Faculty In Residence

Faculty in Residence: Job Description and Expectations

The Rawlins Hall and Honors Hall Faculty in Residence (FIR) Program is a collaboration between the Honors College and Residence Life. FIR are tasked with the building of relationships with residents through formal structured programming and informal interactions within the Residence Hall in which they reside.

Goals of the FIR Program 

  • Increase informal interactions between residents and faculty outside of the classroom
  • Provide personal and academic role models for students 
  • Promote social and intellectual development and provide academic support to residents

Community Development Expectations and Hall Engagement

  • Host at least 2 hall-wide programs per semester that relate to your general academic interest area
  • Host social programs to encourage informal interactions (i.e. dinners, game nights, etc.) with residents
  • Attend at least one structured hall program hosted by hall staff or the hall association twice per semester
  • Attend each wing-meeting at the beginning of the semester and community meetings as requested
  • Lend support to RA and Hall Association staff in their programmatic efforts
  • Attend Honors College programming, particularly Honors College orientation during Welcome Week, welcome back events and the medallion ceremonies 
  • Distribute a welcome letter to residents describing your role and introducing yourself during Mean Green Move-In and be available for the entirety of move-in days 

Informal and Unstructured Interactions

  • Be a presence within the hall and at Housing events during Family Weekend 
  • Host office hours in the lobby and common space of the building for a minimum of four hours per week
  • Post a sign outside your apartment door that indicates who you are and how to contact you and meet with you
  • Establish a regular network of faculty to participate in hall events to connect residents with other faculty across campus in a variety of academic disciplines
  • Informally interact with residents in the hall and on-campus
  • Use dining hall meals to dine and interact with residents and to encourage other faculty members to have a presence in campus dining halls

Other Responsibilities

  • Complete an end-of-semester report detailing programmatic efforts and plans for the next semester
  • Attend all required trainings during the semester including start of semester Residence Life Training
  • Attend and participate in ongoing training and staff meeting throughout the academic year
  • Meet with the Hall Director(s) bi-weekly to discuss progress, in-hall efforts, and to stay aware of student concerns
  • Meet with the Honors College Assistant Director for Student Life a minimum of two times per semester
  • Communicate on a regular basis with other campus faculty about the Faculty in Residence program.
  • Encouraged to teach at least one Honors College course per academic year

Compensation

  • One Faculty apartment within the residence hall they will serve
  • Limited number of meals to use in the Residence Halls to dine with students
  • Live-in partners, dependents and pets (pursuant to UNT Housing policy) may reside with the faculty in residence. Partners will be required to pass a background check prior to moving in
  • The opportunity to teach in the residence hall in which you reside

Term of Agreement

  • Two-year commitment with a very limited opportunity for a one-year extension, determined in the Fall semester of the second year.  Extensions are rare, and will only be granted based on exemplary performance AND a clear and innovative written proposal to improve the program
  • Extension requests must be made, in writing to both the Honors College Assistant Director for Student Life and Associate Director for Residence Life, by October 1 of the second fall semester of term of service

Application Components

All application components must be emailed to:
tomas.sanchez@unt.edu and megan.cunningham@unt.edu by 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

  • In a letter of intent please address your motivation for applying for the Faculty in Residence position and what you feel you can contribute to a residential community and the students living in it
  • A letter of support from your direct supervisor  
  • A letter of support from at least one student, undergraduate or graduate
  • The names and contact information for three additional references
  • A current curriculum vitae