Resident Assistant in Vienna, Global Learning (Fall Semester August - December 2025)

The RA in Vienna position is designed to be a resource and support for the Site Director and students during their Vienna study abroad program. This position requires an investment in being actively present in the lives of students. The RA's principal role will be assisting the Site Director in her duties throughout the semester.

Requirements:

• Education: undergraduate degree from an accredited university
• German language skills
• flexibility and patience
• confidence and politeness in interactions with others
• personal attributes of high caliber (i.e., maturity, integrity, spirituality, dependability, unselfishness, sensitivity, commitment to service)
• ability to maintain confidentiality regarding personal student problems and privileged information discussed in staff meetings
• adherence to the Lipscomb community code of conduct
• previous experience with study abroad

Responsibilities:

The RA in Vienna will be expected to live in a private apartment in onsite Student Housing. This will be factored in as a portion of the compensation and benefits package. The primary role will be to aid the Site Director and Faculty-in-Residence with group logistics and programming for the duration of the semester. These duties include:

• Orientation:
  
  
  
  • help coordinate and participate in group orientation activities.
  
  
  
  
• Field Trips:
  
  
  
  • work with the Site Director and local professors to help execute logistics of field trips, group dinners, and off-site locations (pick up tickets, map out destinations, communicate with students on how and when to arrive at the designated location, etc.).
  
  
  
  
• Advisor/Mentor:
  
  
  
  • advise students and faculty regarding the host city. Provide support for student life issues - meet with students and communicate with the Site Director to keep them up-to-date with student needs and concerns.
  
  
  
  
• Risk Management, Security, Safety & Wellness:
  
  
  
  • confirm safe arrival of all program participants with Site Director; Coordinate with Site Director for all emergencies requiring medical attention (i.e. doctor's visits or hospital). All emergencies must be communicated to the Site Director as soon as possible, including non-medical emergencies such as terrorism or natural disasters.
  
  
  
  
• Finances & Budget:
  
  
  
  • when needed, assist in the maintenance of expense reports, petty cash and local bank account with stewardship that is above reproach; these duties should be coordinated with home offices and partner institutions.
  
  
  
  
• Administration:
  
  
  
  • assistance in registering group with local authorities upon arrival; attend Leadership Team meetings (weekly) and take meeting minutes; assisting the leadership team in coordination of approving and maintaining travel database with information regarding student independent travel; the RA will initially review travel submissions to determine that all groups have correctly logged their trips and that there are no discrepancies. Once the RA has reviewed all submissions, the final approval for travel should be completed by the Faculty-in-Residence and Site Director.
  
  
  
  
• On-call requirements.
  
  
  
  • The unique nature of the position requires some time being on-call to help with program needs. The RA is to be on-call for local events that require additional assistance and coordination (ex: students locked out of room and needing assistance from the hotel, reconciling a false fire alarm alert with the hotel, stolen wallet/filing a police report, Embassy visit, etc.). The Site Director and faculty member or spouse may also respond when appropriate for the situation. The RA may also be needed to resolve a situation when students are traveling independently; much depends on where the students are, what is needed and who is closest to them, and coordination with the Site Director and faculty-in-residence will be crucial. During a semester, a maximum of two weekends can be taken off when coordinated with the Site Director, who would then be on call during those weekends the RA is absent. The RA will also coordinate with the Site Director to be on-call one weekend a month, where the Site Director may be reached for emergencies
  
  
  
  

The list of duties is not comprehensive, due to the unique nature of the position and the different scenarios that may arise. Other responsibilities may be requested of
the assistant throughout the semester at the Site Director and Faculty-in-Residence's discretion, but duties will be balanced in consideration of the RA's other needs.

Not provided by Global Learning:

• Necessary travel documents (valid passport, etc.)
• Visa assistance
• Travel not organized through the program