Res. Ed. director published in new association study

            A set of six studies on “Recruitment and Retention of Entry-Level Staff in Housing and Residence Life” was recently published by the Association for College and University Housing Officers-International. One of the 10 researchers on the team that produced the studies was Sara Klein, Wagner College’s director of residential education.

            Klein joined the project six years ago as a graduate assistant at New York University, where she earned her master’s degree in higher education administration in 2004. She joined the staff of Wagner College in June 2007.

            The idea of the overall project, Klein said, was to find specific ways to make professional careers in residence life more rewarding and less stressful — “to avoid burnout,” as she put it.

            Klein participated in two of the six studies: one on images of residential education careers, the other on professional development.

            “Undergraduate students don’t look at us and say, ‘That’s what I want to do!’,” Klein said, summarizing the thrust of the images study, which asked undergraduate residence assistants for their perceptions about the professional staff members with whom they work.

            On the positive side, Klein side, RAs liked what they saw of the relationship between residence directors and students. They also liked the altruistic aspects of the work — “doing something to make a difference,” as Klein put it.

            On the negative side were pay, and the “sophistication” level of the field.

            “It’s not perceived as a professional position,” said Klein. “We’ve just started where people are publishing and getting Ph.D.s in our field.

            “I’m a professional. I’m getting a Ph.D. from NYU. I read the professional literature. I take what I learn from other schools and apply it here.”

            Klein said that the most helpful of the six studies was the one that focused on “best practices — things that I can easily make happen to make our staff happier.”

            An executive summary of all six studies can be downloaded on the Internet by clicking on THIS LINK.

            The study was supported by a grant for commissioned research from the ACUHO-I Foundation.