welcome, presenters
NIRSA 2020 presenter information
Please join us for this annual event that showcases the best of collegiate recreation. Please consider sharing your knowledge and expertise as a presenter. Please browse this Presenter Information section for important information about deadlines, content, and resources to help you design a great program proposal! We look forward to receiving your proposal!
Learn more about these presentation opportunities here.
Please refer to the submission dates below. As of Sept. 9, NIRSA 2020 continues to invite poster presentation proposals until November 3. All other proposal opportunities are closed. Thank you for your interest!!
Important Dates
Wednesday, May 15: NIRSA 2020 proposal link available
Monday, June 17: First Look Deadline
Submissions received by the First Look Deadline will receive a review by the Program Committee to identify any aspects that are incomplete or unclear. Submitters will receive feedback and be able to enhance their proposal
Monday, July 15: Final Proposals Deadline
- Preconference Programs
- General Education Sessions
- Panel Discussions
Monday, Sept 9: Final Proposals Deadline
- Showcase Sessions
- Poster Presentations-Extended to November 3
- Fitness Forum Sessions
- Career Building Mini Sessions
- Research Sessions
November: Presenters will be notified of their accept/decline status
December/January: Presenters will be notified of their presentation date/time
presenter resources
Presenters are encouraged to use the following resources as they design their conference proposal.
Proposal Checklists by Session Type:
Other Downloads
- NIRSA Core Competency Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
- Focus Area, Topic, and Knowledge Level Information
- Tips for Writing Learning Outcomes (University of Arkansas)
- Learning Outcomes Handout (UC San Diego)
- Universal Design and Inclusive Language Tips (NIRSA)
- Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: A resource guide for Leaders in Collegiate Recreation(NIRSA)
core competencies
Presenters will be asked to identify a maximum of three core competency domains their presentation will address.
Personal & Professional Qualities
Legal Liability & Risk Management
top sessions from
NIRSA 2019 — Boston
Need inspiration? Here are some of NIRSA 2019’s top-rated general ed sessions:
- Building High-Quality Relationships for a High-Quality Team—Like Yours!
- Communication Matters: Incorporating Inclusive Language into All Aspects of a Fitness Program
- Four Foundations for Developing a Culture of Success
- From Barely Surviving to Successfully Thriving: Preparing Our Sport Clubs to Be Outstanding Student Organizations
- Pitch Perfect: Your 60-Second Introduction
- Stranger in a Strange Land: A Non-Gamer’s Guide to Developing a Collegiate eSports Program
Building High-Quality Relationships for a High-Quality Team—Like Yours!
Nora Osei, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Many of our colleagues not in recreation envy us for having,”the fun job”. But what makes our career field so fun and meaningful? It is the high-quality and long-lasting relationships that we build within our recreation team that makes our career field like no other! These relationships makes our jobs entertaining, yet rewarding. In this session, you will learn about the importance of cultivating genuine relationships with your coworkers, specific tips on building those genuine relationships, and how those relationships can improve the efficiency of your team, your department, and your campus!
Audience
New Professional, Mid-level Manager
Core Competencies
Personal & Professional Qualities • Human Resources Management
Learning Objectives
- Identify three reasons why they need to cultivate genuine relationships with their coworkers.
- Articulate three characteristics that can help them enable healthy relationships with their coworkers to impact their program area, department, and campus.
- Apply steps in their daily work routine to help develop genuine relationships with their coworkers.
Communication Matters: Incorporating Inclusive Language into All Aspects of a Fitness Program
Christin Everson, Seattle University; Benjamin Kohler, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities
Communicating with participants and clients is vital to a fitness program, especially through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The method, style, and language used to communicate can have strong impacts on the comfort of our clients, participants, and staff teams. In this session, we will use a theory-based approach to support fitness professionals in understanding how verbal and nonverbal communication affects the success of relationships and ultimately, the success of our programs. Topics include micro-aggressions, representation, body language, and gender binary issues.
Audience
Student, New Professional, Mid-level Manager, Executive
Core Competencies
Philosophy & Theory • Personal & Professional Qualities
Learning Objectives
- Understand the role that communication plays in the success of fitness programs, teams, and clients.
- Brainstorm practical approaches for fitness programs to implement changes in verbal and non-verbal language as it relates to client equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Discuss how inclusive communication can foster stronger community and connection for all participants of a fitness program.
