By Erin O’Sullivan and Jennifer Zamora
Presenting at a NIRSA Annual Conference is an incredible professional development experience and networking opportunity—so why haven’t you submitted a proposal yet?
Below are some of the most common reasons people hesitate to submit proposals and an explanation of why those reasons aren’t as convincing as you might think!
“I don’t have anything to present on.”
Of course you do! Have you been through a renovation lately? Planned a unique program? Trained student employees? Read exciting new research you want to dive deeper into? Observed a problem on campus you want to find a solution to? Enacted any of NIRSA Strategic Values in a new way? Your peers want to know more about what you’re doing and learning, as well as how your campus experience might mirror, complement, or spark ideas about theirs! So take this opportunity to expand your reach beyond your campus and engage your NIRSA network!
“It takes too much time to put together a proposal.”
You’ll be surprised by how much you know and how quickly it comes together once you carve out an hour of undistracted time (which, hopefully, is a bit easier to find during summer term!). You can also invite a colleague to present with you; it cuts down on the time commitment on your part and is a great excuse to reconnect!
“When I go to conference, there aren’t usually sessions offered on my specific area of interest/expertise.”
Then that’s exactly why we want to hear from you! As a member-driven association, NIRSA education events feature the content you submit. If you haven’t seen a particular topic in the past (or haven’t seen enough of it!), we’d love for you to change that by submitting your expertise and experiences to help benefit your peers!
Submit your idea now and you could be presenting at NIRSA 2015 at the Gaylord Texan!“I’ve submitted before and not been accepted.”
All sessions are reviewed by a panel of 4-12 peers, composed of Conference Program Committee members, Strategic Value Commissioners, and NIRSA community members. One piece of advice? Don’t just “show and tell” your school. Put some theory into your proposal. Think about how to use your experience as an example and then follow-up with some brainstorming time about how people can use what they would learn in your session to take action on their campuses.
“I’ve never submitted before, so I’m not sure what to do.”
NIRSA has great resources and information available on the website to help you form and submit your proposal. You can also reach out to the program committee via email or check out the NIRSA Library to see presentation materials from past events.
“What if my session doesn’t get accepted?”
Though we wish every member who applied could present, logistics dictate that inevitably some awesome submissions won’t be able to be selected for NIRSA 2015. However, submitting a proposal is not only a great way to get some practice with the submission process, but it also allows you to let the Conference Program Committee know what topics are important to the Association, which will help guide the educational content of the conference overall. A great idea might even provide fodder for later NIRSA research—such as a NIRSA Trend Research topic. You really have nothing to lose!
“Someone else will do it…”
So? If everyone thought that way, we’d never have any education sessions! NIRSA needs you! Your ideas, your energy, your expertise, your campus experiences, and your passion for collegiate recreation are what make this association what it is! Submit today and bring that amazing and unique perspective to the Gaylord Texan!
What are you waiting for? The deadline to submit is July 15!
