Residential Colleges Program Coordinator - Upper Division Engagement

Position Summary

Residential Colleges seeks focused, creative, and team-oriented candidates to collaborate with residential faculty in program planning and mentoring undergraduates. The program coordinator will build and implement programs within Residential Colleges that help develop students’ academic identities outside the classroom. Specifically, the program coordinator will organize, attend, support, and assess a multitude of programs, events, and resources such as academic seminars, student professional development opportunities, and large-scale community events. In this role, the program coordinator will advise student leaders, work closely in partnership with residential faculty, and collaborate with staff from across the university. 

About the Work Unit

As outlined in the university’s Academic Strategic Plan, residential colleges strive to “Enrich the educational experience by completing and extending the residential college system and developing new infrastructure to foster further interconnections between discovery and learning” (Academic Strategic Plan, p. ii). Aging residence halls are being replaced with residential facilities designed to encourage classmates from varying backgrounds to come together in shared communities, living alongside faculty members who help foster dialogue, and discovery outside the classroom.

Known as residential colleges, this living—learning concept debuted in 2008 with construction of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons for first-year students, made up of 10 residence halls on the southeast corner of campus. Building then shifted to West End Avenue, starting with Warren and Moore colleges for upper-division students, which opened in 2014. E. Bronson Ingram College opened in August 2018. In 2020 Nicholas S. Zeppos College became the fourth upper-division residential college and began the West End neighborhood, joined in 2022 by Rothschild College and completed in 2024 by Oliver C. Carmichael College. We believe that intentional and mutually beneficial educational networks among students, faculty, and staff create a residential collegiate experience that rests on discovery, creative inquiry, and engaged citizenship. 

 Duties and Responsibilities

• Works with residential faculty within the upper-division residential colleges to implement and develop programmatic initiatives focusing on the residential college system learning outcomes.
• Advises student leaders in programming councils, focusing on student development.
• Assists in the creation and facilitation of residential colleges-wide programs, such as large-scale community events, orientation programs, and the excursion series.
• Assists with the implementation of programming initiatives that focus on upper-division students (i.e. Sophomore Year Experience, transfer student support, senior celebrations, etc.)
• Assists with internal and external marketing and communications strategy, in alignment with the university’s strategic plan and office mission.
• Coordinates purchasing for assigned residential colleges and various departmental programming needs, including the oversight and coordination of university student purchasing cards. 
• Collaborates with key campus partners such as Student Identity Centers; Athletics; Government and Community Relations; the Career Center; Housing and Residential Experience; and Parents and Family Programs to further the support and academic mission for undergraduate students within and beyond the residential college system.
• Sustains long-standing relationships with key partners and stakeholders on campus and fosters new partnerships of strategic importance to increase community engagement and collaboration. 
• Cultivates opportunities for programs and events in the Nashville community. 
• Maintains confidentiality regarding communication and information received/gathered in office. 
• Represents Residential Colleges and Vanderbilt University on university, community, and national committees and boards. 
• Remains up-to-date on current trends in higher education and student development; infuses this knowledge into intentional program development with residential faculty and across the residential college system.

Supervisory Relationships

This position reports administratively and functionally to the director of upper-division engagement in Residential Colleges.

Education and Certifications: 

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary. 

Experience and Skills: 

• At least one year of directly comparable experience is necessary.
• Experience working in higher education is necessary, including relevant student employment and leadership experience. 
• Demonstrated understanding of how a higher educational institution works is necessary. This includes an understanding of the strategic challenges, knowledge of the formal structures, and an appreciation of the internal and external political context and how that influences appropriate behavior.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion is necessary. 
• Outstanding organizational skills, including ability to prioritize, and carry out multiple assignments independently and in a timely fashion is necessary. 
• Ability to collaborate with others in a team environment is necessary.
• Ability to communicate with students, faculty, staff, and community members in a manner that promotes dialogue and understanding is necessary. 
• Experience working with faculty is preferred.
• Experience developing and delivering educational programming is preferred. 
• Expertise in creating and conducting presentations, speaking effectively in public, and writing is preferred. 
• Ability to utilize student development theory to inform programming, assessment, and co- curricular efforts in a residential setting is preferred.
• Ability to utilize current technology and social networking to enhance work is preferred.