Santa Clara University

Residential Learning Community Leadership Team

There are many people interested in both the community in which you will live and in you as an individual. The RLC Leadership Team includes professional and paraprofessional staff and faculty who want to enhance your University experience. Their goal is to provide a living/learning environment that encourages academic achievement and student development.

Each RLC is coordinated by a faculty director, a live-in resident director (RD), resident minister(s), and a student staff that includes community facilitators, residential communication consultants, RLC Community Council members, and service desk receptionists. Some RLCs have faculty living in residence, as well. Your RLC’s leadership team is a valuable resource and its members can help you with both personal and academic concerns.

RLC Faculty Director

Each Residential Learning Community is led by a faculty director who is responsible for integrated education in the community, including its curriculum. The faculty director works closely with the professors of the courses offered through the RLC and with the resident director to ensure the connections between the academic and the personal growth of each student. The faculty director maintains an office in the RLC and is regularly available for consultation or general interaction with members of the community. Many Faculty Directors live in the residence halls.

View and download the Faculty Director position decription

Resident Director

The resident director (RD) is a professional full-time staff person who has expertise in the areas of student development, group dynamics, and community development. The primary role of the RD is to coordinate all activities within each Residential Learning Community.

Resident Minister

Our resident ministers (RMs) live in the residence halls, are a part of the floor and building communities, and offer opportunities for spiritual exploration and development. Through vocational discernment programs, RMs mentor students in making life choices according to their interests, passions, and values. RMs work or do graduate study on campus and are readily available to talk with students about academic, personal, and spiritual needs.

Faculty in Residence and Jesuit in Residence

A good number of faculty and Jesuits call one of the residence halls their home. By living in and taking an active role in their RLC, they offer students a terrific opportunity to know vibrant members of Santa Clara's intellectual community in a way different from the usual classroom interactions.

Community Facilitator

Community Facilitators (CFs) are an integral part of the community development aspect of each Residential Learning Community. CFs are undergraduate students who have at least one year of experience living in an RLC and who have had extensive training as peer educators and leaders. They educate residents about academic achievement, community living, and personal development, both formally (through meetings and programs) and informally (by role modeling).

Maintaining a cooperative atmosphere where groups of students with different lifestyles coexist is perhaps a CF’s most challenging and vital responsibility.

RLC Community Council

One excellent way to become involved in your community and the campus is to participate in your RLC Community Council. The Council is an organization within each community that gives students the chance to help shape the culture of their RLC. By planning educational, social, intellectual, and athletic activities, students create a community that becomes more than just a place to sleep. The Council is the place to bring up any concerns you have, from ideas for programs in your RLC to problems with the physical aspects of your building. Council members represent and express the ideas and opinions of their fellow residents, which is an excellent way to develop leadership potential.

Residential Learning Community Association (RLCA)

You may also choose to get involved with the Residential Learning Community Association (RLCA), a nationally affiliated organization comprising representatives from each RLC Council. RLCA members work closely with their advisor to serve as a communication link for the entire RLC council system. They play a vital role by representing and conveying the needs and concerns of their RLC’s residents directly to the Offices of Housing and Residence Life. RLCA is an incredible opportunity for you take take a leadership role in your community.