Four Foundations for Developing a Culture of Success
Jody Davis, CRSS, RCRSP, Coastal Carolina University
Everyone wants to be a part of a successful organization. This presentation will introduce four critical foundations to developing a culture of success. Attendees will be able to identify their key values and how to implement them in their daily routine to encourage a successful culture. Success is a moving target for most organizations, and dynamics change rapidly with new personnel, buildings, and policies. This presentation will address the foundations that will help in consistently developing and nurturing success within the organization.
Audience
Student, New Professional, Mid-level Manager
Core Competencies
Personal & Professional Qualities • Philosophy & Theory • Business Management
Learning Objectives
- Identify four foundations that develop a successful culture through individual presentations on each foundation and supporting stories and data.
- Have an opportunity to share core values with other attendees and compare priorities.
- List one foundation that could have an immediate impact on your organization.
From Barely Surviving to Successfully Thriving: Preparing Our Sport Clubs to Be Outstanding Student
Timothy Collins, California State University-Monterey Bay; Dexter Shorter, The Ohio State University
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 to successfully thriving clubs in order to contribute to an extraordinary sport club athlete experience.
Audience
New Professional, Mid-level Manager, Executive
Core Competencies
Programming • Philosophy & Theory
Learning Objectives
- Provide guidance, advice, and a vision to sport clubs that will push them towards being successfully thriving student organizations.
- Identify best practices in leadership and supervision of a sport club program to promote organizational health and longevity.
- Learn strategies for leadership training and establishing a strong foundation for clubs to be successful with the four pillars of thriving clubs.
Pitch Perfect: Your 60-Second Introduction
Walter Kolis, RCRSP, Emory University
When interviewing for a job, or networking at a conference, you will be introduced to a lot of new people. Do you know what to say to make a memorable impression? One of the most common interview questions is “Tell us about about yourself”. You’ll answer it over and over. Do you know what to say without rambling for five minutes about every single job you’ve ever had? “I am. I do. I will,” is a strategy to help you create, practice and perfect your 60 second elevator pitch and make you more comfortable when introducing yourself in a professional setting!
Stranger in a Strange Land: A Non-Gamer’s Guide to Developing a Collegiate eSports Program
David Bryngil, Saint Peter’s University
The emergence of eSports lends campus recreation departments a unique opportunity to engage students—and potentially an untapped population—in a new and exciting fashion. However, what do you know about eSports? Was the last gaming system you owned the original Atari? Are you intrigued by bringing eSports to your rec program but have no idea where to begin? This program will present eSport novices with an opportunity to learn how to start an eSports program from the ground up—even if they have no relevant background in gaming.
Audience
Mid-level Manager, Executive
Core Competencies
Programming • Research & Evaluation
Learning Objectives
- Understand the fundamentals of collegiate eSports and the essential terminology and concepts.
- Describe strategies and action steps that can be used to launch an eSports program.
- Be able to demonstrate the value of hosting an eSports to senior administration.
presenter resources
Education Content
The education content at NIRSA Annual Conference is designed to provide attendees with the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences that support their growth in NIRSA’s Core Competency areas. It is strongly recommended presenters consult the Core Competency Framework when designing their proposal to ensure it helps achieve this goal.
The 2020 Annual Conference Program Committee is in the process of determining program types and any featured topics/tracks to be offered in Phoenix. More information will be posted here later in spring.
Most of the education content for this event is selected using a process referred to as an Open Call for Program Proposals. This is an open invitation to all NIRSA members to submit proposals. Proposals are then reviewed and scored by volunteer reviewers from the membership. Final selections are determined by the Program Committee. In addition to the open call for programs, some content and presenters will be specifically recruited by the Annual Conference Program Committee .
Please refer to the submission dates below. As of Sept. 9, NIRSA 2020 continues to invite poster presentation proposals until November 3. All other proposal opportunities are closed. Thank you for your interest!!
keynote & guest speakers
To incorporate perspectives from outside the NIRSA membership, the Conference Program Committee will budget time in the education schedule for guest speakers. If you are a member who has a recommendation for a keynote or other guest speaker, please submit your recommendation.
If you are a not a member of NIRSA, but you are a speaker/facilitator who wants to be considered for a guest speaking engagement, please review the speaker info kit email NIRSA Director of Professional Development, Kristen Gleason.
questions?
Please email education@nirsa.org.