This schedule is subject to change. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Tuesday, June 20

Social
  • Tuesday, June 20 • 1:30pm – 6:30pm
  • Lobby
This activity will involve visiting the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center or the Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium. Both locations are near each other which give attendees the choice between the two without having to go at a separate time. Lunch is on your own, dinner will be included.

Wednesday, June 21

Registration
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 8:00am – 9:45am
  • Pre-Function
Keynote
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 10:00am – 11:15am
  • Ballroom North
Whitey’s keynote address, “To Chase A Dream,” tells the inspirational story of his journey from a walk-on player to team captain of the #1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers Division I soccer team. He will weave his six principles of success into the story and discuss incorporating those principles into our everyday lives as we strive to be the best we can be. Whitey will also demonstrate the tremendous impact that being a student-athlete had on his life and the fact that, regardless of the level of competition (Division I, club, intramural), the love of the game at the collegiate level can be a powerful launching pad for the next step in our professional journeys.
Social
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 11:30am – 1:30pm
  • Ballroom South
  • Mandy Madden, University of Notre Dame
The Lunch Bunch is a great opportunity to network with fellow institute attendees. Lunch will follow the Welcome & Keynote address and will be served buffet style. The Lunch Bunch will start with a group activity followed by the opportunity to connect with students and professionals at tables. On your conference name badge you will notice a sticker that when you walk into the ballroom will match up with tables labeled with the same stickers. A list of conversation topics and questions will be located at each table. • Food and table discussion: about 30 minutes • Stand Up, Sit Down Diversity Activity: about 10 minutes • Mix & Mingle/Activity about three 10 minute sessions: about 30 minutes • Free time: about 45-50 minutes (restroom, hotel check in, etc.)
Risk and Safety Management; Student Development
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 1:30pm – 2:30pm
  • Ballroom North
  • Ilana Obuchowski, Tulane University of Louisiana; Tommy Otterbine, Virginia Commonwealth University
Dealing with infractions and helping students navigate issues is nothing new for sport club professionals; however, are we prepared to handle the complexities of increasingly-reported Title IX violations? Expand your knowledge of Title IX, identify key issues that sport club organizations experience, understand resources available at your institution, and learn how to better educate and train your student leaders as well as your professional and student staff about Title IX.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager), Senior Manager
Core Competencies: Programming; Philosophy & Theory; Legal Liabilities & Risk Management; Research & Evaluation
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify common Title IX issues that sport club organizations may experience.
  2. Create processes and procedures that will empower students to report Title IX violations.
  3. Learn how to partner with departments on your campus and utilize resources to educate both student leaders and your sport club staff.
Student Development; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 1:30pm – 2:30pm
  • Sequoia
  • Dexter Shorter, The Ohio State University
Sport club programs are often low-performing due to a lack of resources, struggling leadership, and little to no guidance from coaches and advisors. As educators, we know that there is more to a successful college experience than midterms and research papers. The reality is that we tend to measure student success primarily in terms of academic performance and persistence towards graduation. However, sport club programs offer a perfect platform for leadership and student development beyond the classroom. In this session, you will learn how to spot the barely surviving clubs and transform them into successful clubs that contribute to an extraordinary sport club athlete experience.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Programming; Philosophy & Theory; Personal & Professional Qualities
Learning Objectives:
  1. Learn how to provide guidance, advice, and a vision to sport club programs that will push them to thrive as student organizations.
  2. Identify best practices in sport club program leadership and supervision to promote organizational health and longevity.
  3. Learn strategies for leadership training and establishing a strong foundation for clubs to be successful; learn the five pillars of thriving clubs.
Student Development
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 2:45pm – 3:45pm
  • Ballroom North
  • Jean Holt, Old Dominion University; Ryan Bradshaw, George Mason University; Kristen Drapp LaFleur, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Does the term “assessment” make you sweat? Have you heard about it before but don’t know where to start to implement it? Don’t worry, this session will cover the basics of assessment and get you on your way. Participants will learn about different assessment techniques used by peer institutions, including examples of both quantitative and qualitative assessment projects that can be easily replicated. Participants will also learn about resources available to them through NIRSA and their own campuses to help them get on the assessment bandwagon.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Research & Evaluation
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify the differences between quantitative and qualitative assessment methods.
  2. Identify at least two resources that can assist you in completing assessment projects on your campus.
  3. Learn how to formulate a targeted question for a focus group.
Risk and Safety Management; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 2:45pm – 3:45pm
  • Sequoia
  • Justin Waters, East Carolina University; Hannah Roberts, East Carolina University
Sport clubs are inherently-risky undertakings; however, as collegiate recreational professionals, we are in the business of managing this risk on a daily basis. From concussions to travel plans, this presentation will look at what is being done at East Carolina University regarding sport club risk. It will also discuss how you can modify the presented information to meet the needs of your campus culture.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Legal Liabilities & Risk Management
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify three large-scale risk associated with sport club programs.
  2. Identify technology in our field that helps manage these associated risk.
  3. Identify three strategies that you can modify and use with your respective programs.
Roundtable
  • Wednesday, June 21 • 4:15pm – 5:15pm
  • Ballroom North
  • Ashley Lax, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Mike Forbes, Duke University; Matt Grimm, Stevenson University; JR Rathjens, The Ohio State University
What is your club culture? Topics discussed in this roundtable will be centered around club classification within your institute; recreational vs. competitive programs; recruitment and retention; and student leadership development.

