A’Naja Newsome, Ph.D.
University of Central Florida

How have you advocated collegiate recreation’s value in higher education?

For more than a decade, I have worked to position collegiate recreation as a profession that supports the mission of higher education institutions. My advocacy for collegiate recreation has been demonstrated in three primary ways.

As an internship site coordinator, I expanded the eligible disciplines hosted in our department for academic internship credit. Traditionally, our student interns had been recruited from exercise science. However, the transferable and career readiness skills obtained through experiences in collegiate recreation transcend physical domains. Networking with career services, academic affairs, the School of Public Health, hospitality and tourism, and business management I was able to educate academic departments regarding the knowledge, skills, and abilities that student interns gain such as business management, event planning, communication, marketing, and sustainability. This resulted in a semester-long leadership program that I developed which allowed student employees to receive a career service digital badge that was noted on their official transcript. I believe this demonstrated the department’s contribution to academic success beyond physical well-being.

As a member of the editorial board for the Recreational Sports Journal (RSJ), I value rigorous, high-quality literature to inform the field. I make it a point to cite work published in this journal and connect faculty members from various disciplines to submit their manuscripts to the RSJ for consideration. As a practitioner-scholar, I conduct research that serves to enhance the evidence-based practices used within recreation programs and services. As a NIRSA Foundation grant recipient, I am doing work to develop and validate an instrument that will enhance recreation departments’ ability to understand student needs and improve its programming effectiveness.

As a faculty member with extensive experience in student affairs, I have a unique perspective that I am using to improve the communication and networking between student affairs and academic affairs. Bridging the gap and improving the buy-in that faculty have for the physical health and well-being of students is another way that I advocate for collegiate recreation. As a co-chair of the Exercise is Medicine on Campus initiative at UCF, I have been adamant about the important role that the campus recreation department should play in this campus program. This role is not simply a conduit for information, but a valued partner critical for long-term success. Additionally, I have served on faculty search committees, given faculty lectures, and worked to ensure that recreation professionals are at the table to discuss campus initiatives. Most recently I have connected campus recreation colleagues with faculty members who are interested in the mental and physical well-being of students for the purposes of integrated programming and research projects. It is through partnership that I believe we have the best chance of a holistic approach to health promotion and academic success in higher education.

In reviewing NIRSA’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, what experiences, networks and competencies will you bring to further this work while serving on the board?

My past experiences within NIRSA and the professional experiences on my campuses lend themselves to support the continued design and development of meaningful learning and educational opportunities for NIRSA members. As the structure and purpose of higher education institutions continue to evolve, I believe it is vital that we reaffirm our commitment to preparing professionals to lead diverse communities in innovative, creative, and inclusive ways.

NIRSA is a leader in higher education and as such our members are critical leaders on their campus. Student and professional members are moving the needle on student recreation, sport, and well-being. In alignment with the leadership strategic priority, if elected to the Board of Directors (BOD), I would advocate for competency-based professional development for leaders at all levels to effectively communicate the outcomes of recreation participation, and advocate for funding models which prioritizes student well-being as a predictor of academic success. There is a need to support our members in effectively communicating the value of collegiate recreation to academic stakeholders (e.g., institutional presidents and provosts). My professional experience with strategic planning coupled with my academic experience in program evaluation and understanding performance-based metrics positions me to serve the board in its continued work of reimagining learning and education. I have experience leveraging learning management systems and designing student-centered curriculum. I have developed educational content or given lectures on designing student learning outcomes, developing recreation program assessments, and creating meaningful collaboration for student well-being. As NIRSA moves toward a student affairs educator credentialing model, my experiences with curriculum and instruction prepares me to support the BOD in the delivery of education for core competencies such as programming, business management, philosophy & theory, and research & evaluation. As a life-long learner and an educator, I am excited to bring this knowledge and potential for training and development.

As NIRSA strives to lead the charge in integrated health and well-being, I think about my most recent experience representing NIRSA at the 2022 Inter-Association Health and Well-being in Higher Education convening. During this service, many higher education associations came together to learn, network, and reaffirm the steps necessary for a continued commitment to integrated well-being. In this role, I developed a network of colleagues that are committed to holistic student well-being. It is through collaboration that this work will be most successful. Collaboration must be innovative and sustainable. It must also place equity, diversity, and inclusion at the forefront of what we do as leaders in higher education. Determinants of health equity not only represent the absence of individual barriers to resources, but it includes the dissolution of structural and environmental barriers to the pursuit of health on our campuses. If elected to the BOD I would advocate for furthering partnership, research, and the development of resources for our members in the integration of collegiate recreation into the fabric of well-being and student success.

What attributes, experiences and knowledge could you contribute to the NIRSA Board of Directors that speak to the competency based requirements?

My experience has prepared me to contribute to the critical evaluation of the current strategic plan outcomes. In my previous roles I have been responsible for communicating program effectiveness through written annual reports and oral presentations. This dissemination includes transparency in evaluation methods and steps for accountability with unmet goals for the purpose of growth. It is also important to note that the President-elect would be responsible for futuristic thinking in the advancement of NIRSA with the development and implementation of the 2025-2029 strategic plan. I am proud of the experience I have leading focus group discussions and organizing collaborative spaces for critical conversations. Namely, those conversations involve issues of equity, diversity, and access. I am particularly proud of the lens I have developed for amplifying voices from all levels of leadership and engagement.

My time serving as a volunteer leader also informs my future contribution to the BOD. Serving for three years on the chair team for the NIRSA Annual Program Committee has allowed me to evaluate the role of our volunteer leaders. Our volunteers provide valuable insight and are the backbone of our organization and events. It was an honor to witness first-hand the dedication that our members have for our association. The conversations were honest, informed, and deliberate. Approaching the first face-to-face annual event since 2019 this group enthusiastically accepted the task of crafting an educational offering while simultaneously charting a new normal on their campuses and in their personal lives. This is no easy feat. Through this experience I learned a great deal about leading diverse perspectives, managing conflicting priorities, and building consensus within a group. I will eagerly bring this leadership experience with me to the BOD.

Lastly, there is a growing desire for collegiate recreation professionals to partner with academic units to engage faculty with the promotion of student well-being. This partnership symbolizes an integrated approach to wrap around care for students and truly engages all stakeholders on campus. Exercise is Medicine (EIM) on Campus is one such example of the possibilities of this partnership. My role in successfully engaging student affairs professionals, clinical care providers, faculty, and students to reach the highest recognition level for EIM is evidence of my unrelenting belief that student well-being is not the sole responsibility of one entity on campus. The tenants of the EIM initiative require buy in, resources, and accountability from many corners of campus. The outcomes are varied but ultimately represent the epitome of caring for the whole student in the classroom, on campus, and beyond. In considering the current strategic priorities, I believe this knowledge would benefit the BOD as the group envisions the advancement of NIRSA.