Penn State Residence
Life Strategic Plan
2014-2017
University Park Campus
About Residence Life
at Penn State
Penn State is a public research university serving
Pennsylvania as well as the world. We have a
diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.
There are 24 campuses within the Penn State
system and nine of those campuses are residential.
Each residential campus is unique, however, we
operate as one University geographically
dispersed. Each campus strives to integrate the
academic and residential experiences to create
and educational environment in the residence
halls. Not only are residents able to build an
academic connection to the University, they are
also able to call that campus their home.
We strive to create an environment that both
challenges and supports each resident. In order to
best reach that goal, and to maintain a high quality
program, we utilize a strategic plan to guide our
efforts. In addition, a rigorous assessment plan
tracks our progress as a premiere residential
program. While this strategic plan focuses largely
on the efforts of the Penn State University Park
campus, it was crafted in concert with the voice of
the commonwealth campus Residence Life
program. This plan represents our vision to lead
and support the Residence Life program
throughout the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mission
Residence Life is committed to the development of
a safe and inclusive living-learning community
which fosters academic, social, cultural, and
personal growth. Our initiatives and services are
infused with the values of personal and social
respect and responsibility.
Vision
Residence Life at Pennsylvania State University
will be a premier living-learning community that
is recognized for innovation and excellence.
necessary to become involved members of the
Penn State Community and society at large.
Personal Respect and Responsibility
Personal respect and responsibility is building an
understanding of who you are and how this
informs the choices that you make. It is also
taking ownership of your actions, accepting the
consequences that come from those actions, and
understanding that what you do impacts those
around you. After living on campus, residents will
be able to:
 Describing their personal identity, values, and
ethics
 Applying decision-making practices that lead
them to be successful as students and alumni
Social Respect and Responsibility
Social respect and responsibility is acting in such a
way that others are not adversely affected. It is
making a commitment to contribute toward social,
cultural, and ecological causes for the betterment
of society. After living on campus, residents will
be able to:
 Compare and contrast their experiences within
the community to that of others different from
them
 Apply decision-making practices that positively
affect their community
 Engage in practices or initiatives to better their
local, state, national, and global communities
NOTE: This is a working document and our
progress toward each of our goals is
indicated within. Text shaded in black are
action steps that have yet to be addressed.
Text shaded blue are actions steps currently
in progress. Text shaded green are action
steps that have been complete
Educational Priority
Our educational priority is to enable residents to
develop respect and responsibility for themselves
and their communities. We strive to create
dynamic learning communities where students
have the opportunity to explore their identity and
systems of beliefs, connect their experiences
alongside those of others, and build the skills
Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan -- 2
 Create opportunities for staff to meet other
units and locate resources on campus – Year 2
Goal 1: Partnerships
Residence Life believes that strong partnerships
are integral to a successful residential experience.
We seek to form and maintain partnerships with
offices across Student Affairs and that University
and to educate our staff about the resources
available. This will allow staff to serve as effective
referral agents and aid in the development of an
integrated student experience.
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
1.1 Create active partnerships between the
academic colleges and our Special Living
Options to enhance the out-of-class learning
opportunities for residential students.
 Focus will be placed on creating initiatives
during new staff orientation and training
– Year 2
 Create a quick guide for Residence Life staff that
would include contact information,
mission/purpose, and services offered for the
myriad of resources across campus – Year 1
1.5 Partner with Housing and Food Services to
ensure our spaces are conducive to a positive
and engaging learning environment.
 Be active partners in conversations about
upcoming building renovations in East and
Pollock Halls – Year 1
 Engage in conversations with Housing staff
about strategies to increase the opportunities
for sophomores to live on campus – Year 2
 Partner with the implementation team for
Engaged Scholarship to align the Special Living
Option program with shared outcomes – Year 1
 Partner with the Colleges of Science and
Engineering to create a combined Science &
Engineering Living-Learning Community that
will serve as a model engaged learning
environment to enhance partnerships with
other academic colleges – Year 1
1.2 Partner with colleagues across campus
(specifically Rec Sports, UHS, and CAPS) to
promote health and wellness.
