed it was a good idea, not because their employer required one • Receive at least $800 for professional development activities even though the range of institutional funds to support professional development varied greatly • Participation by respondents in formal programs (e.g., NHTI) increased as the amount of institutional support increased (a statistically significant finding) 49% 86.5% 29.3% 53.7% 27

28. Professional Development • Impact of Professional Development • Nearly all (92%) claimed that involvement in professional development activities has improved their overall level of competence in their job • 82% were satisfied/very satisfied with their involvement in these activities • Respondents who indicated professional development activities had improved their overall competence were more likely to have attended a conference (statistically significant finding) 28

29. Professional Development • Impact of Professional Development (continued) • Respondents were more likely to be involved at the regional rather than national level • A significant relationship existed among those attending an “in person conference” who believed involvement in professional development activities improved overall competence • A greater percentage of respondents who believed that involvement contributed to promotion said they had gained skills in leadership, networking, and had stronger management skills • The study found no statistical relationship between promotion and involvement in professional development activities 29

30. Professional Development • Summative Thoughts: • The study indicated that the role of professional development is significant for professionals influenced by their supervisors to participate in this level of activity for their personal growth • While many institutions encourage their staff to participate, it may well be worthwhile to create a plan for professional development (as noted by 29.3% of the participants) • The vast majority of respondents noted that their competence has improved (92%) due to their involvement in a professional development activity, which most noted as attendance at annual conferences 30

31. Shared Experiences Where do we go from here? As a professional? As a small institution or a large institution? 31

32. Shared Experiences How do you move from this knowledge to putting these ideas into place in your department? Will there be resistance to change and if so how can that be overcome? 32

33. Shared Experiences What messages do we take to our professionals based on this information? Diet and Exercise example 33

34. Shared Experiences What would you like to see added to this research for the profession? 34

35. Questions 35

36. References – for ACUHO-I 2008 Session Powerpoint ABBREVIATED REFERENCE LIST REFERENCESACUHO-I Leadership Assembly (2002). The recruitment and retention of housing officers. Orlando, FL: AuthorBelch, H. A., & Mueller, J. A. (2003). Candidate pools or puddles: Challenges and trends in the recruitment and hiring of resident directors. Journal of College Student Development, 44(1), 29-46. Belch, H. A., Wilson, M. E., & Dunkel, N. (forthcoming). Cultures of success: Recruiting and retaining new live-in residence life professionals. College Student Affairs Journal.Benedict, J. O., & Mondloch, G. J. (1989). Factors affecting burnout in paraprofessional residence hall staff members. Journal of College Student Development, 30(4), 293-297.Brewer, E .W., & Clippard, L. F. (2002). Burnout and job satisfaction among student support services personnel. Human Resource Development Quarterly 13(2), 169-186. Dadez, E., & Hollow, C. (1992). Motivated and marketable, but nowhere to go! ACUHO-I Talking Stick10(2), 14. Herr, S. K., & Strange, C. (1985). The relationship between burnout and the work environments of residence hall directors. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 15(2), 12-16. Jahr, P. K. (1990). Recruitment and preparation: Our future. ACUHO-I Talking Stick, 8(3), 6. 36

37. References – for ACUHO-I 2008 Session Powerpoint ABBREVIATED REFERENCE LIST REFERENCES CONTINUED Lebron, M. J., McIntosh, J. and Nestor, E. (2002). Housing and residence life professionals recruitment and retention survey report: Assessment report. Syracuse University: Authors. Magolda, P. M., & Carnaghi, J. E. (2004). Job one: Experiences of new professionals in student affairs. Lanham, MD: American College Personnel Association. McIntosh, J. and Ridzi, F. (2002). ACUHO-I Graduate Student Survey: Assessment report. Syracuse University: Authors. Scheuermann, T., & Ellett, T. (2007). A 3-D view of recruitment and retention of entry-level housing staff: Déjà vu, deliberation, decisive action. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 34(2). Schmidt, J. (2002). Presidential perspective. ACUHO-I Talking Stick,19(6), 2. Tarver, D., Canada, R., & Lim, Mee-Gaik (1999). The relationship between job satisfaction and locus of control among college student affairs administrators and academic administrators. NASPA Journal, 36(2), 96-105. Winston, R. B., Jr., Ullom, M, & Werring, C. (1983). The housing graduate assistantship: Factors that affect choice and perceived satisfaction. Journal of College Student Personnel, 24(3), 225-230. 37