Graduate Residence Hall Director
Interested in being a Graduate Hall Director?
Graduate Hall Directors (GHD) are a part of our live-in staff and assist in the daily operation of an undergraduate residence hall. GHDs assist in the supervision of student staff such as, Resident Advisors, Resident Advisor Desk Managers and Desk Clerks; as well as the administration of hall-wide programming and crisis response.
- Full in-state Tuition Scholarship
- Stipend determined by graduate college
- Meal Plan valued at $3,438
- Furnished Apartment
- All utilities covered (water, heat, electricity, basic phone and cable)
- Reserved Parking Space
- Private Office and Desktop Computer
- Opportunities to attend national conferences (GLACUHO, NASPA-IV East, ACPA, NASPA)
Experience You'll Gain:
- Supervision and Management
- Advising
- Front Desk Operations
- Crisis Management
Time Commitment:
10-month, 28 hours scheduled per week based on housing and meal plan compensation. This position includes additional evening and weekend hours with live-in responsibilities.
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
The Graduate Residence Hall Director must be a full-time graduate student at Bowling Green State University. To be successful in this position, the Graduate Residence Hall Director must have a demonstrated desire to work with residence life programs and staff supervision in a residential setting. In addition, the Graduate Residence Hall Director must have excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, excellent organizational skills, and a demonstrated desire to work with underrepresented populations. Prior leadership experience working in a residential setting and experience advising student organizations or staff supervision is preferred. Due to the weekly hourly requirements of this role, this position may not be held by international students.
Responsibilities
Major Responsibilities
The specific responsibilities of the position are negotiated between the Graduate Residence Hall Director and the Residence Hall Director with the approval of the Assistant Director for the area where the hall is located. Typical areas of responsibility may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Supervise, advise, train, evaluate, and hire a Resident Advisor (RA) staff, including personal and professional development of RAs and creating a sense of team and camaraderie amongst staff
- Co-supervise the Resident Advisor Desk Manager (RADM), who also supervises the front desk. The GHD will work with the RADM to train, supervise, and evaluate the student desk staff
- Develop a well-rounded community within the building, focused on the engagement model.
- Develop relationships with and be visible to residents in the building
- Become familiar with available resources on campus and be able to communicate those resources to residents
- Serve on the duty/on-call rotation
- Counsel students and respond to crisis situations that may occur in the residence hall
- Work with the Dean of Students Office to host meetings with students of concern, make additional referrals as necessary, and update Maxient case notes.
- Communicate effectively and respectfully with residents, families, faculty, advisors, and other constituents found on-campus
- Distribute and assist with all paperwork and other administrative duties
- Attend and participate in staff training sessions and meetings
- Attend and participate in staff selection sessions and meetings
- Participate on committees within the University and Residence Life to continue to move the Office of Residence Life toward its mission and vision
Additional Responsibilities Include
- Assist with managing the hall budget
- Create and facilitate professional and personal development for both Resident Advisors and other student staff in the office
- Present or co-present sessions during student staff trainings (Resident Advisor, Resident Advisor Desk Manager, and/or Desk Clerk)
- Represent the Office of Residence Life at recruitment and large admissions functions
- Support Bowling Green State University and Office of Residence Life initiatives
Frequently Asked Questions
This policy applies to any individual living within a Residence Life owned/operated apartment as part of the compensation for their assistantship. Graduate Hall Directors may have a live-in roommate, defined as individual who considers the university owned and/or operated apartment of the live-in staff member as their primary residence. Dependents are also welcome to live in the GHD’s apartment. For more specific information regarding partners living on campus, please contact the Office of Residence Life.
There are numerous professional development opportunities on campus that are available to Graduate Assistants. Every year both GAs and full-time staff attend and present at regional and national conferences. Commonly attended conferences included: ACPA, OCPA, OASPA, NASPA, NASPA-3E, and GLACUHO. BGSU also host numerous professional development opportunities throughout the year. When possible, funds will be provided by the Office of Student Engagement and Residence Life to support these endeavors. There are also professional development funds that are available through the CSP program, the Division of Student Engagement and Success, and Graduate Student Senate.
Graduate Assistants are trained in a wide variety of areas prior to the beginning of the year and throughout the year. Topics include (this list is not exhaustive):
- Crisis Management & Response
- Desk Operations
- Supervision
- Housing Occupancy procedures and protocols
RA training includes topics such as (this list is not exhaustive):
- Listening Skills
- Mental Health Referrals
- Recognizing and Caring for Individuals in Distress
- Resources on Campus
- Inclusive Programming
- Bulletin Boards
Although traditional programming does occur in the BGSU residence halls, it is part of an overall Engagement Model. The Engagement Model is the overall framework for community building, programming, and services in the BGSU residence halls. Our Engagement Model focus on the following areas: Career Readiness, Civic Engagement, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership Development, Problem-Solving Skills, Resilience, and Self-Awareness. These areas are addressed through traditional programming, passive programming, student outreach, community walks and engagement, bulletin boards, hall communications, and more! Each Hall Team is responsible for developing and implementing the Engagement Model for their area.
All Hall Directors and Graduate Hall Directors serve on at least one committee during the academic year. Our standing committees are: Recruitment and Selection & Training. In addition to our two standing committees, we have several working groups or mini-committees that will pop up throughout the year to address specific areas or challenges. Past working groups/mini-committees include: Hall Tours, Falcon Fest, End of the Year Celebration, and more.
The relationship between a Hall Director (HD) and a GHD is an important one. GHDs and HDs work collaboratively to support their residents, supervise RAs, and manage their buildings. HDs help the GHDs gain a multitude of experiences needed in order to excel in a full-time position in their career journey and to make connections between the GHDs’ academic coursework and their positions. When the full-time Hall Director is not available, the Graduate Hall Director should be able to step in and answer questions, as well as manage the entire building operation.
Although many Graduate Assistants choose to take an internship or job at another institution over the summer for a different institutional experience, there may be internships available for Graduate Assistants who would like to stay and work/live on campus over the summer between their first and second year of the Masters program
Yes! Live-in staff members are permitted to have a cat, dog, fish, turtle, or rabbit. All pets must first be approved on an individual basis by an Assistant or Associate Director for Student Engagement and Residence Life. For more information about the live-in professional staff policy for Hall Directors/Graduate Hall Directors, please reach out to Residence Life.
Please note: All position information, including the compensation, are subject to change. The information provided on this page is a reflection of the current academic school year position. If you have any questions about the Application Process, please email us at ResLifejobs@bgsu.edu. Thank you for your interest in the position!
Updated: 06/02/2025 03:54PM