Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, the Director of University Recreation provides strategic leadership, vision, and oversight of a comprehensive collegiate recreation, fitness, and wellness program that supports the holistic wellness of the university community. The Director of University Recreation (URec) supervises and coordinates all facilities, programs, services, and administrative functions associated with the department’s operations. The Director is adept in aligning URec priorities with institutional goals related to student and community engagement, development and wellness, retention, and academic success. The Director leads a dynamic team of full-time and student staff fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation throughout the unit, ensuring that staff feel supported, empowered, and connected to the broader mission of student success. University Recreation programs include intramurals, Esports, fitness and wellness, club sports, summer camps, aquatics, informal recreation, special events, and others. Facilities include the Student Activity Center ( SAC ), the Outdoor Sports Complex and Esports Gaming Facility, Rose Tennis Courts, Residence Life Fitness centers, and the Disc Golf Course. The Director is responsible for the planning, development and oversight of the department’s financial management and facilities planning for University Recreation operations. This role also facilitates and supports professional development opportunities for staff, which includes professional association involvement, training programs, and one-on-one staff evaluation/coaching. The Director serves on university committees and councils at the discretion of senior management. Further, the Director is responsible for developing and maintaining strategic relationships with campus and community partners.
Required Qualifications:
Master’s degree preferably in higher education, higher education physical education, recreation, sports management, or exercise science.
Five years of progressively responsible higher education experience.
Demonstrated experience with cultivating a culture of creativity, care, and concern.
Demonstrated experience with strategic planning, implementation, and proven results in cultivating robust learning environments and opportunities that align with institutional priorities.
Extensive knowledge of crisis management, risk reduction, conflict resolution, and restorative practice.
Demonstrated experience with forecasting models for membership and services utilization.
Demonstrated ability to build and manage teams in a large, decentralized environment.
Prior experience with student development, community engagement, and event planning.
Prior experience with the successful implementation of student learning outcomes, assessment, and evaluation.
Ability to create revenue producing programs and activities.
Prior experience coordinating and managing recreation programs and services.
Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with other university and external partners.
Leverage highly effective and engaging verbal and written communication skills.
Demonstrated experience creating assessment reports, briefs, and presentations.
Knowledge of computer programs and operations.
Ability to perform the essential functions and requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience providing executive leadership for extensive university recreational operations.
Knowledge and experience in Aquatics, Fitness, Intramural Sports, Sports Clubs, Special Events, Camps and other related recreational sports programs.
Demonstrated commitment to the creation and implementation of holistic student development opportunities.
Certified in CPR , First Aid.
Demonstrated involvement in customer service, policy development, staff training, and supervision.
A personal understanding of the student-athlete experience in higher education settings.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Leads University Recreation in fostering an environment that promotes student success, leadership, and personal development through intentional staff recruitment and development, substantial supervision, and structured learning initiatives.
Facilitates a team-oriented approach to developing substantial partnerships across campus and throughout the broader community.
Responsible for establishing, reviewing, updating, interpreting, and administrating departmental and university policies, including holistic wellness offerings and the integration of accessible accommodations in day-to-day activities.
Develops and implement an efficient and effective staffing model, ensuring that individuals with the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities are in place to support strategic priorities.
Oversees all personnel-related matters within the department in accordance with university policy, including hiring, termination, promotion, professional development, and training.
Supports University emergency management strategies and plan.
Collaborates with CMU Police, Counseling Center, Residence Life, and CMU CARES to cultivate proactive emergency preparedness and student intervention opportunities.
Develops and manage a comprehensive risk management program for all URec programs.
Supports best practices and compliance with collegiate recreation standards.
Serves as an on-site facility manager, as scheduled.
Provides oversight for Residence Hall Fitness Centers and Programs.
Provides administrative leadership to the CMU Esports Program.
Assists with the operations of all other University Recreation (URec) facilities.
In partnership with the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, develops the annual budget, setting appropriate targets for revenue and expenses, including annual contribution to capital reserves and deferred maintenance.
Responsible for the requisitioning of equipment and supplies for all programming areas.
Regularly analyzes local market data and establish competitive membership offerings.
Develops rigorous training programs that provide applied learning experiences for staff, preparing them for effective student engagement and crisis response.
Provides support and resolutions for conflicts which may arise.
Assesses programs and services offered by URec to operationalize a data-informed approach to achieving unit-based learning outcomes and university goals with purpose and intentionality.
Collaborates with marketing director to create strategies for all University Recreation programs.
Serves on campus committees, task forces, and steering groups, as appointed.
Represents University Engagement and Student Affairs on behalf of the AVPSA , as needed.
Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Supervision Exercised:
Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU , we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.
Employee Group: Professional & Administrative -Salary
Staff Pay Level:
Pay Range: $78,000 - $90,000
Division: University Engagement and Student Affairs
Department: University Recreation
Position Status: Regular
Position End Date:
Employment Status: Full-Time
FTE: 1.0
Position Type: 12 month
Weekly Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends and evenings as needed
Location: Mount Pleasant, MI
Posting Ends:
Open Until Filled: Yes
Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.
We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence. CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more. Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17. CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant. Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.
CMU Leadership Standards:
Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.
We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams. Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.
Message to Applicants:
Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.
You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position. Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee. This position will remain open until filled. The university reserves the right to close the recruitment process once a sufficient applicant pool has been identified. For best consideration, please submit application materials by October 1, 2025.
To apply, visit
CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.
If you wish to see “Know Your Rights ” posters, please click here .
CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.
Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.
CMU’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:
Phone: 989-774-3253
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: titleix@cmich.edu
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