Last week, the 2025 Campus Rec Leadership Summit reached new heights. Literally.
From June 3-5, attendees and sponsors gathered at the Chateaux Deer Valley — elevation approximately 8,000 feet — just outside Park City, Utah.
It was two and half days of excellent networking, fabulous sponsor showcases and authentic, industry-improving discussions.
Below are the top themes and takeaways from the conversations that were had during the roundtables at the Summit:
Communication is a Leadership Superpower
Whether managing up, coaching staff or handling a crisis, effective communication was consistently brought up as the core driver of trust, clarity and progress.
Two ways to do this:
- Host a communication-style meeting where everyone shares their communication preferences and pet peeves. Document the insights and revisit regularly.
- Brief your supervisor weekly using their preferred format — i.e. bullet points, visuals or short narrative — to build alignment and advocacy.
Crisis Readiness Requires Practice
During the crisis management roundtable, directors stressed plans are only as good as your team’s ability to act on them under pressure. And that takes constant practice and preparation.
As such:
- Run one tabletop exercise per semester that includes both professional and student staff, simulating a real crisis on campus or off-site.
- Create a “Crisis Quick Sheet” with key contacts, timelines and communication flow — and distribute it to every staff member to have on hand should it be needed.
Investing in Staff Doesn’t End at Onboarding
Conversations on staffing nuances highlighted the importance of continuous feedback, intentional development and tailored leadership approaches. Some ideas were:
- Use a behavior + outcome rubric in your one-on-ones to fairly discuss growth and performance.
- Assign each manager to create a “What You Need to Know About Working with Me” guide and share it with their team to build relational clarity and reduce friction. As the director, you should create one as well.
Technology Must Serve, Not Distract
From AI to dashboards to smart equipment, technology is as a powerful tool, but only if it aligns with student behavior and campus goals.
Two things you can do today:
- Survey students and staff about their current tech habits — what wearables, apps, etc. are they using — and let that guide your next steps.
- Start small with an internal tool like Power BI or ChatGPT to improve data storytelling or streamline planning tasks.
Influence is Built Sideways and Up
Managing up isn’t about flattery. It’s about earning trust, aligning goals and knowing when — and how — to have the hard conversations.
Actionable takeaways from the Summit on managing up:
- Map your “up, down and sideways” relationships. Then identify one to two people in each category you want to build stronger communication with.
- Invite your VP or supervisor to one campus rec program per semester so they experience your department’s impact firsthand.
These were just a handful of the tidbits passed around and discussed at the 2025 Campus Rec Summit. If you want to be part of the conversation next year, email heather@peakemedia.com to secure a spot once registration opens for the 2026 event.
