Coordinator of Residential Education-FA26SP27

Job title: Coordinator of Residential Education - Fall 2026 Voyage OR Spring 2027 Voyage

Reports to: ISE Director of Student Affairs (pre-voyage and during voyage) and the Dean of Students (during voyage)

Assignment type: Temporary, full-time 

Location: Shipboard position

Duration of assignment: 

• Fall 2026 - Sailing on the MV World Odyssey, embarking on or around September 6, 2026, and disembarking on or around December 22, 2026.

• Spring 2027 - Sailing on the MV World Odyssey, embarking on or around January 2, 2027, and disembarking on or around April 20, 2027.

Itineraries are always subject to a variety of changes both major and minor, before and during the voyage. Please reference semesteratsea.org for the most updated itinerary.

Organization Description

Established in 1963, the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) is a 501(c) non-profit organization. In collaboration with academic partner Colorado State University, ISE delivers the Semester at Sea® program, one of the longest operating higher education study abroad programs. Semester at Sea® provides its students a global comparative education through classroom and experiential learning in the field. The Semester at Sea® floating campus, the MV World Odyssey, carries around 550 students plus faculty, staff, and others. The duration of the semester voyage is typically 105 days, including visits to 8-10 countries. ISE conducts two semester voyages annually. See semesteratsea.org for more information.

Mission

Journeys of discovery that spark bold solutions to global challenges

Position Description

Coordinator(s) of Residential Education (CREs) report to the Dean of Students and are part of the Student Life team. They work to develop and implement the on-ship co-curricular program and respond to student concerns and critical incidents. The goals for the student life team include:

• Develop, coordinate, and implement programs and services that encourage the achievement of student learning and development outcomes

• Identify and find means to address individual, organizational, and/or environmental conditions that inhibit goal achievement

• Continuously improve programs and services in response to the changing needs of students and other constituents, and evolving institutional priorities
  
  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

The individual in this position must be able to perform the essential duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation:

Prior to the voyage: 

• Attend the in person Student Life Team Orientation in Fort Collins, CO

• Attend all pre-voyage training calls with the ISE Home Office partner, Dean of Student Life, and Assistant Dean of Student Life (approximately 8-10 calls)

• Participate in all scheduled training and orientation calls with HR and your fellow Staculty members

During the voyage:

• Encourage students to maximize their intellectual growth and personal development

• Responsible for the general welfare of all students, and in particular, those students assigned to the  CRE’s residential area (“sea”)

• Expected to positively influence, contribute to, and improve the quality of life of students through programming, community development activities, consistent enforcement of shipboard policies and procedures, and by forming appropriate relationships with each student in the Coordinator(s) sea

• Serve as a “first responder” for on-call duty, on a rotating basis, for situations that need attention. While on call, Coordinator(s) are required to remain on ship, sometimes for 24 hours straight.

• Manage a student worker assigned as a “student assistant”

• All Coordinator(s) will be assigned a collateral assignment upon hire. These collateral assignments may include the following responsibilities*:

  • Exploration: The Coordinator for Exploration designs and implements education programming that supports students navigating the question of “what’s next?” throughout the voyage. This includes career panels, networking opportunities, skill-building workshops, and individualized coaching conversations that connect students’ global experiences to future academic and professional pathways. This Coordinator also serves as the primary support for Start at Sea/Gap Year students, facilitating an early transition orientation and co-facilitating the first-year experience course in collaboration with faculty. Through ongoing educational programming, this role supports identity development, decision-making, and goal setting. This role also leads intentional re-entry programming during the final third of the voyage, helping students integrate their experiences and prepare for transition home.   

  • Well-Being and Recreation: The Coordinator for Well-being and Recreation develops and implements educational programming that focuses on holistic student health, safety, and well-being. This includes prevention and education programming related to mental health, stress management, substance use awareness, healthy relationships, and resilience-building, and is inclusive, accessible, and responsive to student needs in a shipboard environment. This Coordinator also oversees recreational opportunities that foster community and well-being, including intramurals, fitness classes, and the fitness center schedule.

  • Inclusion and Belonging: The Coordinator for Inclusion and Belonging leads education efforts that foster an inclusive, equitable, and globally engaged shipboard community. This includes designing and facilitating programs that explore identity, cultural humility, privilege, and intercultural learning in both shipboard and global contexts. This role, with the support of all other Coordinators on the student life team, serves as a key partner to faculty and staff in advancing Inclusive Excellence and provides targeted support to underserved and underrepresented student populations, including non-U.S. passport holders and international student scholar groups. Programming emphasizes self-reflection, dialogue, and skill-building to help students navigate differences and engage across cultures.