 Share co-curricular learning outcomes with
partners to create intentional and targeted
educational initiatives – Year 1
 Review needs assessment data collected across
campus and discuss with partners to create
shared educational messages and
programmatic efforts – Year 1
1.3 Partner with the Student Orientation and
Transition Programs office to collaboratively
meet the needs of each new resident.
 Focus on the enhancement of partnerships with
initiatives geared toward change of campus and
transfer student populations – Year 1
1.4 Increase staff awareness of resources that
promote student support and success.
3 -- Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan
Selected Performance Measures
 Total number of shared initiatives from 2014,
2015, and 2016. Assessment should examine
the effectiveness of the partnerships
 Total number of collaborations. Training
evaluations to determine usefulness. Assess any
change in relationship strength over time
 Quick guide is developed. Use focus groups to
determine effectiveness.
Goal 2: Resource
Responsibility
Residence Life is accountable for the resources
given to us by the University and our students. We
educate our staff and students on environmental
and economic sustainable practices to make
positive choices. As we partner with Housing and
Food Services, we enhance that education into
other aspects of on-campus living.
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
2.1 Promote awareness about sustainability to
students, para-professional staff, and
professional staff.
 Partner with the Sustainability Institute and
Housing and Food Services to promote
awareness about sustainability in the residence
halls. Promote educational videos, seminars,
and discussions focusing on sustainable
concepts – Year 1
 Create pre-packaged programs in consultation
with the Sustainability Institute to be available
and used in each residence hall – Year 2
 Provide training each August for professional
and para-professional staff about sustainability
initiatives at the University (for example, the
“Mobius” initiative) – Year 1
2.2 Enhance fiscal collaboration with those who
partner with Residence Life to support
Special Living Options.
 Partner with the academic colleges and the
Development Office to identify sources of
funding for collaborations – Year 3
 Make topic of fiscal responsibility a consistent
agenda item when considering the development
of Special Living Options – Year 2
2.3 Reduce resource consumption in offices
and residence halls.
 Offer one professional staff training session per
semester on resource reduction – Year 1
 Establish guidelines for purchasing of office
supplies and RA supplies to reduce excess
purchases – Year 1
 An assessment plan will track knowledge and
behavior change as a result of implemented
initiatives. Results will be shared throughout
the year and will drive decision making for the
next year’s planning – Year 2
 Increase in financially co-sponsored programs,
specifically those SLOs without member funding
– Year 2
Selected Performance Measures
 Purchasing guidelines will be created in 2014
and implemented by Spring 2015. Purchasing
decisions will be gauged before and after the
implementation of the guide to determine
effectiveness of tool
 Partner with Housing and the Sustainability
Institute to track resource consumption in the
residence halls. Establish shared annual goals
for decreasing consumption
 Create a task force that includes staff from
Housing, Residence Life, and the Sustainability
Institute as well as students to determine how
to best achieve a sustainable environment in
the Residence Halls
 Track knowledge and behavior over time as
part of 5-year assessment plan
 Increase in financially co-sponsored programs,
specifically those without member funds
 Track resource consumption in the residence
halls and establish shared annual goal
Goal 3: Communication
Residence Life seeks to provide an environment
where the flow of information within the
department and to external constituents is
seamless, transparent, and incorporates
appropriate marketing strategies. With that goal
in mind – through the sharing of our initiatives, we
hope to build strong partnerships at the University
and beyond.
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
3.1 Increase the knowledge of our work across
student affairs.
Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan -- 4
 Collaborate with others outside of Residence
Life through the use of media and technology
(i.e. utilize blogs, Polycom, webinars) – Year 3
 Share our work through national outlets and
regional partners (i.e. ACUHO-I and MACUHO)
– Year 2
 Disseminate Residence Life’s Co-Curricular
plans among internal and external consituents
– Year 2
3.2 Cultivate student feedback to inform our
practice and share how it has influenced our
decision making.
