The Rare, but Promising, Involvement of Faculty in Residence Hall Programming

Students regularly encounter faculty in classrooms. Student affairs personnel interact with students in the main when students are beyond the classroom. Both groups are pledged to encourage student development, but they rarely collaborate. What are the reasons for this divided effort? How can the separate spheres of faculty and student affairs work together such that learners can benefit from the partnership? This article reports on the insights gained from the five-year experience of two senior faculty who lived in a residence hall and endeavored to encourage greater academic presence in residence hall programming. In the interest of encouraging additional collaboration on other campuses, the article warns of obstacles and suggests promising strategies for overcoming them.