Balancing Priorities: A Conundrum of Compensation or Competence for Entry-Level Hall Director Positions

The recruitment and retention of residence life staff has become increasingly difficult for many colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Back in 2008, a report supported by the ACUHO-I Commissioned Research Program, Recruitment and Retention of Entry-Level Staff in Housing and Residence Life, indicated that the problem was perceived as being worse than it was at that point, since compensation and qualifications were not significant issues. The average entry-level salary was $24,213, with 83% ofpositions being live-on. Thirty-one percent of entry-level staff had a master’s degree, and 11% were enrolled in a master’s program. The report also highlighted a study examining various aspects of the hall director position in an effort to foresee career commitment to housing and residence life, and results indicated that job burnout, workload dissatisfaction, promotion opportunities,role ambiguity, and professional development impacted career resilience and identity. At present, housing departments are again facing a similar issue, but this does not seem to be a case of perception being worse than reality. Housing and residence life departments appear to be struggling to fill their entry-level vacancies, and many are faced with the dilemma of either increasing compensation or relaxing qualifications for these positions. This article explores the current state of housing and residence life recruitment and retention of entry-level hall directors, provides a critical analysis of potential issues contributing to the current state of affairs, and identifies possible solutions by revisiting the measures and best practices outlined in the 2008 ACUHO-I report.