Matt Allbright arrived at the University of Nebraska at Kearney planning to become a high school social sciences teacher.
Instead, his experiences living in the residence halls, getting involved in campus organizations and building relationships with Residence Life staff led him toward a career helping students create those same connections.
“During my final semester, a couple of hall directors who I liked hanging out with tried talking me into going to graduate school and applying as a hall director so I could carry on what they were doing,” he explained. “I wasn’t sure about it because I was already applying to work for the Boy Scouts after graduation, but the assistant director of Residence Life at the time encouraged me to apply. So, I did.”
Today, the Cozad native serves as UNK’s associate director of operations for Residence Life, overseeing housing operations, facilities, technology systems and guest services. A two-time UNK graduate, Allbright earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation and park management in 2007 and master’s degree in student affairs in 2010.
His career path began as a Residence Life desk assistant and graduate assistant hall director at UNK before he served as student life manager at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis from 2012-14. He returned to his alma mater as a complex director in 2014, was promoted to assistant director of operations in 2018 and advanced to associate director of operations in 2022.
Where did you live on campus? What was that experience like?
When I went to college, I lived in Ludden Hall, which has since been torn down and replaced with Antelope Hall. Then I lived in Men’s Hall before it was primarily honors housing. I really liked it; I met really fun people. I also was able to get involved on campus through community council, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and Loper Programming and Activities Council.
I lived in Men’s Hall before it had air conditioning and I remember in the winter we wore sweatpants and long-sleeved shirts to class, but then when we came back we wanted to change into shorts and T-shirts. We also tested the rules a lot in the building. We played bocce ball up and down the hallway. Sometimes we upset the girls who lived on the first floor but sometimes they came up to see what was going on and joined in.
Describe your role in Residence Life:
As the associate director of operations, I work with UNK Facilities to make sure the residence halls are being taken care of and work to make improvements such as furniture updates, building renovations and bringing buildings online. I work with technology systems such as our housing database, card access system and the system we use to track student interactions in the residence halls. I manage and supervise our front desks and the desk assistants. I also manage the guest housing and camps and conferences that stay on campus.
If I had to summarize what I do, I would say that I provide the support our hall staff needs for programming with the students and to make sure the students enjoy their time on campus.
What’s your greatest accomplishment in this role?
Something that I am proud of is the work I’ve done with the summer camps and conferences. I have worked to improve the guest experience from the time they fill out the reservation form to checking out of the residence hall. We have done this by creating a one-stop shop for non-UNK groups to reserve housing and dining services. I think the ease of registration has contributed to why we have several groups that keep coming back to use our facilities.
How have the residence halls changed over the years?
We have repurposed different spaces to catch up with the needs and wants of the students. For example, we converted computer labs into quiet meditation spaces. We also reevaluated how student rooms could be used. Now we offer different types of single rooms, and Armstrong and Martin halls are designed in a pod style, which offers private bathrooms.
Additionally, we are partnering with Central Community College to house their students who are taking classes through the Kearney Center.
What experience do you try to create for students?
I have been trying to get students more involved in the decision-making process. I feel that if the students get involved in the process, they will take ownership of their community. For example, we invited students to a furniture showcase in December. They walked through and evaluated samples of residence hall and study room furniture from seven different vendors, then offered their feedback via online surveys. Through this process, I hope students want to take better care of their community and get involved more through their community council or RHA. I had a similar experience as a student at UNK.
What would you say to convince students to live on campus past their freshman year?
I would tell students that you get to pick the experience that you want to have. I had the opportunity to pick the community where I lived and what that experience was going to be. I could have sat in my room or maybe got an apartment off campus, but I would have missed out on playing bocce ball or UNO/Phase 10 games for hours with my friends in the residence halls.
What do you love most about UNK?
I have had three great supervisors in my time as a full-time staff member. They helped me gain skills and have been supportive when life has not gone so well. I feel that I have a close group of people outside my department I can talk with and even more who want to help make changes for students. I know people always say the campus has changed so much since I started here.
Share something unique about yourself:
Growing up, I had six brothers and sisters. My hobbies include spending time with my nieces and nephews, playing trivia, going to movies and taking trips.