 Create a “student voice” campaign that will
share the results of assessment strategies with
students and interested parties – Year 2
 Assess residents’ knowledge of the purpsose of
Residence Life – Year 2
 Include students in decision making by
including them on departmental committees
– Year 1
Selected Performance Measures
Utilize a platform for sharing information more
effectively with each area within Residence Life,
and also with each commonwealth campus. Have
an established platform by Spring 2014. Review
the effectiveness of the tool each year so that a
maximized platform is in place by 2017
 Create at least one new blog site each year that
welcomes a residential student to share their
experience living on campus
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
4.1 Create communities that support student
learning and success.
 Develop a plan to assess the effectiveness of
passive educational matierals. Use the results
of that plan to create the most useful strategies
for residents – Year 1
 Assess residents’ perceptions of the residence
hall environment in terms of it being supportive
of academic success (i.e. level of noise, ease of
forming study groups, accessibility to academic
resources). Use the results to make data-driven
decisions in regard to the residential
environments – Year 3
 As residence hall space is being renovated in
East and Pollock Halls, advocate for common
spaces that are conducive to student learning
and success including physical space and
technology needs – Year 1
 Upgrade existing residence hall common space
that is not slated for renovation for more than
10 years, for example the lobby space in Beaver
Halls –Year 2
4.2 Develop initiative that will assist first year
students in developing academic and social
connections to the University.
 Utilize the Polaris Program to promote social
and academic connectiosn within our first year
student population – Year 1
 Integrate the common read program into the
residential co-curriculum – Year 2
 Present at least once each semester on a Penn
State Residential Life initiative that is
contributing positively to the field
 Enhance our relationship with the Division of
Undergraduate Studies (DUS) to develop shared
initiatives for first-year students – Year 1
 A “student voice” campaign will be created and
launched by Spring 2015
 Work with Undergraduate Education to offer
the LEAP experience for those students who
being in the traditional academic year – Year 2
Goal 4: Learning &
Student Success
 Create a committee that includes Residence Life
staff and students to discuss the needs of our
first-year student population in order to
enhance our first-year experience program
– Year 1
Residence Life will play a key role in facilitating
student learning and success through the
development of comunities that support cocurricular learning. These communities allow us
to focus on the learning goals of personal and
social respect and responsibility.
5 -- Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan
4.3 Identify ways to share our work with our
University and additional professional
communities.
 Share annual report to highlight (Year 2):
o demonstrated learning within the residence halls
professional and para-professional staff, we hope
to enhance the overall students experience in the
o partnerships that connected residents to resources
residence halls.
and opportunities and plans to recognize successful
practices
o plans to improve upon the areas of concern
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
5.1 Design and launch a unit wide employee
manual for student workers in
administrative support roles.
Selected Performance Measures
 Include the Educational Priority throughout RA
recruitment, selection, and training so that our
para-professional staff is intentionally equipped
to focus on our learning goals. Utilize student
feedback and RA feedback in adjusting goals
 Align our goals for the common read program
with those of the University to design shared
measures of success. Partner with SARA and
SOTP in order to achieve this goal
 Present at least once each semester on a Penn
State Residence Life initiative that is positively
contributing to the field.
 Create an advisory board of student employees
to inform the creation of the student employee
manual – Year 2
5.2 Utilize administrative staff to create a plan
that will benefit their personal and
professional needs and interests.
 Offer professional development opportunities
based on feedback from administrative support
staff – Year 2
5.3 Improve staff knowledge and utilization of
on-campus resources.
 Familiarize professional and para-professional
staff with student support resources and
programs – Year 2
5.4 Integrate co-curricular initiatives into
professional and paraprofessional staff
recruitment and training.
