At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, university campuses began to close or move into virtual operations to attempt to prevent the spread of the virus around the United States, pausing all co-curricular learning opportunities at the campuses, including club sports for the estimated 2 million students who participate in these programs annually. Using systems theory as a theoretical framework, this study, funded by a NIRSA Research Grant, attempts to determine the impact that the pandemic had on club sports participation and operations, both in the 2020-2021 academic year when campuses were first learning to operate with the virus, and over the full four academic year period from 2019-2020 to 2022-2023. The study collected data from club sports departments at 107 institutions nationwide via an electronic Qualtrics survey administered from May to July, 2024. Take away lessons for club sports, collegiate recreation, and student affairs professionals for future events and crises that disrupt normal operations, including severe weather, violence and terrorist acts, and mass illness, include insuring that students feel safe while participating in the immediate aftermath of a disruption, and not being concerned about temporarily suspending operations to respond to the crisis.

Written by four experts with over 63 combined years of experience, Campus Recreation Essentials: Intramural Sports provides a framework to design and create an effective intramurals program that meets the needs of campus and community participants. From budgeting to policymaking to designing play structures to assessment, this resource is a valuable addition to any rec department library. NIRSA’s Campus Recreation Essentials series focus on the building blocks needed to create a recreation program from the ground up, or to prepare a new staff member to take over or improve an existing program. Written by experts in their fields, the Essentials series is an invaluable resource to small programs, new programs, or professionals who are new to campus rec. NIRSA’s Campus Recreation Essentials series focus on the building blocks needed to create a recreation program from the ground up, or to prepare a new staff member to take over or improve an existing program. Written by experts in their fields, the Essentials series is an invaluable resource to small programs, new programs, or professionals who are new to campus rec.

There are numerous scales that measure wellbeing. In an effort to assist NIRSA members in selecting the best instrument for the goals and objectives of their work, the Wellbeing Research Work Group, a subgroup of NIRSA’s Health & Wellbeing Task Force, has curated a list of scales that have been: 1. utilized in higher education settings, 2. with college student populations, 3. validated through published research, 4. and are minimal to no cost.

The Industry Insights report highlights key findings and potential impacts for the profession. The report is based on a 2023 survey that considered the future environment within which campus recreation professionals work, how that environment influences their needs, and what their goals are, given the market and environmental factors identified. Using the results of the survey along with other data and context relevant to the field, NIRSA leaders outlined possible next steps for institutions, organizations, leaders, and professionals to consider. This report was made possible through funding from the NIRSA Foundation.

This publication highlights the University of Richmond's UR Well initiative. Using both campus-specific data and national data to foster campus-wide change, the University of Richmond has been dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of wellbeing.

In October of 2022 the Student Assessment subgroup of the Student Development Task Force sent out a short survey to see what our colleagues within NIRSA wanted to learn more about regarding the assessment of student employees. We received 37 responses from a variety of schools. The responses pointed to a desire to 1) learn more about crafting effective assessment questions, 2) capture the personal stories of our students and 3) what to do with the data once it's collected. With that in mind, our goal with this roundtable is to discuss methods of how to assess students and share some examples of current assessment best practices.

Join Climate Study Implementation Team Co-Chairs Victoria Lopez-Herrera (NIRSA At-Large Director), Cara Lucia (2021-2022 NIRSA Board President) and Pam Watts (Executive Director) to review key findings and recommendations from the final Climate Study. Priority action steps, timeline and opportunities for member involvement will be shared.

This publication highlights University of Colorado - Colorado Springs's initiative. This publication further explains the long and winding road for this campus to build an integrated model that thrives through academic and cross-campus partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration.

In 2021, NIRSA partnered with 122 Consulting to embark on a climate assessment initiative with the aim of gathering data about the ways members were experiencing the Association through a lens of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JDEI). Over the fall and winter, a climate assessment—grounded in 122’s Sustained Impact Model that includes self (self-awareness, individual accountability), spheres (interpersonal dynamics, relationships), and systems (embedded culture, policies, and practices)—was conducted by 122 Consulting with oversight and support from NIRSA’s EDI Climate Study Steering Committee. Crucially, this work was supported by NIRSA Foundation donors. Data for the climate study was gathered by surveying members and nonmembers, facilitating focus groups, and receiving input from the Steering Committee. Findings from those efforts are presented and discussed in this report.

This recording features ​NIRSA President Cara Lucia, NIRSA Executive Director Pam Watts and 122 Consulting Founder & Principal Nnenna Akotaobi to review key findings and recommendations from the forthcoming Climate Study. Priority action steps, timelines, and upcoming opportunities for member involvement was shared.