Leadership Notes

It's all worth the effort!

By Greg Jordan, CRSS, Oakland University, NIRSA President

Happy New Year NIRSA Colleagues!

While I know that the recent holiday season seems ages ago, I hope you had an enjoyable time to relax, enjoy and reflect over the last few weeks in December. Each January and February seems to be getting busier and busier in our facilities, as our students and other customers face their annual new year re-commitment to the healthy lifestyle and get in shape, be it to shed the holiday pounds or to look good for a spring break trip!

As I had a chance to reflect on the past eight months serving our NIRSA in this leadership position, it became very clear to me that all of our efforts in training, research, resources and passion that we dedicate to our programs and services are worth the efforts when we see the overwhelming participation and fun in our facilities, no matter where we are. 

If I may briefly share one example of the thousands of stories out there:

On January 6, I was honored to attend the Grand Opening Celebration of the new Rec-Plex at the University of Dayton. What a wonderful event that reflected the joy and impact of this new facility. (Of course, Dayton has a long history of quality programs. Many of you may know that the old PAC facility at UD was constructed in the mid-70s, and at the time was one of the first modern facilities. The good ol' PAC has served its purpose well over the years.)

The Dayton staff was absolutely thrilled at the attendance by the UD community, as well as the NIRSA community (The Ohio State University, Miami University, Xavier University, University of Cincinnati, Wright State University).

During the formal portion of the ceremony, both UD President Daniel Curran and Vice President of Student Affairs Bill Schuerman commented on the impact of the new facility on the overall educational experience, emphasizing out-of-classroom learning as a vital component of a complete education.

As is customary at these celebrations, key people were introduced—architects, contractors, university capital planning staff, trustees, etc.—and it was that kind of "hold your applause to the end" thing. With one exception. When longtime UD Director Billy Mayo was recognized by President Curran, the audience spontaneously recognized his efforts with cheers and loud and long applause for his 30+ years at Dayton. You could feel the respect and love for him.

Congratulations to you, my friend Billy Mayo, and to the entire staff at the University of Dayton. It's all worth the effort!

And to all our NIRSA Colleagues, facing the challenges of facility construction, as well as all that we do every day, all day, 24/7 ... it's all worth the effort!