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2026 Campus Rec Leadership Summit Trends Report

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2026 CAMPUS REC LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

The Trends Reshaping

Campus Recreation

Leadership

Key insights from over 60 directors on the obstacles and opportunities facing campus rec departments from the 2026 Campus Rec Leadership Summit. 

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ABOUT THE SUMMIT

It's More Than A

Trade Show.

The Campus Rec Leadership Summit is an invite-only experience designed for campus recreation directors and executive leaders responsible for navigating an increasingly complex environment — evolving student expectations, staffing challenges, budget constraints, and the growing role of recreation in student success.
WHAT'S INSIDE

Just What's Actually Being Said in the Room.

This report synthesizes four roundtable sessions and discussions into a trend-forward view of where the industry is headed.

01

AI Adoption and Innovation

AI is becoming an essential conversation. Whether leaders embrace it or not, staff are already using AI tools. The focus shouldn’t be on mastering every platform but understanding how AI can improve efficiency, decision-making, communication, and creativity.

"Every single one of us in this room is actively contributing to your team's innovation and future thinking. So stop managing tomorrow's innovation with yesterday's tools, redefine your role, embrace the creativity of your team and get out of the way."

Jennifer Speer, the executive director of Recreational Sports at the University of Texas at Austin.

02

Stewardship Over Construction

For most departments represented, a new building isn’t coming during the current director’s tenure. Budget constraints paired with rising expectations reframes the innovation question: not how to build something new, but how to steward what already exists into its next iteration.

03

The Retention Playbook

With limited control over salaries and benefits, campus rec departments are relying on workplace experience instead — from treating onboarding as continuous to using situational leadership as a shared framework for matching leadership.

04

Facility Reinvention Through Repurposing

With new construction largely off the table for some organizations, many facility wins now involve repurposing existing space or renegotiating how it’s used, rather than building anything new.

05

Humanized Leadership

The most effective leaders aren’t expected to have all of the answers. Being open about challenges and failures can help humanize leaders and build stronger relationships with staff. Vulnerability and accountability should be viewed as deliberate retention and culture strategies.

“Only when we have the strength to show our vulnerability can we truly lead.”

Kristin DeAngelo, the executive director of University Recreation at the University of Arkansas.
ALSO IN THE REPORT

Strategic

Opportunities

Action items drawn from the four roundtable discussions offering a clear starting point for directors and their teams.   

Together, these trends point to a common thread: the departments that thrive will be the ones that lead with intention. This report is meant to help leaders do exactly that.
"The Summit helped me put language and structure to a challenge I’d been navigating around delegation and staff readiness. What stood out was the level of peer-to-peer conversation — we were all working through similar issues, which made the dialogue immediately valuable. I left with a clearer framework around situational leadership and a renewed intentionality in how I develop and lead my team."
Ian BrownDirector of Campus Recreation and Wellness at Furman University
FREE EXECUTIVE REPORT

Download the Full Report

 Download the full executive report for free to receive the top takeaways from the Campus Rec Leadership Summit and get the tools you need to keep up with the evolving field of campus recreation. 

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© 2026 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.