By Kathleen Hatch
Seems we have all just about run out of patience waiting for the snow to stop (covering more of the continent than we are used to seeing), the sub-zero temperatures to warm, and airports to have fewer delays and cancelled flights. I was fortunate on my last trip to make it in and out of Boston Logan airport between storms—in reality, Boston is a city that knows how to handle more than a little snow and keep moving.
My big adventure this trip was an uneventful run along the Charles River where staying on my feet seemed a symbolic victory.
Although I enjoyed my time spent with all the staff at UMass General Hospital in September, I prefer not needing emergency services and eliminating the need for crutches altogether!!
On a serious note, I was impressed by the running community out in huge numbers as the city closes in on an important date in April.
The Boston Marathon this year will be emotional and it will be watched and supported by the global community, especially those ‘strong’ enough to even contemplate that 26.2 mile distance.
I’m confident we will have many NIRSA members running or showing their support this spring, with at least one especially good cause in the MIT Strong team which includes Tim Mertz and Stephanie Kloos, who will run to honor the legacy of the MIT police Officer Sean Collier.
NIRSA President Kathleen Hatch and her team at Washington State University celebrate Rec Day.In addition to purchasing my new runners from The Marathon Store on Boylston, it was a special trip to represent NIRSA—with newly elected NIRSA Board of Directors President-Elect Stacey Hall of the University of New Hampshire, recently appointed Annual Director to the NIRSA Board Don Stenta of The Ohio State University, and Pam Watts NIRSA’s Executive Director—at the NACA Annual Conference. We all appreciated the networking, warm hospitality, and genuine interest in strengthening connections with key partners in creating transformative experiences for students. Many members from both associations are natural collaborators and when we employ our best assets together, our influence and reach multiplies. We look forward to having the NACA leaders at our NIRSA conference in Nashville this spring as we continue to learn from each other and advance our strategic alliance.
One of our collaborative endeavors with NACA and Memorial University is the upcoming International Experiential Learning Institute. We are returning to St. John’s Newfoundland again this spring to take advantage of the lessons learned last year and enjoy one of the finest locations for experiential learning in a rich cultural backdrop. If you are ready for an extraordinary learning experience with our renowned scholar-in-residence Susan R. Komives, you’ll want to sign up soon, as registration is limited and spots will fill quickly.
I also had the good fortune to attend the Western Canada Campus Recreation Conference in Calgary last month, joined by teammate on the NIRSA Board, Chris Dawe from Mt. Royal University. It was a real treat for me to return to the University of Calgary, the place where my campus recreation career began as an undergraduate student. I was impressed to see collegiate recreation leadership in Canada continuing to emerge and discuss new ways to leverage their talents and expertise across Canada. One of my personal highlights from this trip was a few laps around the Olympic Oval, believing for a moment that we could represent our countries at the Olympics—well maybe not quite! The Board looks forward to more dialogue as NIRSA continues to evaluate the best ways to serve members in Canada; we will use these discussions to inform a framework to evaluate the priorities and opportunities of our Global Perspectives Commission.
As the snow clears and we begin to close in on all the conference activity in April, signs of spring remind us of all of the “seeds” planted during the last year, seeds that will add to our yield in the coming year, igniting new dialogue and fruitful effort. One of the many NIRSA seeds planted the last few years is our renewed commitment to a bold research and education agenda. Though this initiative has just begun, I am thrilled to see real evidence of our strategic focus shaping our professional competencies and guiding our investment in showcasing the evidence of the value of collegiate recreation. We are emerging with a more compelling story—active participation in recreational sports programs adds institutional value and a ROI to future graduates in higher education as measured in everything from academic success, to future employability, to healthy living matrices, and even to a student’s readiness to solve critical problems in society.
I’ve got on my new runners and I’m heading out for a long loop, in no better shape but looking sharp in my new trainers!
Kathleen
