Touchette named director of community living

Timothy M. Touchette

Timothy M. Touchette, associate director of housing services and operations at Northeastern University, has been appointed director of community living at Brandeis. He begins his new position on Aug. 11.

“Tim brings a wonderful mix of experience, vision and energy to a position that is a critical component of the student experience at Brandeis,” says Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment. “We are thrilled to have Tim join the Brandeis family and be part of our commitment to creating a welcoming, engaging, safe, and supportive home for our students.”

Touchette will oversee the management and daily operations of 11 residential areas, which house approximately 2,900 students. Touchette and his team — two assistant directors and more than 70 community-living team members, which include live-in students who serve as community advisers alongside master’s-level professionals serving as community development coordinators — are responsible for working with campus departments and the local community to create a living/learning environment that supports student success, personal growth and campus spirit.

He assumes the position from Maggie Balch, associate dean of student life, who served as interim director of community living. “Maggie provided excellent leadership during a very busy period for community living, and we are extremely grateful for her willingness to take on these additional responsibilities during the search,” says Flagel.

Touchette, who helped direct significant improvements to Northeastern’s residential facilities and services, will play a leading role in realizing Brandeis’ commitment to improving all areas of the residential campus experience. Currently, the Departments of Community Living and Facilities Services are remodeling the Foster Mods and two of the four Ziv buildings, with work on track to be completed before Move-In this fall. Last summer, renovations were made to the East residence halls, and this past spring Brandeis successfully launched a new housing system and lottery.

“I am truly excited to join the diverse team of dedicated staff members at Brandeis,” says Touchette. “I see an exceptional amount of opportunity ahead for all of us in community living.”

For the past six years, Touchette has held residential life and housing positions at Northeastern, including associate director of housing services and operations since 2010 and assistant director of housing operations from 2008-10. Prior to that, he was an area/resident director at Bryant University from 2004-08.

Touchette earned his doctorate of education in higher education administration from Northeastern, a master’s in communications studies from the University of Rhode Island, and a bachelor’s in public and professional communications from Rhode Island College.