缅北禁地

Neil Andrito likes to joke that he got into student housing because of his younger brothers.

Growing up, he had his own room while his two younger brothers shared a room. He says that when he left for college, as soon as the car was pulling out of the driveway, his brothers were already moving boxes into his room.

 鈥淚 like to tell people I got into housing because I needed a place to live鈥攂ecause the living room futon wasn鈥檛 going to cut it,鈥� he says with a laugh.

That need led him to become a resident assistant in college, where he found a passion for the work.

鈥淚 liked being able to engage students and support them through real challenges,鈥� Andrito says. 鈥淲orking in housing means I get to help people make their college experience better.鈥�

He brings more than 20 years of experience in housing and residence life to 缅北禁地 University. After taking time off to care for his children and earn a doctorate in higher education administration, he returned to the field this past June as TU鈥檚 new director of residence life.

In his first few months, Andrito has focused on getting to know his team and the campus. And from his first impressions, he鈥檚 seen a community ready to support its student residents.

鈥淚鈥檝e gotten a close look at the residence life team, and I see a group of folks who are passionate about their work,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a team that wants to prioritize students and make decisions that support them. That鈥檚 just indicative of people being well intentioned and excited about working here.鈥�

As director, Andrito oversees the associate directors, who manage professional staff in the residence halls. He also ensures that student support staff are trained and equipped to serve on-campus residents.

He and his team work to make sure more than 5,000 residential students are having a positive experience.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to figure out what we鈥檙e doing really well鈥攁nd what we need to tweak,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 always think of residence life as the hub of a wagon wheel. We are the students鈥� home. Whether they鈥檙e getting involved on campus or going to class, they always come back home.

鈥淲e ask ourselves how we can help students make more meaning of the rest of their campus experiences when they return home.鈥�

One of the things that drew him to TU was the university鈥檚 residential curriculum program, which is designed to help students learn and grow outside the classroom. It integrates personal development and community engagement into everyday residential life through intentional programming and staff support.

Andrito, whose doctoral research focused on student affairs divisions and their work with curriculum, is excited to help build on what鈥檚 already in place.

鈥淒uring my time here, we鈥檙e going to see how we can develop that, so students understand that living on campus means growth and development,鈥� he says.