  • Reflection: The Coordinator for Reflection develops and facilitates residential education programming that helps students make meaning of their experiences throughout the voyage. This includes structured reflection opportunities before, during, and after port experiences, as well as ongoing programming that encourages critical thinking, identity exploration, and global learning integration. This role collaborates with faculty through the Core Course (Global Studies) to embed reflection into the broader student experience, helping students connect academic content, cultural experiences, and personal growth.  This Coordinator is also the main point of contact for the six student assistants who support the Student Life Team. This Coordinator will also assist with the Interport Student Program (Interport students are undergraduates from universities around the world who contribute to classes and give presentations on their culture).

  • Student Activities: The Coordinator for Student Activities oversees the planning, coordination, and execution of evening and late-night programming (1820–0800), ensuring a vibrant, engaging residential environment outside of class hours. This includes managing the shipboard programming schedule, coordinating large-scale events such as Neptune Day and Sea Olympics, and supporting collaborative initiatives across the student life team. This Coordinator ensures that all programming aligns with educational goals, promotes inclusive participation, and monitors student engagement in spaces, enhancing collaboration with faculty for co-curricular events and programming. Interport students are undergraduates from universities around the world. They contribute to classes and give presentations about their culture. 

  • Organizations and Clubs: The Coordinator for Organizations and Clubs provides leadership and oversight for student organizations, supporting them as key contributors to the learning environment. This includes advising student leaders, facilitating organization registration and training, and ensuring that club activities align with institutional policies and community expectations. This Coordinator also supports opportunities for spiritual exploration and religious practice, helping students engage respectfully and educationally with diverse belief systems encountered throughout the voyage.

*Specific collateral assignments are subject to change between the posting date and the hiring date. These assignments are currently under review by ISE staff.

Requirements

• Be available for a full semester assignment

• Have valid U.S. work authorization

• Have or be able to obtain a valid passport and required visas, as well as any vaccinations as directed by a health care provider or required by the program; this applies to the faculty/staff member and any accompanying companions 

  • Passports must be valid for 6 months post voyage

  • It is recommended that U.S. passport holders have no fewer than 15 blank passport pages

• Be able to successfully pass a background check

Minimum Qualifications and Skills

• Support the mission of ISE; reflecting ISE values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Semester at Sea commitment to diversity and inclusion

• Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to support culturally diverse communities

• 3+ years full time professional experience in student affairs working with undergraduate students in a college or university setting

• Master’s degree in higher education and student affairs administration, or a related field

• Demonstrated experience supporting student learning and academic success

• Experience creating environments where students feel free to ask questions and obtain assistance

• Flexibility and a mindset of getting tasks completed quickly are essential

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the capacity to relate effectively with program constituents

• Detail-oriented, with the ability to balance multiple priorities in a complex and dynamic environment

• Ability to exercise good judgment on a range of issues

• Experience responding to emergency or crisis situations

Preferred Qualifications and Skills

• Training and/or participation in diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives 

• 2 years of graduate or 1 year of full-time residence life experience

• Experience advising student organizations

• Experience serving in an on-call capacity at an institution of higher education

Working Conditions 

• Initial Adjustment: Shipboard life can be stressful for some voyage participants, particularly those with anxiety issues and those who require a longer period of acclimation to highly stimulating and fast-paced environments.

• Environment: This job position requires work performed on a moving ship with narrow doorways and tight, enclosed quarters. There may be odors or noise. The temperature on the ship can be cool or warm, depending on many variables. There may be periods of rough seas, making it harder to move on the ship.  

• Health: A health team (physician, PA/NP, counselors) is available on the ship. The medical capabilities while at sea are focused on urgent care and temporary stabilization of emergency medical and mental health conditions using basic medical supplies and equipment with a limited formulary. Very limited medications may be available; voyagers are expected to bring sufficient current medications for the entire voyage. In some regions, there may be no access to emergency evacuation. While in port, local healthcare system resources are utilized, which can vary widely in capabilities. Counseling services typically focus on short-term, solution-oriented interventions to address situational issues. Due to the unique semester schedule divided between port and sea days, counselors cannot meet with voyage participants on the equivalent of a week-to-week basis. Extended psychological or psychiatric services are not available on the ship and are limited in quantity and quality in different ports. Voyagers who present a risk to themselves or others will likely be required to leave the ship to receive more extended and appropriate care, as this cannot be provided on the ship.

