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Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference

February 2024

Hosted by Bethune Cookman University and University of Central Florida

Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference, Building a Brighter Future Together

About the Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference

The educational and professional opportunities at the Emerging Recreational Sports Leadership (ERSL) Conference fall within the spectrum of broad-based to in-depth — from mock interviews with established collegiate recreation administrators to presentations on the changing landscape of recreational sports careers in our current economy.

In 1992, the office of intramural sports at the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale established the first ERSL Conference to encourage a strong future of leadership for minority students in the field of collegiate recreation. The goal of the ERSL Conference has ever since been to provide minority students who are interested in careers in collegiate recreation with the tools and network connections needed to succeed in this dynamic field.

With educational programming, opportunities for mentorship, and a platform for career networking, this unique conference empowers young minority students with the skills and knowledge that lay the foundation to building meaningful careers in the field of collegiate recreation. The ERSL Conference encourages diversity in our association in an effort to better reflect the populations and demographics that NIRSA members serve.

two people sitting in chairs at a conference session; one with microphone speaking and presentation slideshow in background
  • A mix of live and on-demand sessions will be launched from February 1-19, 2021.

  • Registrants will have access to all recordings through April 2, 2021.

  • Mock interviews will help you prepare for finding the right career path.

Presentation Proposals & Topics

Theme: Rebuilding a better future together through community and shared values

Presentation proposals should align with NIRSA’s eight core competencies, and the Program Committee has selected the following three competencies to focus on for this upcoming ERSL Conference:

  • Programming
  • Philosophy & Theory
  • Personal & Professional Qualities

NIRSA professional and student members who submit proposals and are among the first to have their proposal selected will serve as lead presenters and will receive a courtesy time preference. This means they’ll have the option to select the day and time they would like to present, which is definitely a reason to get excited! The deadline for these priority submissions is Friday, December 3.

You don’t want to miss out on this fantastic chance to share your knowledge! Submit a presentation proposal by the Friday, December 10 deadline for all submissions!

Submit your presentation proposal before December 15, 2022!

Presentation proposals will be open soon!

The presentation proposal deadline has passed. For any presentation questions please contact Charles Judkins.

Conference Schedule

Time Agenda
1:00pm-5:00pm Registration/Check-in
5:00pm-6:30pm Opening Session/Juliette Moore Tribute
6:30pm-6:45pm Black Collegiate Gaming Association Info Session
7:00pm-9:30pm Conference Meet and Greet
Time Agenda
7:00am-8:30am Breakfast
9:00am-10:00am Session I
10:10am-11:10am Session II
11:10am-12:10pm Session III
12:10pm-12:30pm Conference Group Photo
12:30pm-1:45pm Take a Student to Lunch
2:00pm-3:00pm Session IV
3:10pm-4:10pm Session V
4:20pm-5:30pm Giving of Flowers/Herman Williams Award Ceremony
7:00pm-11:00pm Conference Social

9:00am-10:00amMock Interviews

Time Agenda
7:00am-8:30am Breakfast
9:00am-10:15am Mock Round Tables
10:15am-11:15am Session VI
11:15am-12:15pm Session VII
12:20pm-1:20pm Lunch & Closing Remarks

Schedule subject to change
Last Updated: February 2, 2023

Registration

Registration details for 2024 ERSL will be announced in late 2023  

Registration Pricing & Details

Pricing details will be posted in late 2023 

Early Bird Price on or before January 11, 2023 Regular Price after January 11, 2023
Student Premier Member* $85 $100
Student Member $100 $115
Student Nonmember $120 $135
Professional Premier Member* $125 $140
Professional Member $150 $165
Professional Nonmember $190 $205
Associate Member $185 $225
Associate Nonmember $325 $375

*Individual members who are on staff of an institutional member school are considered Premier Members.

The term “member” refers to those with a current NIRSA membership both at the time of registration and throughout the conference. If you are unsure about your individual membership status or your institution’s membership status, please send an email to [email protected].

2023 ERSL Attendees group photos on stairs outside

Conference Hotel

Courtyard Orlando East/UCF Area by Marriott

12000 Collegiate Way • Orlando, Florida 32817 • 407-277-7676 • Website • Map & Directions

Rates & Reservations

ERSL Room Rate: $139 + tax per night

Attendees can make hotel reservations by calling 407-207-4729 and requesting the NIRSA ERSL: Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference group rate. Reservations need to be made no later than January 18, 2023, to confirm the discounted group rate.

NIRSA encourages all Conference attendees to reserve their hotel accommodations within the NIRSA room block. NIRSA relies on strong room block usage to secure ample meeting space, increase negotiation leverage for future institutes, and offset event expenses.

Roommates

Looking for a roommate? The best way to match with a roommate is to post that you are looking for one in the 2023 Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Conference Connect Community; once registered you’ll be added to the community.

Airport

The best airports to fly into are the Orlando International Airport (MCO) or Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) which is a bit smaller than MCO. It is about 30 minutes from MCO to the host hotel and university. It’s about 25 minutes from SFB to the host hotel and university.

Shuttles

Information coming soon!

Apply for a Scholarship to Attend the ERSL Conference

The NIRSA Foundation Founders Endowment was established in honor of the twenty African American Founders of NIRSA. The Founders Endowment supports registration scholarships to attend NIRSA educational events and one registration award to a professional and student to attend ERSL. This year the NIRSA Foundation Founders Endowment is awarding two registration scholarships (one student & one professional) to attend the 2023 ERSL Conference.

The application deadline is January 11, 2023. Preference will be given to applicants currently attending or working at an HBCU, but the winner will be selected at random through a name picker program. Applicants will be notified via email of their selection status by January 18, 2023. If you’ve previously registered for the event and win the scholarship we will work with you on registration reimbursement.

NIRSA Foundation

Herman Williams Founders Outstanding Service Award

Learn about the award honoring innovative leadership toward the achievement of substantial improvements of minorities in the field of collegiate recreation.

Applications for 2023 Are Now Closed  

Deadline to nominate for 2024: TBD 

Calvin Diggs

Dexter Shorter, Pennsylvania State University 
2023 Herman Williams Award recipient 

Special thanks to the 2021 Emerging Recreational Sports Leaders Committee

  • Candice Douglas, ERSLC Co-Chair, Western Kentucky University
  • Kevin Martin, ERSLC Co-Chair, University of California-Riverside
  • Charles Judkins
  • Corbin Ross, UCLA
  • Anja Shelton, Austin Peay State University
  • Trevon Walker, Texas State University
  • Deja’Nay Gilliam, University of California-Davis
  • Chrystina Wyatt

The 2021 ERSL Conference is a NIRSA CEU Approved Provider Program. The program(s) identified with a CEU value meet the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Registered Collegiate Recreational Sports Professionals (RCRSP) designation. RCRSPs are responsible for tracking CEUs earned. Email [email protected] with questions.

Contact

For more information, please contact NIRSA Director of Learning, Brittany Rejda.