Tyler Silagyi, director of residence life at SUNY Jamestown Community College, will assume the role of president of the State University of New York Residence Life and Housing Administrators organization in September.
Silagyi, who has served as president-elect since June 2025, will serve a yearlong term as president followed by a one-year term as past-president overseeing organization elections and serving in an advisory capacity. He was elected by fellow residence life staff members from SUNY colleges and universities.
Silagyi has been involved with SUNYRLHA since 2018. He has served on the organization’s awards committee and as a community college sector representative before being elected president-elect.
In large part because of Silagyi’s involvement with the organization, JCC’s Jamestown Campus became the first community college to independently host a SUNYRLHA conference last June.
Silagyi has gained experience planning organizational conferences and said he plans to continue fostering relationships with residence life staff and administrators across SUNY campuses.
Silagyi said he has worked closely with current president Brittany Tomlin of the University at Albany to prepare for the transition.
“I’ve been learning other roles and making connections to ease the transition that will happen in September,” Silagyi said. “Mainly, I have been working with them on staying connected with SUNY, learning about different projects, and starting to plan our other conferences for the next year or so.”
SUNYRLHA advocates for the needs of students living on SUNY campuses. The organization provides informational resources and educational programs for residential staff and students and encourages programming and fiscal policies that improve the campus housing experience.
Over the past year, Silagyi has picked up a broader understanding of how residence life programming, policies, and philosophies differ across campuses.
“There are so many differences in how each campus works and how each residence life office operates,” he said. “I also have a better understanding of the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the SUNYRLHA organization moving forward.”
A two-time JCC graduate with degrees in Individual Studies and Business Administration, Silagyi began working as residence director of Hillside Suites North on the Jamestown Campus in 2016. He was named interim director of residence life in fall 2017 and promoted to the permanent role in spring 2018.
“Living on campus, aside from convenience, gives students an opportunity to find out what living independently is like while experiencing communal living arrangements,” Silagyi said of JCC’s housing options. “Nothing against any of our competitors, but our suites offer great living spaces, and our team is around to support residents the best that we can.”
Silagyi also serves as a JCC adjunct instructor, teaching an inquiry course. After attending JCC, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from SUNY Fredonia and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.