Sean C. Basso, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee

How are you currently advocating for collegiate recreation’s value in higher education?

I began my career in campus rec as an 18-year-old, first-generation, college freshman. As with so many, I found participating with recreational sports provided a home where I mattered and belonged. As a student employee, I was empowered, mentored, and given responsibilities that complimented my strengths. I have no doubt my involvement was central to my retention, persistence, and graduation. Additionally, my experience facilitated an opportunity to attend graduate school and eventually led to earning a Ph.D. I offer this personal anecdote to simply say, I’ve LIVED the value of collegiate recreation, so I am uniquely positioned to champion it within the halls of higher education and beyond.

I’d like to provide a macro-to-micro accounting of my advocacy for collegiate recreation.

My sole publication is entitled “The Value of Campus Recreation for Historically Marginalized Populations.” In this 239-page doctoral dissertation, I conclude that increased levels of participation with campus rec have a significant impact on academic success, connectedness, and overall quality of life for all students, but more so for students who identify with racially marginalized populations. I’m proud to say that within three years of publication, my dissertation has been downloaded over 100 times in over 30 states and 15 countries world-wide. As an active practitioner in campus rec, I find joy in knowing my scholarship is being received at this level.

In more traditional support of NIRSA, I completed back-to-back three-year appointments to the NIRSA Research & Assessment Committee followed by the NIRSA Audit & Finance Committee. During the pending FLSA changes of 2017, I conducted national research on behalf of the association, in which I measured the expectant adjustments to staff classification and how changes would impact professional development funding. In support of the Member Network, I’ve presented at three consecutive regional conference, on a variety of topics including synergistic partnerships, best-practices in quantitative data analysis, and strategic planning. As the associate director at an SEC school, I’ve authored an annual SEC salary report for eight consecutive years. This peer-to-peer benchmark has helped directors defend compensation adjustments for their staff. Lastly, I was elected the Tennessee State (TIRSA) Director in early 2020 and served honorably in the role for two of the most tumultuous years (2020-2022) in the 46-year history of the state association.

Finally, my initial thoughts when reading this prompt was, “I give my all every day I show up to work.” I believe the efforts of any campus recreation professional represent the profession. Our space accommodations bolster the reputation of the career. Our presence on divisional or institutional committees shine light on our field. I am aware that I am identified first as a “rec professional” by others in higher education; given this label, my professionalism serves as advocacy for collegiate recreation at a grass-roots level. While collegiality combined with competency fosters admiration amongst peers, the true value of collegiate recreation ultimately resides with our positive impact on the student experience, of which I’ve championed for over 20 years.

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?

NIRSA’s Strategic Values are comprised of six dimensions, each with its own meritorious qualities. Any seasoned leader in collegiate recreation could find a host of issues among/within these dimensions. However, given the logical need for human resource to take on ANY critical issue facing our field, I’m compelled to address the two following issues landing within the “Sustainable Communities” strategic value.

Issue – Work Force Sustainability & Compensation

Within my fifteen years working as a full-time professional in collegiate recreation, I’ve seen the profession shrink relative to the total student enrollment. More simply stated, there are less campus recreation professionals today than there were ten years ago, all things considered. While statistical indicators show the problem began pre-COVID, due in large part to the decline in available graduate assistantships, the shortage was exasperated by the pandemic as the classes of 2020 and 2021 toiled with their next occupational step during this difficult time. Roughly two years later, we’re feeling the effects of this ripple in our collective searches for entry-level professionals. To compound the issue, collegiate recreation was not immune to the “great resignation” as a record number of staff left the profession for better pay and/or occupational freedom. Current leaders are struggling to procure “rec professionals” at all levels due to this disruption in the professional development process. Additionally, satisfactory candidates are entering the field with a steep learning curve, overwhelming expectations, and little cultural understanding as to what has made collegiate recreation the profession it is today.

While the depletion of the entry-level workforce might be a modern phenomenon, the substandard salary compensation for campus recreation professional is far from new. When considering the billions of dollars invested in brick-&-mortar campus recreation facilities, and the millions of dollars spent each year in operating budgets, I believe professional salaries should/could be relatively adjusted to reflect the resources underpinning the impact of our efforts.

Action Steps

We must invest new energies into bridging the gap between undergraduate experiences and the responsibilities of a full-time professional. The two-year experience once gained by working as a GA is no longer available at the scope necessary to funnel talent into the field. We can leverage our existing intellectual capital–the graduate-level education commonly held by sitting professionals–and deliver the next generation of the CRSS/RCRSP to include an accredited credential recognized throughout higher education, but most specifically by the College and University Professional Association of Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Scaling this idea would bridge the professional development gap described herein while simultaneously fostering an objective measure that must be used to base salary compensation commensurate with the impact, resources, and overall value associated with the field of collegiate recreation.

What attributes, experiences, and knowledge could you contribute to the NIRSA Board of Directors that speak to at least two of the competency-based requirements?

Communication

I’ve spent my entire career communicating. Whether training officials, teaching ethics, or presenting to the UT President, I am confident in my presentation skills. I am equally confident in my ability to communicate complicated quantitative data whether related to financials or statistic. However, above all else I value my ability to hear others—and not just a person, but an organization, institution, or society as a whole. I believe doing so is the cornerstone of a leader’s effective action. We live in a time where communication is truncated by preconceived notions; we’re inundated by the cacophony of proverbial noise radiating from every corner of existence. My strength lies in the ability to expediently process information, identify critical components, strategically act on what is understood, and/or extend the information in synthesized form while remaining aware of my audience—sensitive to their bandwidth, conscious of their identity, and respectful of their humanity.

Knowledge

While the other competencies are commonly found in any leadership role, this specific competency requires a career-long dedication to NIRSA, the field of collegiate recreation, and higher education as a whole. As a former member of the NIRSA Audit & Finance Committee, I possess a strong understanding of the boards’ fiduciary responsibilities. My relatively recent service on this committee (finishing in 2021) supplies ample awareness of the association’s current business practices. I believe I hold a positive relationship with the executive director. I’ve recently been appointed to an adjunct faculty position where I teach finance and budgeting in the Higher Education Administration Master’s Program. Additionally, I hold a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and consider myself a life-long student of the subject. These experiences, combined with my intrinsic interest in higher education governance, provide a solid knowledge foundation related to both NIRSA and higher education.