ACUHO-I News Blog

Today we have our third and final conference presentation to share with you. In this one, titled “Text Me Your Program Proposal by Midnight,” Dan Oltersdorf (Campus Advantage) as well as grad students Meredith Larrabee (University of Utah), and Karen Morian (Kansas State University) discuss existing and emerging online technology and how it can be used to interact with professional and student staff members.

There’s no question that online communication tools are affecting how housing staffs communicate with each other and the students, as well as the corresponding expectations (”What do you mean you weren’t checking your e-mail at 2 a.m.?”). As co-founders of the largest RA group on Facebook, Larrabee and Morian epitomize the “digital natives” that are quickly joining the professional ranks of college housing.

You’re reading a blog now, so you must be at least a little tech savvy. But are you truly ready to speak the Millennials’ language? What electronic resources are you utilizing? Improve your online credentials by posting your comments below.

Most any manager will tell you they are only as good as their staff. So what can you do to attract — and then retain — the best staff possible? That was the question a team of ACUHO-I members approached back in 2004. With the support of the ACUHO-I Foundation, they researched the topic and created a thorough report offering survey results as well as practical advice for better hiring and retention practices. An executive summary of the report is available in handy PDF format as well.

In Orlando Tom Schuermann from Oregon State University and Holley Belch from Indiana University of Pennsylvania took the time to prepare this condensed version of the session they did along with Tom Ellett of New York University and Stephen St. Onge from Clinton Community College of Plattsburg, New York. A good number of attendees turned out to hear about the research and discover what they can do to keep their best and brightest satisfied.

If you’re a manager, what tips and tricks do you have for keeping your staff motivated? And if you’re an entry level professional yourself, what are the elements you look for in a job and a campus? Is being allowed to keep a pet in your campus apartment enough, or are you more interested in professional development opportunities? Fill the comments section with your thoughts. But first, the presentation.

At the 2008 ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition in Orlando, a handful of session presenters were asked to deliver condensed versions of their presentations for viewing on the Web. We’ll roll these out over the next few days as a means to deliver some of the conference information to those ACUHO-I members who weren’t able to attend.

First up will be Marc Salvador Hume, the assistant director of residence life at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. His team’s presentation, “Doing It All at a Small College or University: How to do Five Jobs at Once and Still Smile” was well attended and filled with information that touched on budgets, staffing, and more.

Check it out and then post a comment to let the world know how you manage to do more with less on your campus.