Residence Life Training Programs

Del presents a number of excellent staff development programs for Residence Life and Housing Staff. These programs are designed to assist your RAs and Hall Directors in fulfilling their paraprofessional roles, and help them to work with their students more effectively.

If you are planning a half-day or full-day training program for your Res Life staff, you might also want to consider Del's programs in Leadership Development and Student Activities.  All of these areas overlap, and you may find the perfect programs for your staff listed under those programs. 

Del is pleased to announce his latest innovation--  Instant Assessment!TM  At the end of each program, students can complete an online assessment tool by using their smartphone, iPad/tablet, or computer.  The results will be available immediately, and can be provided to you as an excel spreadsheet and in graphic form complete with statistical analysis.  No more tabulating paper surveys and evaluations!

Del Suggs has a Master of Science Degree in Instructional Design and Development, and has served been an instructor at Florida State University in both the College of Education and the College of Music.  His programs are generally accepted for Continuing Education Credits for most professional organizations.

Del offers the following presentations:


Developing Learning Outcomes for Res Life Events

(60 mins approx.)

Your Res Life Programs are really cocurricular education opportunities-- except your RAs might not realize it.  This session covers the development of student learning outcomes for programs and events:  what they are and how to write them.   We'll use a very simple "ABC" method of creating learning outcomes that is remarkably easy yet completely accurate.  We’ll cover the proper syntax and verbs, including specific examples of useful and measurable outcomes.  Then we'll look at a very simple way (QR code) to do a free quick assessment when student are still at the event! Developing learning outcomes is the first step in creating a“Res Life curriculum.”

Sixty Program Ideas for Residence Life

(60 mins approx.)

Residence Assistants and Residence Directors are typically charged with presenting a number of programs for their floor and hall. This session is an interactive presentation, designed to produce at least sixty free or inexpensive ideas for events and programs! Over the course of an hour, we'll generate program ideas for various topics, seasons, holidays, and more. If your RAs need program ideas, then this session is for you.

Student Development Theory for Residence Life

(60 mins approx.)

Knowing what changes will occur in students-- when those changes will occur, and what they will be-- is the core of Student Development Theory. Serving as a "crash course" in psychology, this presentation covers the basics of Chickering, Perry, and Maslow for RA's, Directors, and other staff in Residence Life and Student Life. Student Development Theory is a remarkably powerful tool for staff working in Residence Life. This presentation will provide useful insight into your students' personal development, enabling your staff to better understand your students, to anticipate their needs, and foresee some problems before they occur.

Making More Time  With Time Management

(60 mins approx.)

Time management is a lie-- we can't manage time.  What we can do is manage how we use the time we have.  This program deals with the "Three P's of Time Management":  Planning, Prioritizing, and Procrastination.  After attending this program, your students will have some solid and useful tools for utilizing their time, and getting more done.  

Avoiding Burnout

(60 mins approx.)

Burnout:  a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion.
When the alarm clock goes off, do you hit the snooze button and roll back over?  Does your life and job remind you of the film "Groundhog Day"?  At one time you were excited about your job and eagerly embraced each day.  Wouldn't you like to keep that enthusiasm alive-- or bring it back to life? This session may be the answer.  Del Suggs, noted Leadership Development trainer, author and APCA "Best Campus Speaker" will inspire you with this quick lesson in Attitude Restoration.  Learn to recognize burnout in yourself, and some simple steps to regain the joy in your life and work.

Life Skills 101

(60 mins approx.)

Many college students succeed academically, yet struggle with life skills. Sometimes called “Adulting,” these are the abilities that everyone needs in order to live as a responsible grown up. Students need to master some basic life skills in order to be successful. This session will touch on Financial Literacy, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Interpersonal Skills, and Grit-- five quick lessons to help you succeed in LIFE.

Team Building

(90 mins approx.)

Team building programs have traditionally taken a physical approach... but not every location has the capacity for a ropes course or other physical program.  Del has created a team building program that helps your students understand the intellectual concept of team work while simultaneously completing team bonding exercises.  This program was first developed by Del for college athletic teams, and proved so successful that he has transformed it into a student leader  team building.

Mission-driven Programs with Campus Collaboration

(60 mins approx.)

It's perhaps the most common missed opportunity on any college campus. While campus entertainment should be fun, it can also be culturally enriching, or have an educational slant. But more importantly, programs can serve to reach across campus and bring students, faculty, and staff together. You often hear those common buzz-words among the administration on campus, words like "campus community," and "experiential learning." The programming staff on your campus-- whether it's Student Activities, Student Life, Student Involvement, Student Leadership-- can truly be the key to campus collaboration in learning. This program discusses various ways to integrate student activities into the teaching/learning mission of the school, and seek to facilitate a true campus collaboration.

Programming for a Commuter Campus

(60 mins approx.)

Non-traditional schools have a difficult time meeting the programming needs of their students. It can be an exercise in frustration to present wonderful events in empty rooms. This session will discuss the differences in programming for non-traditional schools: without residence halls, older (or mixed age) student populations, "suitcase colleges" and more. We'll also come up with useful strategies to meet the program needs of these students.