Thursday, June 22

Registration
  • Thursday, June 22 • 7:00am – 8:00am
  • Pre-Function
Event Management; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Thursday, June 22 • 8:00am – 9:00am
  • Ballroom North
  • Ryan Bradshaw, George Mason University; Merrissa Vault, George Mason University
Varsity athletics do well to advertise for their teams on campus, is it too much to do the same for Sport clubs? Sport club programs, unlike varsity programs, serve the majority of student population on campus and often go unknown and unacknowledged to the student body due to lack of marketing and promotional strategies. Learn various marketing strategies to promote your sport club program on campus to help aid in recruitment and retention.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Programming; Business Management
Learning Objectives:
  1. Explain what benefits sport clubs provide to students on campus.
  2. Identify and explain at least onemarketing/promotional strategy that will benefit your program.
  3. Identify at least one way to recruitand retain sport club members.
Student Development; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Thursday, June 22 • 8:00am – 9:00am
  • Sequoia
  • Brooke Cochran, University of Arkansas; Shelby Hutchens, University of Arkansas
As campus recreation professionals, we see the benefits that our programming has on students on a daily basis. So it’s become clear that research and evaluation need to solidify campus recreation’s place on college campuses and in academia. This presentation will discuss student motivation as it pertains to involvement with a club sports advisory board. Research conducted over a five-month period helped the University of Arkansas’ club sports department better understand the motivations and needs of its advisory board regarding engagement and development. By understanding students’ motivations and needs, other club sports programs across the country can structure their programming so that it adequately engages student leadership in club sports programs.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Philosophy & Theory; Research & Evaluation
Learning Objectives:
  1. Be able to articulate and apply the self-determination theory.
  2. Identify strategies and opportunities to improve student involvement, motivation, and engagement in club sport advisory councils.
  3. Be able to discuss options and formulate strategies to implement effective structures and programming into your club sport advisory councils.
Student Development; Event Management
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Thursday, June 22 • 9:15am – 10:15am
  • Ballroom North
  • Mandy Madden, University of Notre Dame
Are you looking to add sport club officer trainings to your program? Are you looking for ideas on how to format trainings to be more efficient? In this session, you will learn about the different types of trainings officers need for optimal student development as well as how to format your trainings to be as effective as possible. Through discussion and planning, you will be able to walk away from this session with an outline of how to enhance your officer trainings.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Programming; Legal Liabilities & Risk Management
Learning Objectives:
  1. Learn how important sport club officer trainings are for developing leaders within your sport club program.
  2. Learn about three different training formats that you can use, each with its positives and negatives, to structure your sport club officer trainings.
  3. Compose a budget and an outline for your next sport club officer training.
Risk and Safety Management; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Thursday, June 22 • 9:15am – 10:15am
  • Sequoia
  • Paul Bazzano, George Mason University; Ryan Bradshaw, George Mason University; Ariana Moran, Old Dominion University; Wendy Sheppard, University of Richmond
Athletic training has become a hot topic in the world of competitive sports, specifically surrounding risk management and legal liability. Presenters from George Mason University (public), the University of Richmond (private), and Old Dominion University (public) will outline how they have been able to incorporate athletic training services on their campuses. The benefits and challenges of contracted (George Mason) versus in-house athletic training services (Richmond and ODU) will be discussed, as will steps to implement a concussion management program on your campus.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager), Senior Manager
