Although this chapter tells the story of designing and implementing a university-wide Residential Campus Initiative at Elon University, it also provides suggestions for faculty, administrators, and student affairs professionals looking to expand existing LLC programs or design new LLC initiatives. Specifically, the authors offer suggestions for how faculty can provide leadership (through collaborative partnerships with student affairs staff and administrators) to assist their campuses in developing their own distinctive mix of residential experiences and programs led by a layered cadre of talented faculty and staff working strategically to engage students to develop socially, intellectually, and interpersonally.

College-going student demographics are shifting. This chapter outlines new directions for faculty-student engagement initiatives in LLCs that support non-white, first gen, transfer, older students, and veterans. Authors use data from the Assessment of Collegiate Residential Environments and Outcomes (ACREO), a multi-institutional study of residential experiences and programs, to illustrate how the literature has played out practically at three universities.

College-going student demographics are shifting. This chapter outlines new directions for faculty-student engagement initiatives in LLCs that support non-white, first gen, transfer, older students, and veterans. Authors use data from the Assessment of Collegiate Residential Environments and Outcomes (ACREO), a multi-institutional study of residential experiences and programs, to illustrate how the literature has played out practically at three universities.

This chapter offers the foundational steps of collaboration for the success and longevity of LLCs. A model of shared vision, resources, and oversight between student affairs and academic affairs highlights practical approaches for partnering for the future.  Collaboration on LLCs can be challenging but when approached as a truly shared experience, it can be invigorating, inspiring, and remind those in higher education of how our passion for serving students began.

This chapter provides an overview of Faculty-in-Residence programs, including demographics, FIR program structures, and the benefits to FIR, to students, and to the institution. Authors focus specifically on these FIR faculty, and the contributions and challenges of FIR programs to present the who, what, and where of FIR programs, which show us the why underscoring the increasing popularity of FIR programs in the United States, with data gleaned from a nationwide survey of FIRs themselves, as well as current statistics on FIR programs.

Living-learning communities offer a unique structure for faculty to engage with students in novel ways. In this chapter, the authors  provide an overview of current research on faculty and student engagement in LLCs, offer a framework for considering how faculty might shape their engagement with students, and advance strategies for developing capacity for faculty-student interaction. In closing, the chapter offers ways to assess meaningful interactions between faculty and students. 

Intended as a how-to guide for faculty and their residence life counterparts as they work together, this chapter offers opportunities to define their roles separately and create spaces for collaboration. This chapter begins by exploring the professional roles and context of faculty and residential life professionals outside of their partnership within LLCs. In addition, the chapter guides readers through key challenges to lay the groundwork for  productive relationships with open communication and sets up collaboration models that faculty and RL partners might consider for their specific relationship. Finally, the chapter discusses assessment of the LLC and how metrics can be used to guide the success of the program.

This chapter describes common models of faculty involvement within residential learning communities (RLCs). It covers some of the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of faculty engagement in RLCs, recognizing different institutional needs. The authors then introduce a conceptual model of faculty engagement in RLCs, which organizes factors influencing faculty engagement in RLCs into four spheres: institutional context, organizational structure, professional motivations, and personal motivations.

A learning curriculum and linked courses are  key elements of LLCs and faculty play an important role in the visions and/or design of these elements. This chapter provides guidance for faculty and residence life leadership as they create courses and develop LLC curricula, as well as for faculty teaching residentially-linked courses. Authors share their experience creating and leading The Data Mine—a large-scale LLC, featuring a curriculum that weaves classroom instruction with hands-on learning—as a case study of a comprehensive curricular design of LLCs.

This chapter looks across campus to describe the role campus partnerships beyond student affairs and academic affairs can play in creating successful LLCs. From working with HR and Title IX to campus police and facilities and dining, this chapter provides a checklist of offices to work with, advice for guiding these relationships, and samples from faculty handbooks. This chapter provides general guidelines that will help readers adjust to meet the needs, structure, and culture of their campus.

This chapter describes the many ways institutions can incentivize sustained faculty involvement in LLCs, ranging from budgetary resources (such as stipends and dining credits) to professional support (such as working with Deans, support for promotion and tenure, etc.). The authors provide personal reflections and practical insights into fostering an institutional culture that prioritizes the educational potential of living-learning programs and incentivizes faculty to explore and embrace this new venue for teaching and learning.