The NIRSA Foundation Board and NIRSA Board members visit Headquarters

Each year, incoming members of the NIRSA Board of Directors visit NIRSA Headquarters for an annual orientation. This year, Headquarters also hosted our first NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors orientation, which included all Board members. These orientations introduce Board members to their new roles as well as to Headquarters staff, and helped them learn how to uphold their fiduciary duties to the Association.

NIRSA Foundation Board orientation and meeting

Relationship building, orientation, and a face-to-face formal Board meeting were the three defining goals of the NIRSA Foundation Board‘s first full-Board visit to NIRSA Headquarters.

NIRSA Foundation President Eric Stein, Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Physical Education, Recreation, and Wellness at Stanford University, explains that “the NIRSA Foundation is about action on behalf of our membership. By connecting eye-to-eye, we are able to connect and move agenda items forward that will benefit NIRSA and that would have never happened over the phone.”

The visit started in Eugene on April 24 with a tour of the University of Oregon’s Student Recreation Center, which received the NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award in 2016 for the facility’s expansion and renovation. Visiting Eugene had the added bonus of giving Board members a sense of the everyday lives of Headquarters staff as several Headquarters staff, including NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts, live in Eugene and commute to NIRSA Headquarters in Corvallis.

Throughout the NIRSA HQ visit from April 25–27, the Board members met with each Headquarters department to introduce themselves and to hear the goals and duties of each team. To encourage community outside of the office, Board and staff members attended a salmon barbeque on April 25 hosted by Corvallis citizen, NIRSA Foundation Board member and Past President, NIRSA Past President, and NIRSA Honor Award recipient Tom Kirch. “Not only was it good and important to meet with NIRSA Foundation Board members, but it was wonderful to meet and connect with the entire HQ Staff,” Eric says. “The Board dinner at Tom Kirch’s house was a special evening of connection for all.”

NIRSA Headquarters enlisted the guidance of the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship, a local nonprofit organization, to empower and orient Board members regarding their legal fiduciary roles, rights, and responsibilities as nonprofit board members. Later, NIRSA Director of Philanthropy Kim Holmes led a discussion about culture and money, which encouraged Board members to identify and consider how a lifetime of experiences related to money impacts how, why, and when donors choose to make donations.

During its official Board meetings, the NIRSA Foundation Board discussed committee appointments and Board recruitment strategies with the goal of expanding NIRSA Foundation Board and committee demographics to better reflect membership. “We continued to talk about making the NIRSA Foundation Board more focused on strategic planning rather than on event-management activities as has been the case in the past,” Eric explains. Board members also reviewed their 2017 Annual Giving Plan and identified strategic priorities regarding member outreach, donor stewardship, and fundraising initiatives.

NIRSA Board orientation

Visiting NIRSA Board members included President Bill Crockett of the University of Maryland at Baltimore, President Elect Leah Hall Dorothy of Oregon State University, At-Large Director Kristy Caldwell of Texas State University, and Annual Director Jocelyn Hill of American University. Board members arrived in Eugene, Oregon on the afternoon of May 7. They then met with some NIRSA Headquarters staff members who live in Eugene—including NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts—for a short tour of the University of Oregon’s rec facilities. Board members arrived at NIRSA Headquarters in Corvallis on May 8. They left Corvallis the afternoon of May 9 to meet with rest of the NIRSA Board for the Spring Board Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

After a group photo and tour of NIRSA Headquarters on May 8, the Board moved into higher-level strategic meetings, covering topics such as Board operations and mechanics and NIRSA’s Strategic Plan.

For the first time, incoming Board members presented to NIRSA Headquarter staff about Student Development Theory. In Student Development Theory, students are regarded holistically, with all realms of wellbeing—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—considered. Board members referred to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, explaining how college campuses use the model to address students’ needs. They also cited examples of how they applied these student development concepts on their own campus rec centers.

Board members also met individually with departments at Headquarters. Each department that presented had the chance to explain their function within the Association. These meetings allowed Board members to make a tangible connection between their governance work and the day-to-day workflow of Headquarters staff. It also let them gain knowledge about the purposes of NIRSA’s many departments. Their meeting with the Membership Department, for example, provided Board members with a demographic overview of NIRSA’s membership, information regarding NIRSA’s Research Agenda, and also explored the two big membership initiatives: Canada and small programs. This information was especially useful to Board members as they will continue to support our new Canadian Region through their roles.

Being face-to-face at NIRSA Headquarters also allowed Board members to get a taste of NIRSA Headquarters’ culture and foster collaborative relationships. Board Orientation is always a positive introductory experience for incoming NIRSA Board members. It builds community, informs Board members about Headquarters operations, and provides them with crucial context regarding their new roles.