Time to Talk: Investigation of a Peer Consultation Group for Residence Hall Directors

Professional development and support of residence hall staff is a particularly important issue as residence life staff seek to strengthen programs and retain personnel. Herr and Strange (1985) noted that "much research has focused on the student occupants of residence halls, but few empirical studies have addressed the functioning of professional staff members in those settings" (p. 12). A number of authors (e.g., Ambler, 1990; Dunkel & Schreiber, 1992; Evans, 1988) have identified the importance of professional development for student affairs professionals in general, and for student housing professionals in particular (Dunkel & Schreiber, 1992). However, a review of recent literature indicates a small number of articles dealing with residence hall staff—and, of these, only a handful focused on residence hall directors (RDs). Even in texts that cover residence life (e.g., DeCoster & Mable, 1974; Rentz & Saddlemire, 1988), discussions of RDs typically are limited to brief descriptions of their role, responsibilities, and supervisory relationships with RAs. Attention to the professional development needs of RDs does not seem to have increased significantly since Miller (1974) noted that "residence education programs probably do a far better job of implementing inservice programs for their paraprofessional members [IRAs] than they do for their professional staff [RDs]" (p. 166).