By Laurie Braden, 2014-2015 NIRSA President

What have you done today—this very day—to position yourself to learn, to play, and ultimately to succeed tomorrow? Many of us work in higher education because we are committed to challenging students to achieve their highest levels of intellectual and personal development. At Louisiana State University’s UREC, we believe firmly in the mission of our institution and that the LSU UREC vison—Learn|Play|Succeed—is integral in helping students achieve their educational goals.

If you have not considered the value of your work as integral to the lives of students, I encourage you to explore the idea. New research, sponsored by NIRSA and supported by the NIRSA Foundation’s generous donors, might give you some food for thought and help you apply this thinking to your daily work and beyond.

Much like the visions of our own campus’ departments, NIRSA too is about learning, playing, and succeeding. As a member-driven association, NIRSA’s volunteer leadership and the team at NIRSA HQ are committed to providing a diverse range of quality opportunities for our members to learn. The Association is strengthened as it provides meaningful opportunities for members to apply new skills through roles in volunteer service.

We also make it a point to take time out to play together. Whether it is by participating in a Fun Run, getting out for a charitable golf outing, lending a hand in the annual service project, or any of the other great preconference opportunities or networking socials at the NIRSA Annual Conference—play is the vehicle through which we as collegiate recreation professionals activate our values.

Learning and playing are the double-helix of the campus recreation DNA that brings individually successes to life and allows our Association to succeed collectively.

At times we experience obstacles to our success. Whether we face procrastination, bureaucracy, illness, or the reckoning of our own past choices to take on one or two too many tasks, we eventually come to realize that balance in our lives—and the ability to learn from our experiences—can be catalysts that enable us to reset ourselves on a course for success.

I confess that over the last three years, between my role as the Director at LSU UREC, my role as NIRSA President, and—beyond these—my roles in everyday life, I have at times struggled with maintaining balance. Yet I am ever-grateful for an association that is grounded in shared governance, keeping us moving forward together.

The great thing about our Association is that we understand and embrace the concept of “TEAM”—Together Everyone Achieves More. To that end, we inspire collective success. Through the work of many committees, commissions and task force members, we continue to propel NIRSA forward, beyond the role of any one individual.

When I reflect upon LSU URECs vision of “Learn | Play | Succeed,” I see evidence of it in NIRSA’s work as well:

Learn

  • Mark your calendars! The early bird registration deadline for NIRSA 2015 is set for February 18—don’t miss your chance to learn with over 2,500 dedicated students and professionals in the field of campus recreation.
  • The School of Collegiate Recreation sold out in less than 40 minutes of its online registration opening. Appetite for this event shows that NIRSA professionals are dedicated to getting better at what they do and how they do it.
  • The Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference is scheduled for Feb 20–22. This professional development experience is intended specifically for students and young professionals.

Play

Succeed

In health,
Laurie & Molly dog