Rob Abowitz Named Director of Residence Life
Abowitz has been with ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú for 27 years and has served as director of residence life in an interim role for the past eight months.
Rob Abowitz has been named as ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s new director of residence life, effective March 17, 2025. A longtime member of the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú community, Abowitz brings nearly three decades of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú experience in residence life and student support to this role.
Abowitz first joined ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú in 1996 as an admission counselor before moving to the office of residence life as associate director in 1997. At that time, no residence hall had been renovated or built since the 1986 construction of Havighurst Hall. Students could still smoke cigarettes in their residence hall rooms. Every student was issued a key for their room and a “cheese key” for the exterior door of their residence hall. A lot has changed since then.
More than 25 years later, Abowitz has served under three directors of residence life and three university presidents. He’s worked with no fewer than 5,000 full-time, graduate, and undergraduate (RAs) staff members. He has played a key role in shaping the residential experience for thousands (and thousands) of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú students.
Beyond his deep institutional knowledge and commitment to student success, Abowitz is a champion of the residential experience and a demonstrated leader. Students across campus will recognize him as “Rob from Res Life,” his moniker for the all-resident emails he sends a few times each semester.
Originally from Philadelphia, Abowitz earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú in Florida before completing a master’s in higher education administration at the University of South Carolina. Prior to coming to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, he worked in residence life at the University of Virginia.
“When I hire people, I am looking for three qualities. One, are they student centered? Two, how do they treat colleagues when no one is looking? And three, do they work hard?” said BaShaun Smith, associate vice president for student life and dean of students. “Rob has all of these qualities and I feel truly honored that he said yes.”
Beyond his professional contributions, Abowitz is deeply engaged in the Oxford community. He serves on several local boards, including ShareFest, the Oxford Farmers Market Council, the Oxford Jewish Cemetery Board, and the Oxford Empty Bowls planning committee. He helped create and has advised the EcoReps student organization for 15 years. In his free time, he enjoys beekeeping, gardening, pottery, woodworking, and cooking.
Abowitz is glad to take on the permanent director role after serving for the past eight months as the interim director. “I am looking forward to the many challenges and opportunities ahead of us in residence life,” said Abowitz. “It continues to be a pleasure working with a great ORL staff, and many partners across campus who support residential students.”
The office of residence life has had a busy year under Abowitz’s interim leadership, most recently completing the recruitment and hiring for the 2025-26 RA staff. The office saw a record number of current RAs returning to the position (137), which made it more competitive for the more than 300 new applicants seeking one of the remaining 115 positions.