The University of Illinois Springfield has named Melissa Beisel the new director of the Department of Residence Life. She will oversee housing operations for more than 900 students living on the UIS campus. Her appointment is effective Aug. 1, 2022.

Beisel comes to UIS with more than 20 years of higher education experience, most recently serving as the director of residence life and housing at the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL).

“I am excited to join the UIS campus and to work with the Residence Life team to provide a supportive, inclusive and impactful experience for students,” Beisel said. “Residence Life has a great foundation, and I hope to continue building upon it. I am looking forward to meeting the students and learning about the campus culture.”

Beisel has a strong background in supervising student, professional, custodial, maintenance and administrative staff. She also has experience with residence hall renovations and construction, hearing high-level student conduct cases and managing Clery and Title IX reporting for university housing.

Prior to UMSL, Beisel served as the assistant and associate director of university housing at Pittsburg State University from 2006-2018. She has also worked in university housing at the University of Kansas and the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in photography from the University of Central Missouri and a master’s degree in counseling with a student affairs emphasis from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.