The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 10

Deborah J. Taub * R. Bradley Johnson * Daniel W. Calhoun

the midpoint of the second decade of the 21st
century, the focus on the training, development, and experiences of this critical population of student leaders is even more important.
As editors of this special issue, we were
pleased with the large number of submissions
we received and with the extremely positive
reaction that housing colleagues have had to
the focus on resident assistants. In putting together this special issue, it was our intention to
provide a broad look at resident assistants, encompassing topics from recruitment and selection to training and assessment to outcomes.
We particularly sought to provide scholarship
that could guide practice and further research.
We are grateful to the authors whose work is
featured in this issue.
How has the RA role changed over time?
Katherine B. Boone, Denise L. Davidson, and
Mark Bauman provide helpful context about
the history of the resident assistant position.
They trace the evolving complexity of the RA
role and pose challenging questions about the
future of this important role.
Recruiting a diverse staff of RAs is a challenge faced by many campuses. C. Daryl
Healea and Patrick J. Hale use a theoretical
framework of multicultural organizational development to explore the cultivation of the diversity of an RA staff through the examination
of recruitment processes at a predominantly
White institution. Their study highlights four
core themes influencing the recruitment of a
diverse RA staff.
The process of selecting RAs can be a timeconsuming task, often involving multiple staff
members and a multi-step process. But does
this rigorous selection process predict strong

RA performance? This is the question explored
by Stephen A. Berg and James C. Stoner. They
discuss the implications of their findings and
offer suggestions for improving selection
processes.
In 1998 The Journal of College and University Student Housing published a comprehensive study by Bowman and Bowman about RA
training practices. Since that time, surprisingly little research has been published about
RA training programs. This is particularly surprising given the importance of the RA role
and of effective training, as well as the investment of staff time required by training. In this
issue Virginia A. Koch presents the results of
a national study of RA training inspired by
Bowman and Bowman's (1995, 1998) work.
Her research reveals changes that have taken
place in RA training since the 1990s. She provides recommendations for ways to improve
RA training today.
The development of leadership skills is
frequently listed as an important potential
outcome for resident assistants. Using data
from the 2009 Multi-Institutional Study of
Leadership, Sherry L. Early explores the impact
of mentoring on the leadership capacity of
resident assistants and whether demographic
characteristics of the mentor or mentor type
make a difference.
Mimi Benjamin and Laura Davis sought to
find out what RAs perceived they had learned
as a result of their experiences in the position.
Through a qualitative case study, they highlight the learning outcomes of the RA position
and identify five broad categories of learning
reported by the RAs. They conclude with recommendations for ways to leverage the learn-

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

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