The NIRSA Foundation is excited to continue its support of the NIRSA Institutional Data Set (IDS)! As many of you may know, the IDS recently opened for data collection for the 2015–2016 school year. NIRSA and the NIRSA Foundation would like to encourage your participation in our data collection efforts. By participating in the IDS, you not only improve the value of this resource for yourself but also for your colleagues within the Association.
Just one example comes from Robert Morris University where Armand Buzzelli is the Director of Recreation. Armand says, “We used the IDS to identify an appropriate student fee based on data from member institutions with similar demographics. Ultimately, the SGA voted on and passed a student fee that will be enacted in the fall of 2017. Our SGA officers appreciated the information coming from a credible national source such as NIRSA, and I felt like the IDS member data was the key information needed to get the vote to pass.”
The IDS collects relevant and salient data that members rely on to make informed decisions about their departments. Having this information readily available has been invaluable for the Association. Given its demonstrable value and benefits, we do still need your support. So participate in IDS data collection and encourage your fellow recreation professionals to participate as well. Please consider submitting your school’s data today. As a reminder, once you contribute your data, participation in future years is streamlined; previous data points are carried forward and you only need to update the information which changed from the previous year.
- For more information, please contact NIRSA Research Coordinator Ruben Guzman.
Erin Patchett, PhD., is currently the Director, Administration & Assessment for Campus Recreation at Colorado State University and the President for the NIRSA Board of Directors; you can email her at erin.patchett@colostate.edu.
