News

NIRSA Board meets during Annual Conference

Highlights from the meetings

The NIRSA Board of Directors met in Minneapolis, Minnesota April 15-17 (Annual Board Meeting) and on April 22 (New Board Meeting) to discuss a wide variety of topics, and took several actions. Greater detail on many of the following board actions will be presented in upcoming issues of eFASTNEWS and NIRSA Know, as will information about additional NIRSA Board activities.

1.     Student Learning Knowledge Community (KC)

Based on recommendations from the Student Learning KC, the NIRSA President and/or BOD will:

• Appoint a Student Learning Work Team.
• Direct NIRSA to create a “how-to manual” for student learning and assessment.
• Recommend that the faculty of the NIRSA School of Recreational Sports Management (NSRSM) consider including sessions related to student learning principles, learning outcomes, and assessment in the Level I and Level II curriculum each year.
• Support the continued efforts of NIRSA to strategically partner with other associations in order to serve the needs of the NIRSA membership in the areas of student assessment as consistent with the Strategic Map.
• Recommend that the NNC explore the feasibility of developing a team pricing model for all future student learning and assessment educational offerings.

2.     Health and Wellness Knowledge Community

Based on recommendations from the Health and Wellness KC, the NIRSA President and/or BOD will:

• Develop a clear definition of wellness based on existing literature that is inclusive of campus recreation within higher education.
• Identify and prioritize a wellness research agenda specific to higher education.
• Develop a wellness resource such as a repository or clearinghouse that will provide information and data about “best practices” for campus recreation professionals and students.
• Support efforts of NIRSA to strategically partner and collaborate with other organizations and associations to serve the needs of the NIRSA membership in the area of higher education wellness initiatives, and actively pursue collaborative projects with other professional organizations and associations.

3.     Proposed Bylaws Changes

Accepted proposed changes from Bylaws Committee. The complete list of proposed changes will be communicated to the membership in advance of the 2008 Annual Conference and presented to the membership for adoption at the 2008 Annual Business Meeting in Austin, Texas.  

4.     Horace Moody Award

Approved new criteria that would allow for professional members to submit nominations for the Horace Moody Award.

5.     Nomination Deadline for Regional Student Representatives

Authorized a new nomination deadline of February 1 for Regional Student Representatives.

6.     National Service Award

Changed the National Service Awards nomination deadline to July 1 and specified that the award will be given for service through April 30 of the year of nomination. Individual members are eligible for student awards up to one year after transitioning from student to professional membership. Cumulative efforts or single projects are eligible.

7.     Emeritus Membership

Approved criteria for consideration for Emeritus Membership. The new criteria places value on leadership involvement, not just years of membership (a process for receiving and reviewing nominations for Emeritus Membership is not yet established).

8.     Alcohol Education & Initiatives Work Team

Agreed to direct future Conference Host Committees to consider alcohol-free alternatives for social events at Annual Conferences. Additionally, NIRSA is directed to develop and implement an alcohol education plan that includes recommendations for NIRSA sponsored and endorsed events.

9.     Budget Surplus

Accept the recommendation of the Finance Committee to allocate the FY 2006 operating budget surplus as follows:

10.  Audit on FY 2006

Accepted the Finance Committee’s request to schedule the outside CPA audit firm, Moss Adams, to complete a full audit on FY 2006 by August 31, 2007, provided that Moss Adams is able to complete the audit by then.

11.  Sports Marketing Specialist

Approved the NSC’s request to contract with a Sports Marketing Specialist with an investment of $100,000 a year for two years (to come from Operating Reserves). A work group will be established to determine a start date (possibly as early as July 1, 2007), appropriate benchmarks, and additional contract language.

12.  Honor Award Work Team

Accepted the following recommendations from the Honor Award Work Team:

• Charge the Honor Award Committee to conduct an appropriate amount of teleconferences to determine the recipient, including the final outcome of the ranking by the committee, with all committee members participating in the discussion and selection of the final recipient. Special mention of the NIRSA Confidentiality Policy should be made, as all the work of the committee should be conducted in Executive Session.
• Charge the committee to use a consistent ranking/point system by all committee members during the selection process to be supported by committee discussion.
• Charge the committee to narrow the nomination pool to up to three candidates if more than three nominees are being considered.

13. Professional Development

Directed NNC Staff to explore the feasibility of conducting a “reinvented” Executive Institute that may feature, but is not limited to, one of the following topics: Research, Risk Management, Enterprise & Financial Management, and Student Learning & Assessment.

14. Council for the Advancement of Standards

Approved Standards Committee proposed revisions to the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Standards for Recreational Sports. The proposed standards revisions will be submitted to CAS for its consideration and adoption.

15. BOD Development

Approved up to $10,000 to bring in Tecker Consultants for board development at the 2007 Summer Meeting. The consultant will share with the board best practices, trends and potential recommendations for enhancing governance processes and activities.