News

NIRSA and Time Distribution Services, Inc. agree to distribute SIOC through Member Institutions

Sports Illustrated on Campus will soon be found at select NIRSA Member Institutions.

By Barry Brown, Marketing Director

The newly codified agreement between NIRSA and Time Distribution Services, Inc. (TDS) to distribute Sports Illustrated on Campus magazine on Institutional Member campuses promises to yield "a mutually beneficial partnership," says Mick Deluca, President of the NIRSA Services Corporation Board of Directors. Having worked with NIRSA's National Center staff and marketing partner, College Connect, Inc., to perfect the agreement, the NSC is "extremely excited" about the potential benefits for the Membership.

"Being able to team up the mass participation and engagement of collegiate recreational sports programs and facilities with arguably the most recognizable name in sports print media is a perfect match, and sets the ground work for a long term relationship," Deluca says. "We feel the new partnership with TDS for the distribution of SIOC creates great added value for the Association, with an exciting free publication available on campus for participants, program partnerships and exposure for NIRSA's national initiatives, and the potential for future collaborative development."

"SIOC is excited to partner with NIRSA in this capacity," says Dave Morris, publisher of Sports Illustrated and SIOC. "Being able to work directly with their impressive list of Member Institutions presents a great opportunity for us to further increase awareness of the SIOC brand, while directly delivering the magazine into the hands of college students across the country."

First published in 2003, SIOC has been distributed previously as an insert in campus newspapers at 74 colleges and universities. The new agreement will give select NIRSA Member Institutions exclusive distributorship of the magazine on their campuses. Presented as part of the NIRSA National Campus Championship Series, the program will encompass 150 NIRSA schools, six issues of one million copies each, and run during the September-December 2005 academic term.

The program is straightforward. Participating NIRSA institutions agree to set up NIRSA-branded, SIOC magazine display racks (provided by TDS) at facility access points. Although a majority of magazines are expected to be distributed at campus recreational sports facilities, participants can also choose to distribute SIOC at other select campus venues and/or special events, and SIOC may have other distribution options available as well.

For their participation, NIRSA will pay each participating institution contingent on the number of issues they distribute (based on a percentage of university enrollment), as well as a stipend to help fund an SIOC administrator at their facility. Students will enjoy reading SIOC, and NIRSA will receive significant national exposure, as well as the ability to broadly communicate about the many rich and varied student development experiences that campus recreation brings to higher education. This opportunity could reap huge benefits for the Association, our programs, our Institutional Members, and our profession as a whole.

NIRSA will receive broad exposure, not only through highly visible branding at distribution points and throughout the magazine, but additionally through advertising and editorial content opportunities. Four full-page advertisements, and possibly five, will promote NIRSA and our upcoming fall and winter events in issues of SIOC during the pilot period. Ads for alcohol and tobacco will be prohibited, with the exception of "responsible drinking" messages. Moreover, with the help of Members, the NNC will supply the magazine with news and features about recreational sports and facilities at Member Institutions, which will be incorporated into SIOC's content.

SIOC Pilot Program Participants

• American University
• Arizona State University
• Baylor University
• Binghamton University
• Boise State University
• Boston College
• Boston University
• Bridgewater State College
• California State University (Northridge)
• California State University (San Bernardino)
• Central Michigan University
• Clark Atlanta University
• Clemson University
• Colorado State University
• Cornell University
• Delaware State University
• DePaul University
• Eastern Illinois University
• Eastern Michigan University
• Florida A&M University
• Florida International University
• Florida State University
• Fordham University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Georgia Southern University
• Harvard University
• Illinois State University
• Indiana State University
• Indiana University
• Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
• Iowa State University
• James Madison University
• Kansas State University
• Kent State University
• Louisiana State University
• Marquette University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Miami University
• Michigan State University
• Middle Tennessee State University
• Mississippi State University
• Missouri State University
• Morehouse College
• New Mexico State University
• North Carolina State University
• Northeastern Illinois University
• Northeastern University
• Northern Arizona University
• Northern Illinois University
• Northern Kentucky University
• Northwestern University
• Oklahoma State University
• Old Dominion University
• Oregon State University
• Portland State University
• Providence College
• Purdue University
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Sam Houston State University
• San Diego State University
• South Dakota State University
• Southeast Missouri State University
• Southern Illinois University (Carbondale)
• Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville)
• Southern Methodist University
• St. Cloud State University
• St. John's University
• Stanford University
• Stony Brook University
• Syracuse University
• Temple University
• Texas A&M University
• Texas A&M University (Commerce)
• Texas Christian University
• Texas Southern University
• Texas State University (San Marcos)
• Texas Tech University
• The Ohio State University
• UCLA
• University of Alabama
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• University of Arizona
• University of Arkansas
• University of California (Berkeley)
• University of California (Davis)
• University of California (Irvine)
• University of California (Santa Barbara)
• University of California, San Diego
• University of Central Florida
• University of Colorado (Boulder)
• University of Connecticut
• University of Florida
• University of Houston
• University of Illinois
• University of Illinois (Chicago)
• University of Iowa
• University of Kansas
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisiana (Lafayette)
• University of Louisville
• University of Maine
• University of Maryland
• University of Memphis
• University of Miami
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
• University Of Mississippi
• University of Missouri (Columbia)
• University Of Missouri (St. Louis)
• University of Montana
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• University of Nevada Las Vegas
• University of New Hampshire
• University of New Mexico
• University of North Carolina
• University of North Carolina (Greensboro)
• University of North Carolina Wilmington
• University of North Dakota
• University of North Texas
• University of Northern Iowa
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Oklahoma
• University of Oregon
• University of South Florida
• University of Southern California
• University of Southern Mississippi
• University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• University of Texas (Dallas)
• University of Texas at Arlington
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Texas at San Antonio
• University of Utah
• University of Vermont
• University of Virginia
• University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire)
• University of Wisconsin (Madison)
• University of Wisconsin (Whitewater)
• Utah Valley State College
• Villanova University
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Virginia Institute of Technology
• Wake Forest University
• Washington State University
• Washington University in St. Louis
• West Virginia University
• Western Illinois University
• Western Kentucky University
• Western Michigan University
• Wichita State University
• Yale University

Barry Brown has been with NIRSA since 2003.