What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Campus Life and Recreation position at Lees-McRae College?
Department
MNC
Job Description
Title: Director of Campus Life and Recreation
Department: Student Affairs
Department: Student Affairs
Reports to: Vice President for Student Affairs
Category: Exempt, Full Time, 12-Month, Live-On
Category: Exempt, Full Time, 12-Month, Live-On
Summary/Objective
The Director of Campus Life provides strategic leadership for student engagement, campus traditions, student organizations, leadership development, recreation, wellness initiatives, and student programs. The director fosters a vibrant and inclusive campus environment that promotes student connection, belonging, engagement, and personal growth while supporting institutional goals related to student success, persistence, and retention.
The Director supervises the Assistant Director of Campus Life, Health and Wellness Coordinator, student employees, and student clubs and organizations. Through collaboration with students, faculty, staff, Athletics, Academic Affairs, and Student Success partners, the Director develops and implements co-curricular experiences that contribute to a meaningful and transformative student experience.
Essential Functions
- Student Engagement and Campus Programming
- Provide leadership and strategic direction for campus-wide student engagement initiatives.
- Develop, implement, and assess a comprehensive calendar of educational, social, cultural, recreational, leadership, and wellness programming.
- Oversee and support major campus traditions and signature events including Summer Orientation, Campus Compass, Move-In, Welcome Week, Mountain Day of Service, Homecoming, Family Weekend, Student Appreciation Week, and other institutional traditions.
- Coordinate late-night and weekend programming that enhances student engagement and community development.
- Utilize assessment data and student feedback to continuously improve programming effectiveness and student participation.
Student Organizations and Leadership Development
- Provide oversight and support for all registered student organizations.
- Advise and mentor the Student Government Association (SGA).
- Advise and mentor the Campus Activities Board (CAB).
- Develop leadership education and training opportunities for student leaders, officers, and organization advisors.
- Ensure student organizations operate in accordance with institutional policies and procedures.
- Oversee student engagement technology platforms, organizational management systems, event registration systems, and related assessment tools.
Orientation, Transition, and Belonging Initiatives
- Direct planning and implantation of Summer, Fall, and Spring Orientation programs.
- Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate Orientation Leaders.
- Coordinate student transition initiatives that assist new and transfer students in successfully integrating into the campus community.
- Support family engagement efforts, including Family Weekend and communication initiatives that strengthen student support networks.
- Develop initiatives that foster connection, belonging, and community among residential, commuter, transfer, and continuing students.
Recreation and Wellness
- Provide leadership and oversight for the Student Recreation Center (SRC).
- Supervise recreation operations, student staff, facility scheduling (with Athletics, Academics, etc.), equipment, management, and recreational programming.
- Oversee intramural sports, fitness programs, and recreational opportunities that promote student wellbeing and engagement.
- Collaborate with Athletics, Academics, and Facilities Management regarding shared facilities, maintenance needs, risk assessment, and future planning.
- Partner with Health and Wellness staff to develop campus-wide wellness education and prevention initiatives.
Student Success and Persistence
- Collaborate with Student Success, Academic Affairs, Athletics, Residence Life, Enrollment Management, and other campus partners to support student persistence and retention efforts.
- Utilize engagement and participation data to identify trends and opportunities that strengthen student success.
- Support institutional initiatives focused on student belonging, engagement, wellness, and persistence.
- Contribute to assessment, strategic planning, accreditation, and reporting efforts.
Administration and Supervision
- Supervise the Assistance Director of Campus Life.
- Supervise the Health and Wellness Coordinator.
- Supervise student employees assigned to Campus Life, Recreation, and Student Affairs operations.
- Manage departmental budgets and ensure responsible stewardship of institutional resources.
- Develop departmental goals, policies, procedures, and assessment plans.
- Hire, train, supervise, and evaluate professional and student staff.
- Serve as a member of the Student Affairs emergency on-call rotation.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Competencies
- Leadership and supervision
- Student development and advising
- Strategic planning and assessment
- Program development and evaluation
- Relationship building and collaboration
- Organizational effectiveness
- Budget management
- Written and verbal communication
- Ethical conduct and integrity
- Inclusion and belonging practices
- Problem solving and decision making
- Crisis response and student support
- Attention to detail and follow-through
Supervisory Responsibility
- Assistant Director of Campus Life
- Health and Wellness Coordinator
- Orientation Leaders
- Student Recreation Center student staff
- Student Affairs student employees
Work Environment
This position operates in a variety of environments including traditional office settings, student activity spaces, recreational facilities, residence halls, outdoor venues, and event locations.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time, 12-month position. Standard business hours are generally Monday through Friday, however, significant flexibility is required. Evening and weekend responsibilities are a regular component of the position due to student programming, recreation operations, orientation activities, and campus events.
Travel
Occasional travel for professional development, conferences, training, and institutional business may be required.
Additional Eligibility Qualifications
Additional Eligibility Qualifications
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position. Responsibilities may be modified at any time to meet the evolving needs of the College.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in student affairs, campus activities, recreation, orientation, leadership development, or related areas within higher education.
- Experience supervising professional and student staff.
- Experience planning, implementing, and assessing student engagement initiatives.
- Demonstrated commitment to student development, belonging, and student success.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a focus on customer service and a student-centered approach.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Student Affairs Administration, Recreation Administration, Leadership, or a related field.
- Five or more years of experience in higher education student affairs.
- Experience with student engagement software and assessment platforms.
- Experience with club sports, outdoor pursuits, and diverse programming initiatives.
- CPR, AED, First Aid, personal training, group fitness instruction, or related certifications
- Experience with strategic planning, retention initiatives, and co-curricular assessment.
Physical Demands
The employee may be required to sit, stand, walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds. Evening, weekend, and event-related work is regularly required.
Posting Detail Information
Posting Number
S125P
Number of Vacancies
1
Job Open Date
Special Instructions to Applicants
Quick Link for Internal Postings
https://leesmcrae.peopleadmin.com/postings/525