 Include the Educational Priority throughout RA
recruitment, selection and training so that our
para-professional staff is intentionally equipped
to focus on Residence Life’s learning goals
– Year 1
Goal 5: Professional and
Student Staff Development
Residence Life believes that the fulfillment of our
mission is contingent on the contribution of our
staff and student leaders. We will improve the
quality and effectiveness of their contributions
through continuous investment in training and
professional development in order to maintain a
dynamic experience for all members of Residence
Life. The quality of training and professional
development is directly related to the quality of
service we offer our residents. By investing in the
training and professional development of our
Selected Performance Measures
Hold focus groups each year to discuss the
employee manual with student employees. A goal
would be to have 100% of student staff read the
manual during their training. Manual will be
completed by Fall 2015.
 Meet with administrative support staff to
discuss their professional development and
what is needed for their positions. A
professional development schedule will be
prepared by Fall of 2015.
 Create a cohort to follow through the
recruitment, selection and training process to
assess knowledge of the Educational Priority.
Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan -- 6
Track cohort hired into the position to assess
application of knowledge. Apply results to
development of RA expectations.
Goal 6: Social Leadership
Expectations are on the rise for institutions of
higher education to provide opportunities that will
not only challenge students to grow intellectually,
but to also grow in the area of ethical
development. Living on campus provides students
with the opportunity to learn about their personal
values, the external values of their communities,
and about making decisions based on how they
make sense of these belief systems.
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
6.1 Provide residents with opportunities to
facilitate the creation of their communities.
 Partner to create and launch a bystander
intervention campaign – Year 1
 Utilize “Community Agreements” for residents
to discuss social norms within their
communities – Year 1
 Create leadership development plans for SLO
executives and student government officers
– Year 1
Selected Performance Measures
 Utilize the Quality of Life Survey and other
community based assessments to measure the
effectiveness of community agreements
 Partner to measure student leadership skills
that are enhanced as a result of Eco-Reps,
Polaris Guides, and residence hall affiliated
groups
 Engaged Scholarship approaches are utilized in
the Residence Halls. Partner with SARA to
measure the effectiveness of initiatives
 Knowldges about RHAs and NRHH is increased
 Student conduct lesson plans are created,
shared, and outcomes are measured
 At least one partnership with the Center for
CC&PP exists for each semester beginning the
Fall 2015. Plans are created, shared, and
measured
6.2 Provide opportunities for residents to hone
leadership skills and then progressively
apply those skills to positions that offer more
responsibility.
 Utilize peer mentor programs to connect first
year students with strategic partners – Year 2
 Integrate engaged scholarship within the
residential community – Year 2
 Work with students in RHAs and NRHH to tell
their stories – Year 2
6.3 Encourage residents to clarify ethical
behavior beyond the classroom.
 Utilize the student conduct process as a tool for
educating about social responsibility – Year 2
 Partner with the Center for Character,
Conscience, and Public Purpose to increase
opportunities for residents to reflect on ethical
decision making – Year 2
6.4 Include the area government officers and
SLO executives in appropriate aspects of
paraprofessional training.
7 -- Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan
Goal 7: Diversity &
Inclusion
Residence Life seeks to make our community a
place where students and staff can live and work
in an environment that fosters respect, diversity,
and affirmation. We acknowledge the multitude of
identities that compose our population and
understand that we must continue to foster an
environment that promotes awareness,
understanding, inclusivity, and an appreciation of
our differences. We also recognize that ongoing
staff support and professional development is a
necessary component of the development of
inclusive communities.
Action Steps and Implementation
Strategies
7.1 Offer professional development and paraprofessional trainings that incrase capacity
and open dialogue about factors that would
interfere with the creation of a safe and
inclusive living-learning environment.
will support their ongoing recovery process
– Year 2
7.4 Increase student participation in Cultural
Lounge Initiatives.
