Texas Christian University and the Housing and Residence Life Office is a featured program.
The idea for FedEx programming is not new, but a concept not often heard and used in housing and residence life offices. TCU implemented this strategy only a few years ago to challenge the professional staff to be innovative, creative, and more in tuned with K.C.E. programming that we ask our Resident Assistants to follow.
K.C.E. programming is based on the expectation that staff know each resident, connect residents to campus resources, and empower residents to achieve success.
The idea for FedEx programming comes from Daniel Pink’s book “Drive” which highlights new ways to think about motivation. TCU HRL spends time in staff training to allow HDs to create any program or initiative they desire during training, but each HD must present his/her idea to the group that week. This methodology allows HDs to have autonomy and use their creativity, but they must deliver, hence the name Fed Ex programs. Not to be limited to only the entry level housing staff, the Director has also challenged his leadership team of Assistant and Associate Directors (ADs) to create some kind of FedEx idea as well.
At TCU the director challenges the staff to create new initiatives and take ownership for the hall communities. The only criteria for each HDs Fed Ex program is that it must be focused on relationship building, and it has to be an on-going, systemic initiative. In other words this is not a one-time program, rather something HDs commit to do all semester, if not all year, focused building relationships with their residents.
This FedEx brainstorming session has brought about more excitement and involvement from the Hall Directors and Leadership Team within the campus community. According to our EBI and in-house satisfaction surveys, efforts made by the hall staff have positively affected the campus community by increasing on campus student enjoyment. These ideas have also had trickle down effects on our student staff members who are motivated to innovate and change the way they program and interact with their students.
Submitted by Evan Saperstein, Hall Director and Andrew Nash, Hall Director, Texas Christian University