This blog series features different writers responding to the prompt, “What is the future of the RD position and role?”
Guest Post by Joshua McPhatter, Residence Life Professional
Around a decade ago, I remember starting as a Resident Director (RD) right after completing my master’s degree. I was now a full-time professional eager to have influence! I wanted to be a voice for those marginalized, pour into the team of student staff, and play a role in residents’ stories. From a global pandemic to changes in demographics, challenges in enrollment, and adjusting to competing priorities, time unfolded with all kinds of turns. How will the RD role evolve moving forward, and what elements will come to define it?
When I walked across the graduation stage as an undergraduate, I received a fancy piece of paper to hang on the wall and left with an overall experience that I still laugh with friends about. Our mission in residence life is about creating such memorable living and learning experiences. Looking into the future, the challenge is our hall occupancy and meeting the enrollment necessary to keep the lights on. The RD role must transition away from being perceived merely as steering a cruise ship of fun. Instead, it will have to lean into its importance in student success. The reality is, stable enrollment requires retention, and RDs will be asked to clearly articulate their role in the overall puzzle. Success will not just be measured by the quantity of programs or services provided. Can the RD demonstrate how those numbers truly impacted retention?
Since my time as an RD, there has been a noticeable rise in the debate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). While the past and the future are separate points in time, it is interesting how they can sometimes rhyme. Unfortunately, DEI initiatives are under attack, with some individuals supporting, either vocally or with their silence, that it should be diluted or completely chopped. My higher education friends, brace yourselves and stuck it in! With shifts in our student demographics and RD candidates bringing more DEI passion than the old heads, get ready for the call that this work increases within the RD role. The faces, and more importantly, the voices, are changing. The espoused commitment to DEI will need to show up in tangible ways within the RD role.
In my leadership role overseeing RD training and development, I see another factor shaping the future of the RD role: mental health and well-being. We are fortunate that all our professional staff members are trained in mental health first aid. However, our RDs are not licensed counselors or social workers. The increase in mental health challenges within our halls is an escalating tide that shows no signs of receding from the RD role in the future. How can we equip individuals in theses roles for the coming years? How do we provide care and support for them while they are on the front line?
In the future, the RD role will increasingly center on proving its impact on student retention, engaging in DEI initiatives, and addressing the mental health and well-being of students. All these changing elements feels like there is a need for someone wearing a cape with superpowers. This brings us to the final aspect concerning the future of the RD role: the return on investment in terms of life and work integration. The RD of the future may experience the same feelings I had a decade ago, eager to change the world. However, they are more inclined to expect their department to invest in them. Working remotely, participating in more decision-making, and, of course, more coins for the piggy bank you have before. What do you think about the future of the RD role?
