The 2026 NIRSA Conference was held from April 7-10 in National Harbor, Maryland. From meeting countless supporters and vendors to discussing real challenges facing campus rec professionals, the conference was full of deep connections and impactful conversations.
While there, I had the chance to learn alongside campus recreation pros in a variety of sessions. From hearing about the power of mentorship to learning how departments are working to prove their impact, I wanted to share some of the insights I heard throughout this year’s conference.
Turning Mentorship from Transactional to Transformational
While mentorship overall is a key element of professional and personal growth, it’s most meaningful when it shifts from transactional to transformational. In the session “The Power of Mentorship,” Jocelyn Hill, the associate athletic director of Recreation and Aquatic Facilities at American University; Felicia Tittle, the executive director of Recreation and Physical Education at Duke University; and Wendy Windsor, the director of Campus Recreation at Tulane University, discussed how to make that shift and why it matters.
Transactional mentorship focuses on short-term goals and basic guidance, whereas transformational mentorship is based on deep trust, personal development and long-term impact. Windsor said the shift happens when the relationship becomes truly reciprocal.
The leader’s core skills for effective mentorship are:
- Prioritize deep listening and empathy. Listen to understand, not just respond.
- Use open-ended questions to encourage reflection and guide mentees to discover solutions without providing all the answers.
- Recognize and regulate emotions when having conversations with mentees. Understand how emotions influence motivation, communication and decision-making. Build trust through authenticity.
- Provide supportive, honest feedback that’s clear, respectful and focused on growth. Frame feedback around behaviors and outcomes rather than personal traits.
NIRSA’s Wellbeing Collaborative
One session focused on the NIRSA Wellbeing Collaborative, a year-long pilot program across four institutions that supports campus rec departments in embedding well-being into their culture, operations and strategy. Developed in partnership with Wellfleet, the initiative pairs each university with individualized coaching from NIRSA’s Health and Wellbeing Advisory Group throughout the academic year.
Representatives from each university shared what the program unlocked for their departments. D.J. Preston, the director of Student Recreation and Wellness at Radford University, said the initiative helped his team use the right language to build credibility with leadership and move from conversation to action. For Radford, this led to two consecutive years of well-being budget submissions without losing a dollar.
The collaborative also pushed institutions to think beyond programming and into organizational culture. Towson University started incorporating well-being into new student employee orientation and added a new question to staff performance evaluations: “What did you contribute to well-being?”
The University of Utah used its student-led Crimson Council to gather direct feedback on well-being initiatives, noting that the collaborative opened up new avenues to offer wellness on campus.
Overall, the leaders stressed the importance of starting small and making simple changes. “Peel back the layers of your programs. What is one simple change you can do right now that would have an impact on well-being?” asked Chris Voss, the director of University Recreation at Western Michigan University.
Renovation Trends
Industry leaders from SmithGroup shared the top renovation trends they’ve seen throughout projects with campus rec departments. While the main drivers of renovations are aging facilities and evolving student demand post-COVID-19, there are a variety of ways departments are integrating modern trends, including:
- Moving from program-defined rooms — like racquetball courts — toward flexible, multi-use places with an emphasis on open functional zones.
- Adding more strength training and functional fitness with fewer cardio-only areas.
- Repurposing underutilized legacy spaces like leisure pools or oversized locker rooms to make room for new additions.
- A strong push for cohesive identity and branding aligning with the university.
- Well-being and recovery hubs, including spaces for meditation and mindfulness, saunas and massage chairs.
- Enhanced lighting and intuitive wayfinding, with a strong trend toward open areas with ample windows.
How Small Colleges Make It Work
Running a campus rec department with a team of one is a reality for many professionals. In the session “Making Something Out of Nothing,” Jose Reynolds, the assistant director of Recreation at the University of Dubuque, and C.J. Jackson, the director of Recreation and Wellness at Northern Virginia Community College, shared the creative systems they’ve built to grow their programs without growing their headcount.
The main takeaway from the discussion is for campus rec pros to stop trying to do everything yourself and start leveraging the campus around you. For Reynolds, this looked like building relationships with faculty across departments — from sports marketing to human health sciences — and creating internship pipelines where students gained real experience while filling departmental needs.
Jackson developed a framework called CED — collaborate, evaluate and design — built around a partnership with career services on campus. By connecting with the office, Jackson tapped into students who were already motivated to get involved, then created roles tailored to what they’re looking for.
The discussion offered a few other pieces of advice for professionals working within small institutions:
- Sell the experience. Administration cares about student experience and retention, so frame every program and partnership in those terms.
- Delegate on purpose. Holding into tasks you could hand off is inefficient and a disservice to students who want to grow. Build roles to match their goals, then get out of the way.
- Always be looking ahead. Start recruiting your next intern before the current one leaves so there’s never a gap.
Making Impact Visible Through Storytelling and Data
Many campus rec professionals face a similar challenge: doing meaningful work but struggling to showcase its value to leadership and upper administration.
In this panel, leaders from the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte shared how they gained executive-level support through strategic alignment and communication. Panelists emphasized how success isn’t just about outcomes but about making them visible in ways that resonate with decision-makers.
A key takeaway was the importance of aligning messaging with institutional priorities. Rather than leading with recreation-specific goals, panelists recommended framing work around broader university outcomes such as student success or career readiness.
Data plays a critical role in this process, but leaders stressed that numbers alone aren’t enough. The most effective approach combines quantitative data with storytelling — pairing metrics like GPA or retention with real examples that bring those numbers to life. Just as important is tailoring communication to different audiences, recognizing how some leaders respond to data while others connect more with lived experiences.
Finally, panelists encouraged professionals to create opportunities for leaders to experience campus recreation firsthand. Inviting decision-makers into facilities or programs can be more powerful than any report, helping them see and feel the impact in real time.
