By Christine Haluzak

Volunteer service is among the most esteemed enterprise and value held by our Association.

NIRSA thrives because of the vital contributions of its members.

We all know fellow NIRSA Members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their volunteer service to the NIRSA community.

They’ve added significantly to collegiate recreation’s professional development—now it’s time to make a difference in theirs; nominate a NIRSA professional or student colleague for his or her outstanding contributions to the Association over this past year (May 2012 through April 2013).


Support your peers’ pursuit of professional excellence with an Annual Service Award nomination

Nominations for the NIRSA Annual Service Award (formerly the National Service Award) are due on Monday, September 16, 2013. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to recognize NIRSA colleagues and support your peers’ pursuit of professional excellence!

Nominating your colleagues really does make an impact! We caught up with several past National Service Award winners and asked them to reflect on receiving the award. Here’s what they had to say:

This award brings awareness to the high quality NIRSA events and recognition to the numerous people who were involved as committee members, faculty members, presenters and participants. The service awards are really a celebration of the event as much as recognition of an individual.

– Matt McGregor, Associate Dean of Wellness at Longwood University received the award as a professional for his exceptional leadership serving as Chair of the National School of Recreational Sports Management and dedication to enhancing the School learning objectives.

Being recognized with the National Service Award was an extraordinary moment for me. Even several months later, I cannot really put into words my feelings about how special receiving the National Service Award was. …this Award has shown me that I must be doing something right. Having peers recognize you for your contributions to NIRSA and the people we serve has been an incredibly humbling experience.

– Jeff Feldhaus, Graduate Assistant for Intramural Sports at Virginia Tech, received the award as a student for his dedication to the NIRSA Flag Football Rules Committee and significant contributions to the Flag & Touch Football Rule Book.

I was very honored to be nominated for this award. It is always great to know people are noticing the difference I am trying to make and they feel strong enough about it to nominate me for such a prestigious award. …Being nominated brings a sense of accomplishment and purpose to one’s work. A small act of gratitude goes a long way and I am happy my contributions did enough to be nominated by a colleague. Winning this award further solidified my desire to remain in the NIRSA field.

– Mark Comer, Intramural Sports Coordinator at University of South Florida, received the award as a student for his dedication to the NIRSA Flag Football Rules Committee and significant contributions to the Flag & Touch Football Rule Book.

There is no greater recognition than when a peer nominates you and then you are recognized in front of your peers… It is worth doing that for somebody who deserves the recognition. NIRSA is full of many members who are deserving.…[The award also] helped me a great deal on my own campus… [I was] invited to the Board of Trustees meeting and being recognized by the University President and the BOT…

– Jim Wilkening, Director of the Recreation and Wellness Center at University of Central Florida received the award as a professional for his exceptional service and dedication as the Chair for the NCCS Basketball work team and Tournament Director of the 2012 NCCS Basketball Tournament.

Recognition for a NIRSA member’s dedication and contributions at the national level is an honor. A colleague like you making that nomination of a fellow member makes that honor even more meaningful. So, don’t hesitate! Nominate a NIRSA professional or student member for their service today.