Preconference Workshops

preconference workshops

Please note that Preconference Workshops have a maximum capacity. Registration is first-come-first-served.

For most institutions, campus recreation’s role in university life would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our student employees. We know that students who work on campus, specifically in collegiate recreation, get much more than just a paycheck. Now more than ever it is important to consider how we invest in our most important resource: our student staff.

Join members of the Student Staff Development Task Force for a half-day filled with time for professionals to consider, or reconsider, student development. It’s more than training. It’s about investing in our students and ensuring that they’re growing and developing as a result of their employment within campus recreation.

Attendees will have the chance to customize their workshop experience by engaging in topical discussions around their interests or learning goals.

Some of the topics discussed will include:

• Diversity training for staff beyond awareness
• Onboarding programs with a purpose
• Student leader employee development programming
• Assessment of student development and capturing employment stories
• Evolution and trends in student development full-time roles

Join women-identifying attendees for a day filled with personal and professional development, self-reflection, storytelling, and best practices to MOVE your career forward. The workshop will have sessions that explore motivation, taking ownership of your success story, and ways to encourage ourselves and each other through challenging times. The workshop includes a topic-driven lunch as well as a networking hour.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain self-efficacy as it pertains to the personal leadership journey
• Develop mentor/mentee relationships with attendees and facilitators participating in the workshop
• Identify personal and professional roles to design an intentional leadership plan for future professional and personal growth

Join other mid-level professionals for a day of networking and collaboration covering topics like influencing change, making critical decisions, budgeting, and supervision. As middle managers you are strongly positioned to contribute to organizational culture and leading your colleagues. By attending this session, you will be able to make connections with other professionals in similar positions and learn from those with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn about the leadership skills needed for success as a mid-level professional in collegiate recreation
• Develop an understanding of the middle leadership role and importance to your organization in managing from the middle
• Develop skills in strategic planning, budget oversight, and personnel management
• Expand professional network by connecting with other mid-level managers through an interactive experience

The goal of this full-day workshop is to inspire NIRSA student members to continue learning about NIRSA and the collegiate recreation profession as well as to enhance their self-awareness through motivational interactions with their peers and professionals. During this workshop, attendees can expect to explore various leadership topics and the values of the Association as well as how to build a strong network within the field.

About J. Michael Dunn

Mike passionately believed in developing, mentoring, and coaching students—this was one of his core beliefs and a significant part of his personal and professional philosophy. He believed in investing in the future generations of NIRSA leaders and so humbly dedicated his life to helping students grow and learn both personally and professionally. Mike was a co-creator of the Student Professional Development program. This program demonstrates his ability to continue touching the lives of students, motivating them to become the next generation of NIRSA leaders.

Learning Outcomes

1. Be able to explain the history of NIRSA.
2. Identify future NIRSA involvement opportunities that will support the development of their skills and career paths.
3. Be able to incorporate NIRSA values into their daily professional lives.

This workshop does not have a fee due to generous sponsorship by the NIRSA Foundation. There is a maximum capacity of 100 attendees for this workshop. Registration is first-come first-served.

This is an anti-racism activation experience designed to expose you to a level of truth about the duration, violence, and intentionality of the systems of oppression that have existed since the inception of the United States. This activation experience is interactive, utilizing breakout rooms, role playing and open, honest, participant-encouraged discussion designed to explore and give voice to the uncomfortable truth of our shared history. It is an ongoing conversation which serves as a catalyst for creating a culture of individual change agents and collective anti-racism activism. Learn more about A Long Talk by visiting their website.

This invite-only session will bring together a group of campus recreation professionals who have been active in researching, assessing, and/or measuring wellbeing work via a campus recreation lens. Our goal is to evaluate the landscape of what is currently being done, synthesize what might be replicable across multiple institutions, identify research gaps that need to be filled, and brainstorm about next steps. This meeting is an initial step in what we hope to be an ongoing conversation; however, we also anticipate identifying some concrete action items that will ultimately better position us to tell the story of campus recreation’s critical role in campus wellbeing.