 Apprise Cultural Lounge initiatives and
residents’ interest in what is being offered and
make data-driven adjustments when necessary
– Year 1
 Central Staff will engage in regular discussions
about best practices in supporting diverse
groups of students in the residence halls
– Year 1
 Each Area will be responsible for providing at
least one diversity related educational
opportunity for their area professional and
para-professional staff each semester – Year 1
7.2 Recruit and retain staff that represents a
broad range of social identities.
Selected Performance Measures
 Encourage staff to refer qualified, diverse
candidates to apply for available positions
– Year 1
 Number and quality of professional
development opportunities provided to
professional and para-professional staff
 Post available positons on list-serves for diverse
candidates – Year 1
 Percentage of diverse staff members hired and
measures of satisfaction for these staff
members
7.3 Identify areas of need with our underrepresented residence hall students and
address those areas of concern in
collaboration with strategic partners.
 During fall and winter training, area leadership
will help RA staff develop strategies to connect
with residents from a broad range of identities
– Year 2
 Utilize a variety of assessment data to inform
our overall practice toward building an
inclusive community with a focus on the
experience of international students – Year 2
 Develop an advocacy and diversity team that
will develop and inclusive action initiative and
review assessment reports and coordinate
responses to needs in our community – Year 1
 Increase the involvement of students in
recovery in the Living in a Free Environment
SLO and other residence hall programming that
 Comprehensive needs and climate assessments
with underrepresented students
 Assessment of cultural lounge offerings and
percentage increase in number of students
attending these programs
Goal 8: Commonwealth
Campus Support
Residence Life at Penn State consists of the
University Park campus and the eight residential
commonwealth campuses. To achieve the goal of
providing a safe and respectful residential
community, appropriate support, resources, and
advocacy must be provided to all campuses.
Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan -- 8
8.4 Demonstrate a commitment to building and
maintaining relationships throughout the
commonwealth.
 Create a yearly conference for student leaders
within Penn State’s Residence Life programs
– Year 2
Selected Performance Measures
Action Steps and Implementation Strategies
8.1 Support each campus with their cocurricular and assessment initiatives.
 Create Polycom or drive-in opportunities at
least once a semester to discuss co-curricular
and assessment initiatives –Year 1
8.2 Provide support for recruitment of a
qualified and diverse staff.
 Hold annual training for Central Staff to discuss
diversity and best hiring practices – Year 2
8.3 Identify opportunities to ensure
consistency and best practices throughout
the Residence Life system.
 Create integrated committees for system-wide
projects requiring consistency throughout the
Residence Life programs – Year 1
 Annual review for PD occurs. Individuals who
have not attended hallmark PDs will be invited
to attend
 Co-curriculum and assessment initiatives are
held. Effectiveness is evaluated throughout the
year
 Training on diversity and best hiring practices
takes place. Effectiveness is evaluated
throughout the year
 Committees have been created. Integrated
projects are created, shared, and measured
throughout the system
 An online platform has been created by Fall
2014. Use of the program is annually evaluated
for effectiveness
 A student driven conference is created an held
by 2016 under the direction of the Assistant
Director for Student Leadership. Outcomes for
the conference are measured and used as data
for improvement for future events
 Provide a respresetentative from each campus
to attend hallmark professional development
opportunities (such as RCI or Social Justice
Training Institute) – Year 2
 Revise HIED302 in order to have a shared
syllabus at each residential campus – Year 1
 Collaborate with CWC staff to implement the
new Office of Student Conduct database
– Year 1,2
 Collaborate with Housing on the ten-year plan
for all residential locations which includes the
design of Tripp Hall at Behrend and new
residence halls at Abington and Brandywine
– Year 1,2
 Create an on-line platrform for sharing
knowledge across Penn State’s Residence Life
programs – Year 1
9 -- Residence Life 2014-2017 Strategic Plan
For more information or questions about this strategic
plan, please contact Kelly Griffith at kmg19@psu.edu
This publication is available inalternative media
upon request. Please contact staff in any of the
Residence Life Offices for Assistance.