In the fall of 2018, NIRSA and the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) collaborated to conduct an initial scan of the current and desired state of esports on college campuses. The joint task force continued this past year with the charge to develop and provide resources to members. The task force created these resources to help members continue to navigate the fast-paced world of esports on campus.
If you’re new to the realm of esports or looking to find out what someone else is doing in their programming, the task force created an esports experts directory, an esports terminology guide, and a document titled “Top 10 Things to Know When Starting an Esports Program.” These resources are available in the NIRSA Esports Community on Connect.
Since the task force has completed its charges, the NIRSA Board of Directors agreed with the recommendation from task force co-chair Laurie Klein, Director of Recreational Sports at the University of North Texas, to sunset this joint task force as of May 1, 2020. The Esports Task Force allowed NIRSA and NACA to effectively collaborate with one another, and NIRSA members on the task force truly appreciated the ability to work with NACA members. The NIRSA Board of Directors, on behalf of the membership, sincerely thank the volunteers from both associations who devoted their time and talent to leading NIRSA’s work in this newly emerging area.
NIRSA will continue to evaluate its support of esports and encourage our members to share their best practices. To stay connected to what members are currently doing with their esports programs and to learn how to approach the realities of an esports environment, check out the Ideas in Motion esports roundtables.
A huge thank you to all the Esports Task Force members!
- Laurie Klein, CRSS, University of North Texas – Co-Chair
- Courtney James, DePaul University (NACA member) – Co Chair
- Garrett Larson, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
- Matt Grimm, Stevenson University
- Chris Allison, Geex, Inc.
- David Kirk, University of Akron
- Shelley Bannish, Centralia College (NACA member)
- Luke Trotz, Saint Francis University (NACA member)
- Kim Bruemmer, North Dakota State University (NACA member)
- Rich Ramos, Simpson College (NACA member)
- Sarah Leskovec, NIRSA Member Relations Manager
- For more information, please contact NIRSA Member Relations Manager Sarah Leskovec.
Laura E. Klein, CRSS is currently the Director at the University of North Texas. She is Chair of the NIRSA/NACA Esports Task Force.
Sarah Leskovec is currently the Director of Membership & Leadership at NIRSA.