Core Competencies: Programming; Legal Liabilities & Risk Management
Learning Objectives:
  1. Learn how an athletic training program can be incorporated utilizing contracted or in-house services.
  2. Identify the benefits and challenges of contracted and in-house athletic training services.
  3. Understand the steps for a successful return to the classroom and play following a concussion.
Financial Management
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Thursday, June 22 • 10:45am – 11:45am
  • Ballroom North
  • Andrea Snead, University of Central Florida; Brittney Blazicek, University of Central Florida
Developing a fair and equitable way to allocate funding often depends on the size of your institution and budget. Whether you have a large budget or a small one, this session will assist with helping you develop best practices for your allocating needs.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Programming
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify two ways your area currently allocates funding resources.
  2. List three criteria to consider when allocating funding to clubs.
Panel
  • Thursday, June 22 • 10:45am – 11:45am
  • Sequoia
  • Mario Rios, Texas State University; Carrie Grieser , USA Archery; Krista Henehan, USA Climbing; Brandon Lawrence, National Collegiate Table Tennis Association; Emily Palmer, USA Cycling; Daniel Sharadin, Collegiate Water Polo Association
Sport Governing Bodies (SGBs) are continuing to grow, and have made it clear that they will be around for the future. What is the scope of their responsibility on the scheduling of leagues and the balance home vs. away games? Why do fee’s continue to increase, and where is the money going? There is a need for setting new standards of eligibility, in order to create a clear and consistent message across the board. This roundtable is an open forum combined with small table discussion—will feature representatives from NGBs around the country answering these questions as well as any others attendees may have.
Social
  • Thursday, June 22 • 11:45am – 12:15pm
  • Ballroom North
Represent your school and clubs by participating in the Sport Club Institute T-Shirt Exchange. All you have to do is bring one – or a few – t-shirts from your various campus recreation events or programs and exchange them with colleagues!
Roundtable
  • Thursday, June 22 • 1:45pm – 2:45pm
  • Ballroom North
  • Ashley Lax, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amanda Pennino, Duke University
What are fundraising ideas and options for clubs? How do other institutions handle budget allocations? What are aspects to consider when hosting a home event? This roundtable will touch on these questions and more regarding aspects of club financial and event management.
Panel
  • Thursday, June 22 • 1:45pm – 2:45pm
  • Sequoia
  • Jenny Larson, Elon University; Brooke Cochran, University of Arkansas; Randall Ford, University of Texas, Austin; Jocyln Hill, American University; Alina Parikh, George Mason University; Mario Picciotto, Old Dominion University
This panel discussion provides an opportunity for both professionals and Sport Governing Bodies to ask questions regarding student involvement and development, program administration, current trends and challenges.
Roundtable
  • Thursday, June 22 • 3:15pm – 5:30pm
  • Grand Ballroom
  • Mario Rios, Texas State University
Clubs around the country are looking for more and more structured leagues and tournaments, and Sport Governing Bodies (SGBs) are some of the largest providers of these structured leagues. But what are these organizations, what are their goals, and what roles do they play in the future of club sports? This roundtable will provide an opportunity for learning about SGBs and their structures.
Social
  • Thursday, June 22 • 6:30pm – 8:30pm
  • Grand Ballroom
Let the conversations from the day continue over dinner at the Networking Social & Expo. Attendees and Sport Governing Bodies can enjoy a buffet dinner while networking and viewing Sport Governing Body displays.