• Sea Conditions: It is not uncommon for participants to experience sea-related conditions, including but not limited to loss of balance and potential risk of falls; seasickness; vertigo; nausea; and difficulty concentrating

• Accessibility and Accommodation: On the vessel, elevators may not always be accessible. There is a limited number of wheelchair-accessible cabins. Some field programs/classes may not be accessible to those with physical disabilities. Depending on the port facilities, tides affecting the gangway, and weather, those who have physical disabilities may not always be able to disembark the ship.

• Privacy: Faculty and staff can expect to be in the company of students, lifelong learners, and dependent children when in public areas on the ship. Overall, privacy is very limited aboard the vessel. 

• Food & Dining: It may not be possible for the ship to accommodate certain dietary restrictions onboard or in the field. Dining is limited to brief windows of time & facilities are typically busy.

• Time Frame: There are over 100 days of travel on a 700+ passenger ship. The 100 days are divided between time at sea and time on land in foreign ports. There may be voyage segments that include long stretches at sea. Classes are held nearly every day at sea; there are no regular ‘weekend’ breaks.

• Field Program: Travel and sometimes significant walking are required for Field Programs/Classes. Field programs are optional, fee-based in-country experiences organized by ISE available to all voyagers. Field classes are led by faculty members and are required, eight-hour, in-country components of each course. They account for 20% of each student’s grade in that course.

Physical Demands of the Job

• Computer work is required

• Extended walking and standing, sometimes on uneven surfaces, is required

• Lifting/carrying/bending/moving objects up to 25lbs

• Climbing stairs to embark and disembark the ship, in the port terminal, and in-country may be required

Compensation 

• Stipend of $6,000, paid in three equal installments during the voyage and an on-call stipend of $150 per day serving on-call duty. 

• Travel assistance to help defray the cost of travel to and from the ship (More information to be provided once embarkation details are confirmed);

• The opportunity to request to sail with an adult companion and dependent children (5 years old and older)/teenagers for an additional fee (Note that requests for companions and dependent children/teenagers are subject to availability and contingent upon health, safety and capacity regulations);

• Opportunity to apply to be a Trip Liaison (a faculty or staff member who works with providers on our field programs to ensure expectations are carried out by the providers as planned, to serve as a point of contact for field program participants, and to evaluate and respond to any health or safety issues while on the field program), and receive ISE in-country field programs for a free or reduced price;

• Passage, room, and board on the Vessel during the Term of the Agreement; and

• Medical Emergency and Evacuation insurance coverage.

Application Deadline: Please submit your application on or before Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST. We will begin reviewing applications only after this date and time. Rest assured, every application received by the deadline will be considered carefully. Please note that submitting early does not confer any advantage, nor does reaching out directly, being referred, or having personal connections within the company.

Application Advice

• Use Google Chrome as your web browser. It interfaces with ADP better than other web browsers

• Please complete and save your prepared documents in advance of beginning the online ADP application

• Allow plenty of time to complete the application, upload materials, and submit the application

• Work cannot be saved; applicants cannot return to in-progress applications at a later time

• Once an application has been submitted, it cannot be altered or changed

Application Instructions

To receive full consideration, please submit your application materials as follows:

• Submit both a cover letter and a resume; your cover letter should address your interest in the position and your qualifications as aligned with the requirements of the position and also list the collateral assignment you would be most interested in.

• Submit your cover letter and resume as a single file in the following order: cover letter first followed by your resume

• Submit your single document as a PDF file, not as a Word document or other file type

• Save your PDF document with the file name, “Last Name,Initial_FA26SP27CRE” and upload to the “Resume” option; example: Sailor,S_FA26SP27CRE

• Do not submit additional documentation; additional documentation is not requested at this time and will neither be reviewed nor considered

Failure to submit your application according to any or all of the above criteria may limit consideration for the position.

Please direct your application- and position-specific questions to Human Resources at hr@isevoyages.org. Please, no phone calls. 

The Institute for Shipboard Education|Semester at Sea® is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage anyone, regardless of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, marital status, or any other classification protected by law, to apply.