Working Title: Graduate Assistant - Hall Director

State Role Title: Graduate Assistant

Position Type: Graduate Assistant

Position Status: Part-Time

FLSA Status: N/A

College/Division: Student Life and Involvement

Department: 300000 - Residence Life Admin

Pay Rate: Stipend

Specify Range or Amount: $10,001

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 04/03/2025

About JMU:

Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

General Information:

The Office of Residence Life at James Madison University is accepting applications for graduate Hall Director. The Office of Residence Life is committed to designing and maintaining a caring environment that encourages academic success, respect, personal growth, and responsibility to one's community.

The graduate Hall Director reports to an Area Director. This is a live-in position. A furnished apartment and a $100/semester laundry stipend is provided in additional to the grad stipend of $10,001.

The graduate Hall Director will supervise a residence hall of 200-250 first-year residents and will supervise a staff of 6-9 Residence Advisers. The Hall Director will be part of the Residence Life team that serves 6,700 residential students on a campus that is continuing to grow. We focus on making the students' residential experience one filled with opportunities to engage and learn about themselves and others. We are a close-knit department with just over 30 full-time staff members and over 230 student staff members.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Leadership, Management, and Supervision – Directly supervise 6 to 9 Resident Advisers (RAs). Manage hall staff performance, student development, student leadership, student conduct, and hall community engagement. Provide written performance evaluations twice per year for RAs. Implement check-in and check-out procedures.

Accessibility and Belonging – Contribute to the Student Affairs values by confronting systems of oppression by designing intentional and inclusive practices and programs.

Student Conduct – Interpret and enforce university and hall policies, and manage administrative processes related to documenting and follow-up for student behavior. Meet with students and staff to discuss and manage behavioral concerns (mental health, policy/community violations, roommate conflicts, etc.).

Crisis Management – Opportunity to participate in on-call rotation for the residential campus. Provide support to staff during times of crisis.

Community Engagement – Using the Curriculum Model, conduct and support hall programming and community engagement efforts. Create a monthly Community Learning Plan.

Committee Work – Opportunity to serve on departmental and university committees as necessary.

HDs are expected to:
-Maintain a high level of ethical standards at all times.
-Attend all designated meetings within the office
-Attend weekly one on one meetings with site supervisor
-Participate in designated programs/workshops/training within the office
-Perform designated responsibilities as outlined in the assistantship contract
-Document the hours and activities accomplished during the experience
-Submit within the first week of class, written outcomes and expectations for the assistantship
-Participate in semester written evaluations of the experience
-Participate in a yearly site evaluation

Qualifications:

- must be enrolled as a JMU graduate student for the 2025-2026 academic year
- must be able to report for in-person training by July 26, 2025
- previous experience as an RA or Hall Director is strongly preferred, but not required
- demonstration of strong interpersonal, leadership, and administrative skills necessary
- demonstration of ability to manage difficult situations is preferred
- demonstration of high ethical standards and a strong work ethic necessary

Additional Posting Information:

Successful candidates will be expected to move on campus July 26, 2025 and be present for all of the Hall Director and RA training sessions and move in processes.

Conditions of Employment:  

Students may apply to a graduate assistantship prior to being accepted into a graduate program. However, to be eligible to receive an assistantship upon entry into a graduate program, the following criteria must be met:

The student must be conditionally or unconditionally accepted into a graduate program. Students who are provisionally accepted will not be eligible until they achieve conditional or unconditional acceptance into their program.

The students must have an official transcript on file indicating completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or agency

After receiving an assistantship, the student must maintain at least a 3.0 graduate GPA in order to retain or reapply for the assistantship.

These are minimum criteria. Graduate program coordinators have the right to impose additional criteria if they see fit.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are a student with a disability and need assistance please contact the Office of Disability Services at (540) 568-6705 or disability-svcs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the Office of Disability Services, located in the Student Success Center, Suite 1202 and they will be happy to assist you.