Celebrating 75 years of NIRSA!

This year, we’ve been proud to celebrate 75 years of NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation—75 years of building community, inspiring wellbeing, and developing leaders through collegiate recreation.

Our in-person celebrations kicked off at the 2025 Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference, which took place in the days leading up to the official anniversary of NIRSA’s founding (February 22), and it was the perfect place for party hats, treats, and reflection on where we came from, where we are, and where we are going. We have also been celebrating NIRSA’s consistency and strength as an organization continues because of our current members.

Throughout the year, we have been featuring “75 Humans of NIRSA,” showcasing a random selection of current professional members at various points in their careers and in their membership tenure in the association. You can find these on all NIRSA social media channels.

Memorable moments

The in-person celebrations picked back up during the 2025 NIRSA Conference & Campus Rec Expo, where members from across the association came together to honor this incredible milestone. The conference was filled with positive energy, inspiring stories, and heartfelt gratitude—a reflection of how far we’ve come since our founding in 1950. Together, we looked back on the innovations and people who shaped our profession, savored the experiences in Orlando, and looked forward to the exciting future of recreation and wellness in higher education.

We’ve continued to recognize this milestone throughout the fall at regional and state gatherings and specialty-area institutes, bringing NIRSA members together to recognize our shared legacy and the passion that continues to drive our work. Each event is an opportunity to reflect on how recreation connects us—across campuses, communities, and generations. As we celebrate this 75th anniversary, we’re reminded that NIRSA’s greatest strength is its people: the professionals, students, and partners who bring our values to life every day. Together, we’ve created a movement that champions inclusion, leadership, and wellbeing for all.

Thank you to the committee volunteers who drove the vision for the various ways we have celebrated this year.

• Mick Deluca, Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Life at UCLA
• Jocelyn Hill, Associate Athletic Director, Recreation and Aquatic Facilities at American University
• Marcus Jackson, Director of Rec Sports at Michigan State University
• Andy Lemons, Director of Programs at the University of Texas – Austin
• Tiffany Lomax, Director of Wellbeing & Programs at the University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Deanna Main, Senior Coordinator of Aquatics at the University of Colorado Boulder
• Jean McClellan-Holt, Associate Director for Recreation Programs & Wellness at Old Dominion University
• Kelly Shorter, Associate Director- Facilities, Operations, Reservations and Student Development at Penn State University-Main Campus
• Mirum Washington-White, Athletics Director & Faculty at St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic School
• Jason Wright, Programmer, Sports Clubs, Martial Arts, Racquet Sports & Special Events at the University of Victoria

Help the NIRSA Foundation finish its milestone campaign strong

With just a few weeks left in 2025, there is still time to help the NIRSA Foundation meet its $300,000 fundraising goal. We are just a smidge shy of our goal so if you haven’t donated yet, please do so by the end of the year! Donations can be designated to a strategic priority fund (health & wellbeing, advocacy & research, or workforce development), to any endowment, or the NIRSA Foundation general fund. All individual gifts are matched up to $75,000.

Thanks to everyone who has donated this year! As we head into 2026, here’s to 75 years of NIRSA—and to the next 75 years of growth, innovation, and community through recreation! Thanks also to the 75th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign Committee:

• Suzi Smith, Chair, Director at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• Drake Belt, Associate Director, Facility and Safety Operations at the University of Arizona
• Darcy Bingham, Retired from the University of California-San Diego
• Bill Crockett, Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Liz Henry, Associate Director Recreation at the University of California-San Diego
• Deb Johnson, PhD, Executive Director Recreation and Wellbeing, University of California – Davis
• Therese Kennedy, Director Recreation Sports & Facilities at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater
• Laura Monroe, Director of the Campus Recreation at the University of Texas at San Antonio
• Chris Muller, Associate Director The University of Texas at Arlington
• Seneca Wilson, Director of Recreation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Stay tuned to NIRSA news and @NIRSAlive social media channels for spotlights on legacy contributors and important milestones in NIRSA history, thanks to NIRSA's History and Legacy Committee:

• Silvia Chan, co-chair, Senior Associate DirectorUniversity of Connecticut
• Mark Williams, co-chair, Director of RecSports at the University of Notre Dame
• Cierra Abbott, Sales Executive for Innosoft Fusion
• Bill Crockett, Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Dakota Francoeur, Intramural Sports Coordinator at Grand Valley State University
• Tom Kirch, retired from Oregon State University
• Kevin Marbury, retired from the University of Oregon
• JC Miller, Assistant Director, Outdoor Recreation at Louisiana State University
• Moe McGonagle, Senior Consultant for Centers LLC
• Kayla Oloffson, Student Engagement & Outreach Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame
• Stan Shingles, retired from Central Michigan University