The UA’s Residence Life will get a new executive director.

Jennifer Hiatt, a native Tucsonan, has had a lot of experience working on college campuses with new students. After graduating from Arizona State University, Hiatt worked with Residence Life as an associate director of housing there before becoming the director of housing at New Mexico State University.

After leaving NMSU, Hiatt went to work for Spelman and Johnson Group, a firm specializing in higher education employment, where she was able to network and collaborate with a variety of universities.

These opportunities allowed her to truly understand student affairs and housing, said James Van Arsdel, the UA’s assistant vice president of student affairs and university housing. Van Arsdel said Hiatt’s experience working in higher education, specifically in student affairs and housing, qualifies her to further her career as the UA’s Residence Life director.

“Hiatt’s networking skills play into her ability to make connections and recruit a good staff, which is a huge issue for anyone, especially for Residence Life,” Van Arsdel said. “The quality of our staff determines the quality of the service we are able to supply our students.”

Hiatt said she is looking forward to getting to know the staff and students on a more personal level, as well as take them through a plan to better the future of on-campus living.

Hiatt also said she hopes to improve the residence halls to support the university’s continuous growth.

“I’ve had a deep admiration for the Residence Life program at UA,” Hiatt said. “I think their program and facilities are great and I was drawn to this opportunity because I think UA is in a great place at a great time.”

The familiar experience of moving in and out of student housing is something that Hiatt said she has missed after being away from a college campus, and looks forward to making changes to the move-in process at the UA.

“I love watching students come into an institution and then graduate from it four years later,” she said. “It feels amazing to be a part of their experience in college.”

Phoebe Blakeley, a pre-business sophomore who has been living on campus for two years, said student housing has positively impacted her college experience.

“Residence Life provides me with a home here at UA,” she said. “I have benefited from the community atmosphere and I know that a new Residence Life director will only help us advance as a resource for students on campus by bringing new and innovative ideas.”
Hiatt will begin her duties on June 11.