By Mary Callender

On October 26, members of the Leadership Commission met on the campus of The Ohio State University for a one day summit facilitated by Laura Osteen, Director of the Center for Leadership & Social Change at Florida State University.

Modeling our emphasis on professionals as continual learners, the outcomes for the summit were to articulate connections between collegiate recreation and various leadership theories (including the Social Change Model, the Leadership Identity Model, and the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership), as well as to set the Commission’s goals for the next year.

After a thorough review of the leadership models, which Commission members had read and analyzed in advance of the summit, Osteen and the group spent much of the afternoon discussing the language of leadership, how participants saw leadership moments in their work, how to recognize potential leaders, and what a valuable and natural role collegiate recreation has in identifying, developing, and nurturing leaders.

Leadership Commission co-chair, Don Stenta, felt that seeing the facilitated Leadership Summit in action was an opportunity to reach out to other leaders in higher education and share insight into the theory-based and dynamic conversations that shape our plans of action in campus recreation. He extended an invitation to local campus leaders from various departments on campus (a number of Ohio State University faculty, staff, and students attended from Educational Studies, Leadership Programs, Student Wellness Center, and Recreational Sports). In addition, the summit had the benefit of participating observers from our Association, including Kathleen Hatch, NIRSA President, and Stan Shingles, NIRSA President-Elect.

At the end of the day, the Commission developed a list of action items that will be refined and prioritized over the group’s upcoming teleconferences. As an action plan is developed, information will be shared with members during a town hall session at the 2014 NIRSA Annual Conference in Nashville.

In addition to the Leadership Summit on Saturday, many commission members traveled to Columbus on Friday to participate in The Ohio State University’s Centennial Celebration, honoring 100 years of collegiate recreation, keeping in mind that our field’s storied past forms the building blocks on which we will continue to move forward.

Left to right: Sadat Khan, North Carolina State University; Mary Callender, NIRSA; Gordon Nesbitt, Millersville University; Stacey Hall, University of New Hampshire; Stan Shingles, Central Michigan University; Justine Gilman, University of Southern California; Cara McFadden, Elon University; Kathleen Hatch, Washington State Universeity; Mike Weinberger, University of California, Berkeley; Don Stenta, The Ohio State University; Josh Downing, Butler University

Observers from Ohio State University included:

  • Amy Barnes, Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Studies/Higher Education and Student Affairs
  • Matt Van Jura, Assistant Director of Leadership Programs, Department of Student Life
  • James Larkus, Graduate Assistant and Wellness Coach, Student Wellness Center
  • Ashley Pryor, Graduate Assistant of Wellness Ambassador Program, Student Wellness Center
  • Brendan Greisberger, Rec Sports Assistant Director, Scholars & Campus Programs
  • Alexandra Rossmann, Rec Sports Graduate Assistant, Sports and Wellness Scholars & Campus Programs
  • Torrie Jackson, Rec Sports Graduate Assistant for Staff Training and Development
  • Beth Johnson, Rec Sports Coordinator for Student Staff Training
  • Matt Hartman, Rec Sports Assistant Director of Outdoor Adventure Center
  • Tyler Young, Rec Sports Program Coordinator, Outdoor Leadership OSU
  • Rob Jech, Rec Sports Assistant Director, Member Services & Staff Training