Average Student- There is not a “typical” type for a Fort Lewis College student. Fort Lewis College is a minority serving institution with 51% of our student population identifying as minority(s). Fort Lewis College has a history of providing Native American Education. 27% of our students identify as Native American and 11% as Latino/a. This provides a rich texture of student experiences and perspectives. Some of our students identify as being individuals and may embrace the “rugged individual” culture of the West. Many of our students are attracted to the outdoors and all the things to do in the Durango area (ski, mountain climb, hike, snowboard, snowshoe, long board, ice climb, river rafting, etc.). Our students are holistic in nature and want to engage in learning both inside and outside the classroom. Many of our students value Fort Lewis College’s commitment to sustainability.
Benefits- Full medical benefits, and dental are available for employees and their partners. Eye care is optional. Fort Lewis College also pays into retirement plans (TIAA-Cref or Valic). Please see link to Fort Lewis College Human Resource page for more information on benefits. For other employee benefits visit our Human Resources Benefits page.
Collateral Assignments/Professional Development- The Associate Director works with each Residence Director to examine their personal professional development needs. They try to provide intentional educational experiences through RD Collateral assignments, and committee work both within our department and with other offices on campus. In addition, we are involved in professional organizations. We do our best to make sure that professionals have the opportunity to participate in a conference in our area.
Collateral Assignments
Diversity/Social Justice- As previously mentioned, Fort Lewis College has a strong commitment to diversity and multiculturalism. This comes from our historical mission of providing education to Native American students. Check out the history of our institutional commitment and sacred trust in providing Native American education. Our commitment to multiculturalism extends beyond our tuition waiver. Student Affairs Divisional committees, the Diversity Collaborative and student organizations offer additional programming and educational opportunities. In addition, our housing department actively collaborates with the Diversity Collaborative on campus to provide programming and training to staff and students. We also have a department Social Justice and Diversity Committee which focuses on ensuring our department addresses policies, procedures, training, staffing and resident needs to provide our students with an educational, equitable, and inclusive experience while living on campus.
Graduate School- The Residence Director position at Fort Lewis College is full-time however we have several staff members pursuing their masters through online programs across the country. Fort Lewis College has a Masters of Education program and will be adding a Masters of Business Administration program. There are other programs in the area: Denver University has a Masters of Social Work program with a Durango cohort. Adam’s State University offers a Durango cohort for their Masters of Counseling.
Holidays/Duty/Mandatory Dates- Our eight Residence Directors share the Residence Director Duty schedule. Duty rotates with weekday (Monday-Thursday) or weekend shifts (Friday -Sunday). Staff serve a few weeks a semester. Fort Lewis College has an atypical holiday schedule. Which means the college stays closed over winter break reducing overall holiday duty.
Pets- We have an Approved Animal policy for professional live on staff. Please ask the Associate Director about allowed animals and the procedures to be followed to have an animal approved to live in your apartment.
Partners- We have a domestic partner policy. With the approval of an Associate Director for Student Housing and Conference Services, Residence Directors can have live in partners. It has been our experience that living in can be a stressful situation and can be challenging for new relationships. We ask that the relationship be established at least one year prior to living in. The partner living in, although not employed by the college, becomes a community member which carries some responsibility. The Residence Director should ensure their partner knows and abides Fort Lewis and Housing policies and assumes responsibility for their partner meeting these expectations. If seeking approval, speak with the Associate Director who will discuss the dynamics of living with a partner in student housing with the RD candidate.
Programming- Our programming philosophy is based on our community enrichment model. Our model focuses on intentional interactions, community building initiatives and programming efforts. Each staff team will implement this model based on the needs of their individual communities. Programming consists of interdepartmental and faculty collaborations, educational programs based on areas shown to be valuable to college student’s success and personal development.
Regional Involvement- Our department is involved in the AIMHO (Association of Inter-Mountain Housing Officers, regional affiliation of ACUHO-i). Several of our staff members serve on regional committees.
Salary- Compensation package includes $35,600, furnished apartment, meal plan when dining services are available, and full employee benefits package. The position is a twelve-month appointment.
Start Date- Residence Directors will begin training around the third week of July. Residential staff may move in one week before training begins.
Training- We have an intensive three-week training process for RDs in August followed by a two-week training process for Resident Assistants. After this, we continue our training in monthly Staff Foundations, ongoing RD training on developmental topics, 1-1s and staff meetings. We also conduct a shorter January training.
Housing Staff - FLC has 8 residential communities. Each is managed by a Residence Director. Our residential communities are fairly small and intimate. Most residence hall communities are between 140-180 students in each. RA staff size ranges from 4-6 RAs. There are 38 RAs on campus, 4 desk assistants in 2 of our buildings, a Faculty in Residence, and an Adventure House Coordinator. See our Department Organizational Chart for the overview of the staff throughout the department.
Summers / Conferences- The RD position is 12 months. In the summer, Residence Directors serve as Conference Managers. Most of our summer conferences are youth based groups. RDs assist groups while they are on campus with their accommodations, catering, room set up and more.
What is there to do in Durango? - So much! Durango is an awesome place to live and work. You have the benefit of living in a resort community where people come to vacation and play. This means that although we are located in a rural and beautiful area, we have lots of activities. You can go rock climbing, hiking, explore downtown, engage in gastronomic tourism (we have more restaurants per capita than San Francisco!), enjoy one of our four movie theaters, go on an art walk, visiting our art galleries, or participate in one of the many festivals in Durango. It’s a unique environment and the weather is awesome. We have 300 days of sunshine.