The spirit of learning communities was the theme of a presentation given by a candidate for director of the Department of Residence.

Jim Zentmeyer, associate director of residence life at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, said he would like to create residence communities that place an increased focus on academics in his presentation on Thursday.

“Working in student development is my passion,” he said.

Zentmeyer gave a short presentation to a crowd of 80 people about the learning communities he has helped to build during his tenure at Bowling Green.

He said simply renovating a residence hall does not create a learning community. Zentmeyer said creation is the process of bringing faculty and students together, encouraging students to work together and building a space in which to promote that — all qualities on which he focused at Bowling Green.

“Building design needs to be a part of the learning process,” he said.

The learning community facilities at Bowling Green include faculty offices in the residence halls, open common spaces and dining halls both faculty and students use.

Zentmeyer said that he was drawn to the position at Iowa State because he feels it will allow him to put all the pieces of his experience in residence life together. He said it has been 10 years since he has supervised residence hall staff and he said he is excited about an opportunity to be involved again.

Student retention rates and the cost of residence hall living were also discussed.

Zentmeyer said he has not been able to see all the details regarding budget issues, but he did give ideas that could potentially help, like including more details in admissions brochures about specific advantages of residence hall living and looking into rate changes. He said he would have to look into all the details before he could help create a solution that would work for the unique needs of the residence halls at Iowa State.

“I would have to spend a little more time out of the office and a lot more time out on the front line to be able to get to know the system,” he said.

Zentmeyer said he is a good candidate because he builds bridges and seeks solutions.

“We are looking for an individual who is going to develop a strong relationship with students,” said Todd Holcomb, interim director of the Department of Residence. “They need to have the ability and knowledge with a clear vision and be able to interact with a large variety of faculty, staff and students.”