Candidate for At-Large Director
Sheldon Tate
Biography
Sheldon Tate, Ed.D is an accomplished campus recreation leader with a considerable amount of experience. Tate’s professional history includes a Graduate Assistantship at Oklahoma State University, serving as the inaugural Coordinator of Intramural Sports at the University of North Texas, a decade as the Assistant Director of Competitive Sports at Texas Christian University, and most recently as the Associate Director of Programs at the University of Missouri. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Recreation for George Mason University’s Mason Recreation Department. He is also an active participant in NIRSA, where he is focused on promoting student success and creating inclusive environments across the nation. He brings a diverse set of skills and experiences in the field of recreation, student affairs, higher education, executive coaching, and research. His vast expertise in culture building, strategic planning, relationship building, and project management have been valuable in creating and implementing effective programs and initiatives. He has managed recreation personnel at all levels and in fast paced environments, and regularly invests the next generation of recreation leaders at state, regional, and national conferences. Known best for his passion, personality, and ability to foster intrinsic motivation, Tate is driven by the desire to impact the lives of others just as his was at the beginning of his journey. He received a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas, a master’s degree in Leisure Services Management from Oklahoma State University, and a doctorate of Higher Education Leadership from Texas Christian University. Now that he has retired from refereeing NCAA men’s college basketball, Tate works tirelessly to promote high-quality recreation programs for all deserving students. He enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and most importantly, trying to keep up with his wife Devin and their four kids.
How are you currently advocating for collegiate recreation’s value in higher education?
Like many of you, I look back fondly at the years which have brought me to this point. However, we cannot spend the rest of our days mourning what was. We must dig deep, step up, and press forward. I have been on this path of advocacy and influence since my journey first began. I have earned my reputation by providing extensive evidence of recreation’s role in creating a whole student to various stakeholders. In my current role, I have led our department in effectively recreating our reputation across campus. I have also packaged our department’s successes in self-generated revenue into compelling arguments of how we are improving services and experiences for students without further strain on the student fee. I have championed the cause of intentional space allocation on campus-wide task forces, and I’ve analyzed proposed house bills for the commonwealth. I have even leveraged my platform to conduct key-note addresses. These occurrences are not just stand-alone accomplishments to make me feel good. Rather, they are strategic touchpoints that change the narrative around what a recreation department is capable of. They, and others like them, were the formal announcement that recreation matters here. Simply put, when our campus strategic plans call for an increase in retention, belonging, and success rates, we have shown ourselves to be a part of the answer. For in that space, one finds boosts in funding and support. Campus leadership often look to recreation for establishing a quality co-curricular experience. I am proud to be a part of a department that has done the hard work of transitioning its practice into one that backs up quantitative usage rates with charismatic qualitative sense-making. Fundamentally, I believe that the best days of our association and of our work are still to come. As an elected leader of our association, I am confident that we can offer practical approaches to similar outcomes, regardless of the size and type of institution.
Using the strategic values as a frame of reference, what do you believe are two critical issues for the field over the next three to five years? What are action steps for addressing those concerns?
As the Industry Insights Report suggests, I would argue that the challenges ahead of us are clear. We need to address the workforce issues being felt on many of our campuses, and we need to make substantial progress on how we assist our campuses respond to the looming enrollment cliff. First, as the Strategic Core Planning Team notes, there has been a precipitous decline in early career stage professionals. Certainly, we have all felt the impacts of this phenomena, but there is a way forward. While there is certainly more to unpack with each of you, I would argue that we must intentionally replenish our ‘farm system’. We do this by leveraging our six strategic values to fundamentally transition how our members engage with their student work force. We need to lead our members in reminding their student staff that the work they do in our spaces is not simply a mindless job. Rather, it is a hot bed for competency-based learning that they too can become a facilitator of. I KNOW this can be done, and we have the platform needed to illuminate the path. Second, as the ramifications of the declining birth rates in America reach the college eligible attendee age group, our central administration is looking for paths of survival. As a reminder many of us don’t need, student tuition remains the single most important source of revenue for our campuses. If a campus finds itself unable to recruit, engage, retain, and progress their student body from 1st year orientation to commencement, the future is sure to become bleak. I believe NIRSA has a chance to empower its members with the proper tools, peer-reviewed research, and language around key performance indicators to bind our profession to our campus strategies. Any historian would tell you that our higher education system is cyclical. There are times of bliss and hardship alike. If we meet these challenges head-on with the full force of our expertise and brilliance, we can turn the wheel towards the direction of ideal function.
What attributes could you contribute to the NIRSA Board of Directors?
Regarding my attributes as a contributing board member, I would briefly point to three characteristics so that you may make a fully informed decision. First, I offer our association my effective communication methods. Throughout my career, I have repeatedly shown the ability to forge differing opinions into a mutually beneficial path via impactful communication. Whether it be my recent work navigating historically difficult campus partners, fostering divisional support around the operational needs of a new multi-purpose facility, or earning the ability to post needed positions in a hiring chill, my ability to listen critically and respond effectively has consistently borne fruit. Next, I feel my strategic thinking and problem-solving acumen takes a back-seat to no one. Forged in my former life as an NCAA Men’s Basketball official, my ability to absorb large amounts of information, process them at near light speed, and execute a sound response would be an instant benefit to our leadership team. I have shown this skillset in my work as a regional representative, work team member, and conference planning team member, and any involved party would affirm my mastery. Lastly, I would say that selecting me for board of directors means an immediate infusion of intrinsic motivation. I firmly believe that a person driven by external forces will only go so far. We need leaders who are standing not because they must, but because they WANT to. This attribute has brokered major revenue-generating deals with local establishments where others have failed, ignited a departmental culture overhaul where high performers also achieve high retention rates, and has had our name mentioned at commencements. Those achievements and many others happen when people bought in give their all to the tasks before them. I vow to do just that as your elected official.
