Job Description

DIRECTOR / UNIVERSITY RECREATION

Position Number: S-3712

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, the Director of University Recreation provides strategic leadership, vision, and oversight of a comprehensive collegiate recreation, fitness, and wellness program that supports the holistic wellness of the university community. The Director of University Recreation (URec) supervises and coordinates all facilities, programs, services, and administrative functions associated with the department’s operations. The Director is adept in aligning URec priorities with institutional goals related to student and community engagement, development and wellness, retention, and academic success. The Director leads a dynamic team of full-time and student staff fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation throughout the unit, ensuring that staff feel supported, empowered, and connected to the broader mission of student success. University Recreation programs include intramurals, Esports, fitness and wellness, club sports, summer camps, aquatics, informal recreation, special events, and others. Facilities include the Student Activity Center (SAC), the Outdoor Sports Complex and Esports Gaming Facility, Rose Tennis Courts, Residence Life Fitness centers, and the Disc Golf Course. The Director is responsible for the planning, development and oversight of the department’s financial management and facilities planning for University Recreation operations. This role also facilitates and supports professional development opportunities for staff, which includes professional association involvement, training programs, and one-on-one staff evaluation/coaching. The Director serves on university committees and councils at the discretion of senior management. Further, the Director is responsible for developing and maintaining strategic relationships with campus and community partners.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree preferably in higher education, higher education physical education, recreation, sports management, or exercise science.
• Five years of progressively responsible higher education experience.
• Demonstrated experience with cultivating a culture of creativity, care, and concern.
• Demonstrated experience with strategic planning, implementation, and proven results in cultivating robust learning environments and opportunities that align with institutional priorities.
• Extensive knowledge of crisis management, risk reduction, conflict resolution, and restorative practice.
• Demonstrated experience with forecasting models for membership and services utilization.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage teams in a large, decentralized environment.
• Prior experience with student development, community engagement, and event planning.
• Prior experience with the successful implementation of student learning outcomes, assessment, and evaluation.
• Ability to create revenue producing programs and activities.
• Prior experience coordinating and managing recreation programs and services.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with other university and external partners.
• Leverage highly effective and engaging verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience creating assessment reports, briefs, and presentations.
• Knowledge of computer programs and operations.
• Ability to perform the essential functions and requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience providing executive leadership for extensive university recreational operations.
• Knowledge and experience in Aquatics, Fitness, Intramural Sports, Sports Clubs, Special Events, Camps and other related recreational sports programs.
• Demonstrated commitment to the creation and implementation of holistic student development opportunities.
• Certified in CPR, First Aid.
• Demonstrated involvement in customer service, policy development, staff training, and supervision.
• A personal understanding of the student-athlete experience in higher education settings.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Leads University Recreation in fostering an environment that promotes student success, leadership, and personal development through intentional staff recruitment and development, substantial supervision, and structured learning initiatives.
• Facilitates a team-oriented approach to developing substantial partnerships across campus and throughout the broader community.
• Responsible for establishing, reviewing, updating, interpreting, and administrating departmental and university policies, including holistic wellness offerings and the integration of accessible accommodations in day-to-day activities.
• Develops and implement an efficient and effective staffing model, ensuring that individuals with the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities are in place to support strategic priorities.
• Oversees all personnel-related matters within the department in accordance with university policy, including hiring, termination, promotion, professional development, and training.
• Supports University emergency management strategies and plan.
• Collaborates with CMU Police, Counseling Center, Residence Life, and CMU CARES to cultivate proactive emergency preparedness and student intervention opportunities.
• Develops and manage a comprehensive risk management program for all URec programs.
• Supports best practices and compliance with collegiate recreation standards.
• Serves as an on-site facility manager, as scheduled.
• Provides oversight for Residence Hall Fitness Centers and Programs.
• Provides administrative leadership to the CMU Esports Program.
• Assists with the operations of all other University Recreation (URec) facilities.
• In partnership with the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, develops the annual budget, setting appropriate targets for revenue and expenses, including annual contribution to capital reserves and deferred maintenance.
• Responsible for the requisitioning of equipment and supplies for all programming areas.
• Regularly analyzes local market data and establish competitive membership offerings.
• Develops rigorous training programs that provide applied learning experiences for staff, preparing them for effective student engagement and crisis response.
• Provides support and resolutions for conflicts which may arise.
• Assesses programs and services offered by URec to operationalize a data-informed approach to achieving unit-based learning outcomes and university goals with purpose and intentionality.
• Collaborates with marketing director to create strategies for all University Recreation programs.
• Serves on campus committees, task forces, and steering groups, as appointed.
• Represents University Engagement and Student Affairs on behalf of the AVPSA, as needed.
• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Supervision Exercised:

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.

Employee Group: Professional & Administrative -Salary

Staff Pay Level:

Pay Range: $78,000 - $90,000

Division: University Engagement and Student Affairs

Department: University Recreation

Position Status: Regular

Position End Date:

Employment Status: Full-Time

FTE: 1.0

Position Type: 12 month

Weekly Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends and evenings as needed

Location: Mount Pleasant, MI