Oh, the places we have gone!

By Stan Shingles, 2015-2016 NIRSA President, Assistant Vice President at Central Michigan University

As I prepare my final entry in the NIRSA President’s Notes leadership blog, I do so reflecting on a simply outstanding year for the Association. This has been a tremendous journey as the NIRSA President this past year, but one that I truly shared with our members. The successes of NIRSA this past year are the fruits of the great work of our members, in support of the profession.

In my April post, I mentioned how I find inspiration from the many experiences I have with my fellow members. This post has been inspired by, Paul Wesselman—a.k.a. The Ripples Guy. Many of you may be familiar with Paul, as he has been an invited speaker at past conferences (including this year’s) and a great partner of NIRSA.

Every Monday, Paul delivers a brief, inspirational message to those who subscribe to his “Ripples” email list—it’s free to join, so I encourage you all to sign up today. In Paul’s recent message titled, “The Journey of Un-Becoming,” Paul’s “Pebble” states, “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.”

This message resonated with me because I believe it is reflective of my own experiences this year as NIRSA President and truly captures the essence of this journey. Finding something that is bigger than the self is one of life’s greatest challenges. And it’s a challenge that I certainly encountered throughout this past year.

When my term as the 2015-2016 NIRSA President began last May, I titled my first post “Oh, The Places You Will Go!” The reference to the Dr. Seuss classic has been a consistent theme for my Presidents Notes this past year, and one that I shared with our membership at every opportunity that presented itself. Reflecting back on my early posts, I thought a look back might be a fitting way to bookend this term. So, I’ve updated my initial message from one year ago, adding details of things that happened along the way—a travel log of “The Places We Have Gone!”

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

Recently, our NIRSA journey took more than 2,600 collegiate recreation professionals and students, and 650+ representatives of the 172 exhibiting companies to Kissimmee, FL for the 67^th NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition. This year’s conference—with its theme “A Strong Core, A Bright Future”—allowed attendees to focus on the association’s strategic values, exchange ideas and experiences, while simultaneously engaging in four days of meaningful professional, personal, and social development.

Dr. Cara McFadden, the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference Program Chair along with the rest of the Annual Conference Program Committee delivered an educational, entertaining, and innovative program. The outstanding addresses delivered by the likes of Clint Smith, Dennis Snow, Paul Wesselman, Dr. Susan Komives, and many others were highlights of this year’s conference and challenged all attendees to reflect in ways that challenged their comfort levels and encouraged professional and personal growth.

The Florida sunshine energized and motivated members for an active and engaged four days of learning, discovering and interacting. Jim Wilkening, Host Committee Chair, and Director, Recreation and Wellness at the University of Central Florida, was in charge of the weather, and I must say, well done, Jim. The annual NIRSA “Family Reunion” was in full effect, and what a reunion it was!

While the full recap of the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference is available online, special congratulations and thanks go out to all of the 2016 NIRSA award recipients, conference attendees, presenters and volunteers, and the NIRSA Headquarters staff for making this year’s conference a tremendous success. More than 850 new members or first-time attendees made it to Kissimmee this year; I hope their experiences inspire them to attend future conferences and contribute to the future success of the profession.

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

I would like to offer my congratulations to this year’s NIRSA Honor Award recipient Mick Deluca, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Life at UCLA. Mick is truly an outstanding, innovative, and selfless NIRSA leader. Mick’s contributions to NIRSA and to the collegiate recreation profession are immeasurable, and it was a real pleasure watching Mick share this honor with family, colleagues, and friends! Well done, Mick and congratulations on this well deserved honor.

I would like to thank the 2015-2016 Board of Directors for their outstanding work leading the Association forward. The NIRSA Board worked tirelessly to extend the momentum of NIRSA’s strategic initiatives and to refresh the Association’s strategic plan to keep the work of NIRSA moving in the right direction and at a steady pace. The Board’s ability to prioritize, deliver, and measure the work of the Association is certainly a highlight of the good work we have done this past year.

Our work and the work of hundreds of other volunteer leaders will allow NIRSA to continue its strategic approach to realizing the mission, vision, and values of our Association. The work of commissions, task forces, and committees—alongside the continued efforts of the Member Network—in connecting the members and elevating the profession is commendable.

“You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

Strategic partnerships with Special Olympics, NASPA, the NCAA, and the other higher education associations are initiatives that will position the Association for years to come.

After a successful fundraising campaign at the Annual Conference, the NIRSA Foundation has shared a newfound direction that will yield incredible results Meanwhile, the NIRSA Services Corporation continues its efforts to support the many initiatives that have been prioritized in their work and the delivery of an outstanding 2016 NIRSA National Basketball Championships at Ohio State University is just an example of the continued contribution of the NSC.

The NIRSA Board has also prioritized finding a path for Canada to become a distinct NIRSA region–more details about this initiative will be shared through the NIRSA news in the weeks to come. The ability of NIRSA to more fully engage its historic roots with HBCU’s has also been prioritized and more details about the activation of a task force to spearhead this work will also be shared over the coming weeks.

These examples showcase the sustainable work of ongoing boards to realize great outcomes for the Association.

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

I would like to thank the many members and partners for an incredible year. As I traveled this year on behalf of NIRSA, members met me with great enthusiasm, kindness, and sincere engagement. Your hospitality, active feedback, and involvement in our Association is simple remarkable.

As ever, our future continues to be made bright by the intentional development of the future generation of NIRSA leaders. I urge you to lean in to the many incredible experiences NIRSA has to offer.

NIRSA’s future is bright as ever as 2016-2017 NIRSA President Stacey Hall takes the helm. I encourage you all to provide her with the same support, feedback, and active involvement that you showed me and that has become a hallmark of our Association. I wish you all well, and look forward to our ongoing and treasured relationships!

Thank you again for this wonderful and transformative experience.