By Mary Callender

In 2012, the NIRSA Board of Directors constituted Commissions for four of the six Strategic Values of the Association.

The ensuing work of the Sustainable Communities, Health & Wellbeing, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, and Leadership Commissions have already helped guide many initiatives of the Association.

Higher education and more specifically collegiate recreation have been impacted by a variety of global influences, which have significantly altered the set of skills necessary to operate in today’s environment. This new reality, combined with the adoption of the Strategic Plan, has increased the Association’s desire to expand NIRSA’s presence globally. To this end, the NIRSA Board of Directors is excited to activate a fifth Commission to address issues of a Global Perspective of the Association and its members.


Bring your voice to bear on NIRSA’s Global Perspective.

The Global Perspectives Commission is looking for culturally fluent members who have practical experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • Globalization on your campus: Actively recruiting international students, utilizing campus recreation departments as an important campus partner in providing access to facilities, programs, and employment opportunities for international students
  • Personal global experience:International background/experiences that have created personal learning opportunities that can be shared to the benefit of a broader audience
  • NIRSA outreach around the world: Exporting our NIRSA expertise about the value of collegiate recreation, as well as knowhow about the “how to” of programs, facilities, student development, etc., combined with an ability to understand and navigate cultural differences

Our Association benefits from robust member engagement, participation, and leadership. Serving on this new commission will provide members with an opportunity to further develop professional skills while simultaneously networking with colleagues across the country.

If you are interested in serving on the NIRSA Global Perspective Commission, please submit an application by Monday, September 16, 2013.