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Residence Life and Housing Services: Why Mid‐Level Managers Are Integral to a Department's Success
Author(s) -
Ellett Thomas,
Stipeck Christopher J.,
Pérez David
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
new directions for higher education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1536-0741
pISSN - 0271-0560
DOI - 10.1002/he.20355
Subject(s) - residence , front line , order (exchange) , business , public relations , facility management , task (project management) , institution , management , political science , marketing , sociology , demography , finance , economics , law
Mid‐level managers have the difficult task of juggling needs and direction of entry‐level staff with the demanding outcomes from their supervisors and senior leadership. To be successful, they must maneuver through demanding expectations from their supervisors while simultaneously garnering buy‐in from those they directly supervise in order to advance residence life and housing (RLH) initiatives. This chapter explores how mid‐level managers in RLH navigate these sometimes competing needs to be successful. This will include discussion of ways mid‐level staff provide institutional and professional knowledge, management, and supervision to the front‐line staff while at the same time providing critical support and operational expertise for the leadership of the department in the running of the daily student/staff development, facility oversight, and general programmatic initiatives to enhance the residential experience for the institution's residential population. Additionally, this chapter will provide a review of competencies and skills required for success in these positions.