Residence Life Peer Review
Fall 2007
The University of Montana Residence Life Office (RLO) completed an extensive external peer review this past fall under the auspices of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I). The Residence Life Office invited the Peer Review Team (PRT) to complete a comprehensive review of the residence life program, focusing on the areas of Financial Management, Facilities, Programs and Human Resources. It was mutually agreed that the review would take into consideration industry standards for best practices as set forth by both ACUHO-I and the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS).
The RLO annual budget is approximately $13 million. The PRT found the RLO operations to be efficient and lean yet very responsive to students' housing needs. The PRT lauded RLO's management of custodial and maintenance staffs, as well as the operational decision to remove telephones from student rooms (97% of students rely primarily on cell phones and e-mail for communication), which will save approximately $365,000 annually. The PRT found RLO to be “quite adept at managing occupancy levels and their operational budget," and noted that high levels of occupancy “not only reflect sound financial management, but demonstrate a willingness of students to live in the residence halls.” Compared to selected peer institutions, RLO's housing fees were found to be reasonable.
According to the PRT, the residential facilities have a functional design, are in good repair and appear to meet the needs of the students. Though the RLO was commended for being good stewards of their facilities, it was recommended that more repair and replacement monies be spent on facilities. Over the past five years, RLO has spent approximately $800,000 annually, whereas the industry standard is $2,000,000 annually. The PRT complimented RLO for the great thought and care that has gone into upgrading old facilities and planning for new ones, but data that has been gathered from student focus groups suggests that the older facilities that have not been upgraded must be improved in the near future to meet the needs of today’s students.
The PRT found that RLO employees take a great amount of pride in their work serving and educating students, and that students generally appreciate the services and programs provided by the RLO staff. Other offices and departments at the University perceive the RLO to be collaborative respected, and trusted.
Staffing levels, performance reviews, training procedures, professional development opportunities, employee morale, salary levels, reporting structures and job descriptions were used to assess Human Resources and Staffing. The PRT found RLO to be a very lean organization, operating with a minimal number of full-time employees. Undergraduate and graduate student staff represent a significant portion of the payroll expense. Senior management are very visible leaders within the operation. Employees perceive the organization to be “family,” and an open door policy promotes open communication and fosters a caring work environment. However, the PRT recommended that RLO address the salary levels of student and full-time employees, as they are not comparable to peer institutions. The PRT also recommended that RLO increase cross-training for staff and improve intra-departmental communications.
Overall the PRT findings indicate that RLO has been managed effectively by balancing an “ethic of care” for students with a strong concern for good fiscal practices. The challenges of the future include managing institutional needs and higher demands on auxiliary funded operations, as well as addressing enrollment practices, changing demographics, and aging facilities. We must pay careful attention to these issues and meet this challenges head on to continue the success of the Residence Life operations.