By Mary Callender

The 2013 Women’s Leadership Institute, presented by 18 partner associations/organizations was held December 3-6 in Amelia Island, FL.

Over 200 women leaders attended this premier educational event, including twelve NIRSA members.

The mix of attendees from many disciplines allowed for discussion and understanding of common issues experienced across the diverse spectrum of higher education.

NIRSA Board Member, and Women’s Leadership Institute presenter, Jacque Hamilton, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, echoed the benefit of working with leaders across higher education by saying, “Through learning and discussing topics that cross disciplines, attendees [gained] insight about broader issues that can help prepare leaders [for the challenges they’ll face].”

Photo tweeted by NIRSA member, Grachella Garcia (@grachellagarcia), captioned “Ready.Set.Go – learning & sharing… #wli13”

The annual Women’s Leadership Institute is comprised of four days of educational sessions, keynote speeches, and small discussion groups that provided women with the opportunity to learn more about topics integral to professional advancement, such as salary negotiation, mentoring, identifying strengths, financial competency, and benchmarking women’s leadership.

Jacque brought the values of collegiate recreation to the table through her educational session, “Be Well So We Can All Excel.” This topic was very well received, as many attendees had less specific knowledge of wellness and how healthy people and healthy communities are at the center of sustainability.

“As one of NIRSA’s representatives, presenting on the topic of wellness was a natural connection. Attendees seemed to take the wellness information to heart in how improving choices and behaviors was an investment in themselves and a responsibility to those around them,” says Jacque.

Photo tweeted by NIRSA member, Grachella Garcia (@grachellagarcia), captioned “True Nirsa fashion – “Be Well, So You Can Excel” with nirsa’s own Jacque Hamilton @NIRSAlive #wli13”

Tadu Yiman, Director of Online Learning at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (@TaduYimam), was one such attendee, tweeting in response to Jacque’s session: “Totally doable: 40 min out of 1440 min per day dedicated to my personal wellness #wli13 thanks Jacque Hamilton! @NIRSAlive #TAMUCC”

Other attendees took to Twitter to comment on Jacque’s wellness touch-points, such as sleep vs. caffeine, federal guidelines for physical wellness, and “good reads” recommendations (Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey), making it clear that Jacque’s (and NIRSA’s) contributions to this esteemed panel of women leaders did not go unnoticed.

The Institute’s curriculum featured an overall focus on building the next generation of leaders in higher education’s administration and student affairs. This year, a new aspect to helping shape this focus was the introduction of “Educators in Residence,” whose role involved facilitating break out discussion sections following each large group presentation. Attendees were able to discuss topics that might not be readily acceptable to discuss on their campus or with their colleagues, such as salary negotiation and compensation or financial planning and its advantages. NIRSA President Designee, Laurie Braden, Louisiana State University, represented NIRSA as one of the eight Educators in Residence.

Photo from Amelia Island, tweeted by NIRSA President Designee, Laurie Braden (@URecDirectorLSU).

“To have the opportunity to lead as an educator in residence, and at initial launch of this role in this dynamic institute, was a privilege. This smaller group setting, where individuals across higher education sectors could find common ground, was powerful for attendees,” Laurie says.

NIRSA has been a proud partner association of the Women’s Leadership Institute for four years. Previous years have included two institutes, one on the east coast, and one on the west coast. A more sustainable plan was instituted in 2013 with a single institute on the east coast, and the 2014 Women’s Leadership institute will be held on the west coast.