Friday, June 23

Risk and Safety Management; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Friday, June 23 • 8:30am – 9:30am
  • Ballroom North
  • Wendy Sheppard, University of Richmond; Bradley Jackson, Old Dominion University; Ariana Moran, Old Dominion University
Learn how to develop and implement a concussion policy for your institution. Review available concussion testing options for every budget. Discuss emerging trends in concussion management and treatment for recreational sports and determine how best to use your safety/risk officers or other in-charge risk management personnel during recreation events.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager), Senior Manager
Core Competencies: Programming; Legal Liabilities & Risk Management; Facility Management; Planning & Design
Learning Objectives:
  1. Learn what concussion testing options are available and recommended for your institution’s budget.
  2. Create a “Return to Play” and a “Return to Learn” concussion policy for your institution.
  3. Implement concussion reporting protocols and training for safety officers and risk managers.
Student Development; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Friday, June 23 • 8:30am – 9:30am
  • Ballroom South
  • Chris Nasti, American University; Jocelyn Hill, American University; Katie Lundberg, American University; Dwayne Wilkerson, American University
Explore American University’s Team Performance Enhancement Training, a new collaboration between our Club Sports and Fitness Service programs. We will walk you through our journey developing this program, which has given our Club Sports participants a great opportunity to receive quality sports performance training at an affordable price while also expanding the variety of services our personal trainers can offer.
Target Audience: New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Programming; Facility Management; Planning & Design; Research & Evaluation
Learning Objectives:
  1. Learn how to launch a similar team training program on your campus.
  2. Be able to articulate the benefits that a team training program will have on your club sports athletes.
Student Development; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Friday, June 23 • 9:45am – 10:45am
  • Ballroom North
  • Dexter Shorter, The Ohio State University; Laura Ferguson, The Ohio State University
Our sport club programs are perfect platforms for students to gain leadership skills and personal development in addition to basic knowledge regarding how to operate a student organization. Learn how to incorporate the Social Change Model of Leadership Development into your sport club officer training in order to help promote positive change within your community.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager), Senior Manager
Core Competencies: Programming; Philosophy & Theory; Personal & Professional Qualities
Learning Objectives:
  1. Learn how to incorporate the Social Change Model of Leadership Development into their sport club officer training.
  2. Understand the significance of involving specific leadership development models, such as the Social Change Model, into your training curriculum.
  3. Learn fun activities that can be used to to educate sport club officers regarding the Social Change Model of Leadership Development.
Student Development; Program Administration
  • 0.1 NIRSA CEUs
  • Friday, June 23 • 9:45am – 10:45am
  • Ballroom South
  • Tommy Otterbine, Virginia Commonwealth University; Matthew Kutz, Christopher Newport University; Julia Stulock, Indiana University
Coaches and instructors in sport club programs can play a pivotal role in safety oversight, skills development, and helping clubs meet their competitive goals. However, they often become the biggest frustration for us as sport club administrators when they violate policy, overstep their bounds, or don’t understand student-centered philosophies. Learn how to identify challenges with, and to set realistic and reasonable expectations for, sport club coaches and instructors. Also learn how to develop your sport club officers so that they seek, retain, and hold accountable coaches and instructors who are consistent with your program values.
Target Audience: Graduate Student, New Professional, Mid-Level (Manager)
Core Competencies: Programming; Philosophy & Theory; Human Resources Management
Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify the challenges and issues commonly associated with sport club coaches and instructors.
  2. Identify the roles and responsibilities of a sport club coach or instructor in accordance with the philosophy of administering a student-centered program.
  3. Articulate best practices for developing a positive and beneficial relationship with the coaches and instructors of your sport club organizations.
Roundtable
  • Friday, June 23 • 11:15am – 12:15pm
  • Ballroom South
  • Kristen Drapp-LaFleur, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
This roundtable will provide an opportunity to discuss travel policies, safety officers, and a last chance for questions regarding medical coverage at events.
Keynote
  • Friday, June 23 • 12:30pm – 1:00pm
  • Grand Ballroom
Whitey’s closing address, “The Leadership Code,” will focus on the importance of leading every day, regardless of your title. It begins with a commitment to yourself and a decision to be a leader who cares more about those around you and overall results than individual acclaim. You need to be a leader with heart. This can be as simple as leaving a place better than the way you found it or as significant as changing an entire culture.