By Stan Shingles, Assistant Vice President at Central Michigan University

Writing to you for the first time as NIRSA President, I’m mindful of NIRSA’s recent accomplishments, its talented leadership and active member engagement, and the considerable challenges facing our profession and our association. As I reflect on these opportunities, assets, and obstacles, I’m reminded of a classic that often receives renewed interest each year around this time, as graduates turn their tassels and make their way into the world: Oh, The Places You’ll Go…

I believe this popular children’s book by Dr. Seuss also carries meaning that can be used as a compass for our many shared journeys in NIRSA.

“You’re off to great places! You’re off and away!”

Most recently, our NIRSA journey took more than 3,200 collegiate recreation professionals, students, and exhibitors to Grapevine, Texas for the 66th NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition. This year’s conference—with its theme “Moving Our Values Forward”—allowed attendees to focus on the association’s strategic values, exchange ideas and experiences, and engage in four days of meaningful professional, personal, and social development. The annual NIRSA “Family Reunion” was in full effect!

Congratulations and thanks go out to all of the award winners, conference attendees, presenters and volunteers, and the NIRSA Headquarters staff for making this year’s conference a tremendous success. More than 780 new members/first-time attendees made it to Grapevine this year, and I hope their experiences inspire them to attend future conferences and engage with colleagues the same way my first conference experience did.

“You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.”

I would like to offer my special congratulations to this year’s NIRSA Honor Award Winner Maureen “Moe” McGonagle, who I love dearly and am so very proud of. Much of my own NIRSA journey been closely aligned with Moe’s, so it was a unique pleasure for me to witness—up close and personal—the lasting legacy of a true servant-leader in our association.

As I stated at the Annual Meeting of the Members in Texas, the “blur-and-swirl” of our strategic values and the overlap of our many leadership initiatives has positioned NIRSA to move forward at a high-level of leadership. Continuing to move our values forward will be important as we work together to advance our profession, and build a better association for the benefit of the communities that we all serve. NIRSA’s work is never complete. Similarly, your Board of Directors’ work will continue in accordance with the association’s strategic plan, as a continuation of the work of past NIRSA Boards.

I would like to thank last year’s Board of Directors for their outstanding work in leading the association forward. President Laurie Braden, At-Large Directors Alex Accetta and Tony Daniels, and other Board members deserve our thanks for an outstanding job building the momentum of NIRSA’s strategic initiatives as they progressed in the right direction and at a steady pace.

“You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

With the recent changes to the NIRSA Bylaws adopted by members, the 2015-2016 Board transitioned into its new term of service on May 1. But our current governance model means that this fixed date does not precipitate the beginning of a new cycle of work; the current Board will continue ongoing work, building on a strong foundation of great accomplishments and significant achievements.

The NIRSA strategic plan, our compass, has hit the mid-point of its intended scope, and in the coming year the Board will take a deep dive into this plan to update and re-articulate what’s next for our Association’s priorities. This work will allow NIRSA to continue its strategic approach to realizing the mission, vision, and values of the association.

NIRSA 2015’s closing general session speaker Paul Wesselman, a.k.a., the Ripples Guy, (NIRSA loves you too, Paul) asked us during his keynote address to examine and focus our efforts moving our values forward by asking ourselves these three questions:

  • What is it time to let go of?
  • What will be important to hold on to?
  • What could be useful to look forward to?

Paul’s message can be applied to the overall strategic direction of NIRSA and the Board’s goals for 2015-2016. As we take our deep dive into the strategic plan, these three questions will help to guide our focus.

“Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.”

While new opportunities are sure to emerge out of those discussions, leadership development will continue to be a focal point for the upcoming year. A taskforce of leading members has been appointed and charged with examining the development of the association’s leadership pipeline and make recommendations to ensure that NIRSA continues to support the development of its future leaders.

Leadership development in NIRSA needs to be purposeful, strategic, and outcome–oriented. Evidence that the association is on the right trajectory can be seen in the high interest of NIRSA members to volunteer their service. NIRSA volunteer leadership continues to engage members at a very high level.

“Bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.”

Appointing members to committees for the upcoming year was both a rewarding and challenging experience for me. Over 300 members sought volunteer experiences, expressing their interest to offer their service on committees or work teams for NIRSA, the NIRSA Foundation, and the NSC. The top-quality of the applications and the sheer volume of members requesting opportunities to serve the association again exceeded the number of available opportunities. It is a challenge, but it’s a challenge that continues to underscore the interest of members to experience meaningful volunteer leadership positions in the association.

“Ready for anything under the sky.”

The NIRSA Annual Conference is always an exciting and rewarding time to bring the many members of the association together. We again will be under one roof, as we take the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition to the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL.

The 2016 conference theme, “A Strong Core, A Bright Future,” underscores a continued focus on the core competencies for the profession and will help us focus on our core strengths as an association, as volunteer leaders, and as collegiate recreation professionals. The future of collegiate recreation is indeed bright, and highlighting this in our theme helps to reinforce for us the belief that we can accomplish anything.

The 2016 NIRSA Conference Program Committee has been charged with creating a dynamic, fun, and educational conference program that will continue building on our great tradition of excellent conference program delivery (read more about leaving things better than you found them in Stephanie McAlpine’s most recent entry in the NIRSA Championship Series leadership blog)!

Mark your calendars today for the 67th NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition, April 3-6, 2016!

Oh, the places WE will go…

As WE continue our NIRSA journey together, I would like to take the liberty of extending on Dr. Seuss’s classic just a bit and say, Oh, the places WE will go! We will take this journey together, as active and engaged members and professionals. As a member, you are an integral part in helping to chart our association’s course. The ideas that become the work of the association are developed in all corners of NIRSA. The Assembly; the Member Network; committees; commissions; work teams; workshops, student lead ons, and conferences; State, Provincial, and regional events; and myriad other NIRSA experiences all help to define who we are, what we value, and how we will continue our growth as a profession and as an association.

What a great association NIRSA is; ours is an organization defined by the many leaders and the active engagement of our many members. This organization is not about one single leader, or even group of leaders. It is the associations’ collective talents, leadership, and knowledge that will move NIRSA forward.

When I think of our next chapter in the NIRSA journey, I remember this favorite passage from the Dr. Seuss classic:

“You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?”

As the Board prepares to explore “what is it time to let go of? What will be important to hold on to? And what could be useful to look forward to?” I am inspired to think how much we stand to win.

I hope you will follow the conversation and (like Scott Flickinger at Boston University said) add your voice to the conversation, as we take this journey together through this year, by following and tweeting me using the @NIRSAPresident Twitter handle.

Oh, the places WE will go!

Be well!