Director of Residence Life and Student Conduct

About SAIC

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About the Department

The Office of Student Affairs supports student success through a developmentally based philosophy that responds to students as whole individuals. The division recognizes the diverse needs, identities and experiences of students and works to support them at their individual stages of growth and development.


Residence Life contributes to this mission by fostering a vibrant living-learning community within SAIC’s downtown residential facilities designed for student artists. Professional and student staff facilitate community development, provide educational and social programming, connect students with campus resources, and offer 24-hour support for students living in an urban campus environment.

Position Summary


The Director of Residence Life & Student Conduct provides strategic leadership for the Residence Life program and the institution’s student conduct and conflict resolution processes. The Director works closely with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs & Residence Life to oversee residential operations serving more than 1,000 on-campus students while leading the development, implementation, and assessment of policies and programs that support student learning, community engagement, and student accountability.


This role supervises professional staff, oversees community development initiatives, administers the student conduct system, and manages crisis response related to student issues. The Director collaborates with campus partners to ensure compliance with institutional policies and federal regulations while fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for SAIC students.

The Director serves in the Dean-on-Call rotation and maintains a visible leadership presence within the residential community and across campus (approximately 1 day per week as Daytime Dean on Call and 1 week bimonthly evening and weekend Dean on Call). Evening and weekend commitments should be expected.


The Director actively manages SAIC’s conduct issues and records within our student database (Symplicity). Leads the annual revision of the student handbook and SAIC’s Rules of Conduct that relate to students. Collaborates with partners on campus to ensure OSA practices and procedures comply with federal regulations, including but not limited to Title IX, VAWA, Clery, FERPA and Drug Free Schools. Works with the Associate Dean to provide student conduct board and administrator training. Maintains accurate and thorough records of student intakes, investigations and outcomes. Serves as primary administrator for the Everfi Educational System.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Residential Program Oversight

• Provide vision, leadership, and strategic direction for the Residence Life program serving more than 1,000 residential students.
• Collaborate with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs to develop and implement residential policies, procedures, and initiatives that support student success and community engagement.
• Oversee the community development model, residential programming, and educational initiatives designed to support student artists living in an urban campus environment.
• Assist with departmental assessment initiatives including learning outcomes, program evaluation, and data-informed decision making.
• Serve as department head in the absence of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

Supervision and Staff Development

• Supervise two Assistant Directors of Residence Life and provide ongoing leadership, coaching, and professional development.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance evaluations, and goal setting with direct reports.
• Provide indirect supervision for Residence Hall Directors, the Housing & Residence Life Coordinator, and more than 80 student employees including Resident Assistants and desk staff.
• Support the recruitment, selection, training, and professional development of residence life professional and student staff.
• Oversee Residence Life professional staff training and contribute to the development and maintenance of training materials and manuals.

Student Conduct Administration

• Provide leadership and oversight for SAIC’s student conduct system, including formal and informal resolution processes.
• Manage conduct cases involving Residence Life, the Office of Student Affairs Deans, and the Student Conduct Board.
• Maintain accurate records of student conduct cases and investigations using the institutional conduct database (Symplicity).
• Review incident reports and assign conduct cases to appropriate administrators.
• Lead the annual revision of the SAIC Student Handbook and Rules of Conduct in consultation with university leadership and legal counsel.
• Coordinate training for conduct administrators and Student Conduct Board members.
• Research and implement restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution approaches where appropriate.
• Leads the annual revision of the student handbook and SAIC’s Rules of Conduct that relate to students.

Crisis Response and Student Support

• Serve in the Dean-on-Call rotation providing daytime and after-hours response to student crises and emergencies.
• Provide consultation and support to Residence Life staff managing student incidents and behavioral concerns.
• Identify students experiencing personal or emotional challenges and connect them with appropriate campus resources.
• Collaborate with campus partners to address complex student issues and coordinate appropriate interventions.
• Support Residence Life staff in monitoring and responding to students of concern through case management processes.

Compliance and Policy Management

• Ensure student conduct processes and policies comply with federal and institutional regulations including Title IX, VAWA, Clery Act, FERPA, and Drug-Free Schools requirements. Implement and maintain protocols for complaint documentation and conduct case records.
• Collaborate with the Title IX Coordinator and other campus partners to ensure compliance with discrimination and harassment policies.
• Serve as primary administrator for the Everfi educational platform.

Student Education, Outreach, and Prevention Programs

• Coordinate online educational modules for new students including AlcoholEdu, Sexual Assault Prevention, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training.
• Chair the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Biennial Review Committee.
• Participate in campus initiatives such as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month programming.
• Promote student education initiatives that support healthy decision-making and community responsibility.

Assessment, Data, and Student Success

• Collaborate with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs to assess the effectiveness of Residence Life and student conduct programs.
• Analyze conduct and residential data to identify trends and inform policy development and student support strategies.
• Support student retention efforts by identifying barriers to student success and implementing proactive interventions.

Campus Partnerships and Institutional Engagement

• Serve as liaison with campus partners including Campus Security, Facilities Management, Academic Affairs, Counseling Services, Admissions, Human Resources, and the Title IX Office.
• Communicate student concerns and crises with appropriate institutional stakeholders.
• Participate in university committees and working groups that support student success and community wellbeing.
• Assist with major Residence Life and Student Affairs initiatives including RA recruitment and training, leadership programs, and campus-wide events.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in student affairs, higher education, college student personnel, counseling or related field strongly preferred or Bachelor's degree with significant, full-time experience is required.
• Must have a minimum of five years of progressively responsible full time professional experience in Residence Life, including at least two years of supervising full time professional staff.
• Must have knowledge of student development theory, and current trends in higher education, residence life, and student conduct.
• Progressive administrative experience in student conduct and conflict resolution is required
• Ability to work with diverse populations, including multicultural experience, cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to create and promote an inclusive community
• Demonstrated collegiality and leadership ability
• Student-focused candidate with experience supervising staff (paraprofessional or professional), developing community, advising student groups, working with other student affairs offices, or promoting student learning in a residence hall setting
• Basic understanding of mental health and mental health support
• Skills in crisis management, counseling, mediation, student referrals and understanding of working with artist
• Strong written and verbal skills. Ability to effectively communicate in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work.
• Be a self-starter with a demonstrated ability to plan, organize and prioritize strategies and tasks in an independent way.
• Exhibit strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community
• Successful candidate is likely to have computer experience with Symplicity, Microsoft Office Suite, RMS/Mercury, Google and Peoplesoft.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer;
• Movement between buildings on campus for meetings and programs; occasional standing requirements include facilitating programs, move-in and move-out, orientation and other large-scale events;
• Occasionally moves about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.;
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and printer.

Compensation & Benefits

Please click on the links below to view our competitive, comprehensive benefits package:

• Hiring Range: $68,000 - $80,342.

The expected hiring range is an estimated amount for positions based on the grade. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, qualifications and other job-related reasons.

• Benefits
• PTO Overview
• Job Classification: Full time staff
• Employment Category: Exempt
• Grade Level: 8

If you are accessing this listing from a third party, not all links to salary and benefits information may work. Please visit our career page at saic/ artic.edu/employment for complete information

Application Instructions

Please submit your resume and cover letter to be considered for this position.

Accessibility

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Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals compliant with federal and state laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at [email protected].