The Great Resignation is here and new leadership competencies are in demand- agility and the ability to embrace change. Do you know what is important to your employees- today? It’s time to move outside the traditional paradigm. Becoming more agile with employee desires requires valuing people enough to expand comfort zones. As a leader, do you understand individual circumstances and show empathy and flexibility? The type of relationship a leader has with employees can greatly impact a decision to stay or go.

Consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion values and practices is important in staff hiring. Hiring for students is no exception. This conversation is focused on ways to reduce bias in our marketing, hiring, and onboarding processes.

Southern New Hampshire University has been closed since March 13, 2020. Since then they’ve lost one of their two full-time staff, two graduating classes of students, and are looking to rebuild the headcount and culture this upcoming year. This program is the first of many conversations in the Solution Series on rebuilding your staff. This program is brought to you by the NIRSA Small Programs Committee.

Although we aren’t out of the pandemic yet, this can still be a good time to reflect on what’s changed for student employment since March 2020. There is no doubt that our student employees and our employment routines were disrupted. But what can we learn from how we adapted (or failed)?

What are the best practices to evaluate the employees you supervise? In this session, we will guide you through the ‘life cycle’ of feedback and evaluation. From implementing a culture of regular feedback during the onboarding process to having crucial conversations to self-evaluations and yearly performance reviews, you will learn how to be intentional as you build your structure for development and growth for those whom you supervise whether they are student-wage, part-time, graduate assistants, or full-time employees. Whether you are currently in a supervisor role, plan to work in a supervisor role, or want to learn what types of expectations future employers may have, this session has something for everyone with tips and proven methodologies for supporting current (or future) supervisees. Spark your planning and organization to structure a comprehensive feedback process, from one cycle to the next!

On the 90s sitcom Home Improvement, Tim “The Toolman” Taylor may have been a handyman on his show, Tool Time, but he still needed to spend time sharpening his tools. Likewise, student staff managers must keep their tools sharp to be effective educators and supervisors. This interactive presentation will offer time for self-evaluation, a chance to learn about the benefits of student development, and resources to sharpen or supplement your supervisor ‘toolbox’. Attendees will leave the session with the tools to take their management style from transactional to transformational.

Cultivating equity, diversity and inclusiveness (EDI) is not just a goal and checkmark at the University of Central Florida Recreation and Wellness Center. For members on the team, it has become a way of life. As three white, cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied folx, we believe it's important to live out EDI personally and professionally. Diversity is a huge part of our work and a major point of passion for us. Simply having a diversity statement is not enough. Join us to learn more about our journeys with diversity, how we have learned to infuse EDI efforts into the everyday, and how campus recreation professionals can do the same. 

​Do you find it challenging to retain great intramural sports officials and minimize staff turnover? This session will explore the motivating factors that affect staff retention and focus on practical strategies to build a positive community, make your staff feel valued and recognized, enhance training and development for officials, and keep the work environment fun.

​Join this session for an innovative approach for engaging students in campus recreation through human centered design (HCD). HCD focuses on people’s programs, goals, needs, thinking, emotions and behavior in order to create effective design solutions to complex problems that we see as recreation professionals. Join TJ for an informative and motivational session that introduces you to the main themes of HCD to where we can begin brainstorming solutions to today’s biggest issues in campus recreation.

​On campus employers are uniquely positioned to provide practical learning experience to students to improve their career readiness and overall development. Campus Rec professionals are often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of research and resources related to student learning. This presentation will help you bridge the gap between those theories and the creation of high impact practices for your student employees.