The CoSIDA Column below was written by new CoSIDA Executive Director Doug Vance, who
assumed the association's top position on October 1, 2013. Vance's column appears in the current November 2013 issue of NACDA's
Athletics Administration Magazine.
This November issue is available in a digital form only and will not be mailed to NACDA members; the
online magazine link can be found HERE.
Beginning with the 2009-10 academic year and with its new partnership with NACDA at that time, the CoSIDA leadership was invited to contribute to each issue of the
Athletics Administration Magazine. In October of 2009, CoSIDA President Justin Doherty penned the first "CoSIDA Column."
Each
Athletics Administration issue is sent to over 10,000 university and athletics administrators, with CoSIDA's voice, thoughts and expertise shared with these key constituents. The magazine is published each October, November, December, February, March, April, June and August.
See the CoSIDA Corner archives HERE.
For 15 of my 20 years working as an assistant athletics director for communications at the University of Kansas, I had the good fortune to serve under the leadership of Bob Frederick. Clearly, Frederick was one of the most outstanding athletics directors in intercollegiate athletics and I’ll always appreciate the opportunity he gave me to participate in the upper level management decisions of our department.
Frederick often referred to athletics media relations/sports information as the “front porch” of the athletics department. I’ve heard the athletics department referred to as the front porch of the university and Frederick believed it was the communications team that played that welcome role for its athletics department.
I believe his intent was to recognize that members of our profession open the door and play an essential role in preparing and delivering impactful messages to that broad range of publics served by the athletics department. In short, the public is generally introduced to the world of intercollegiate athletics and the news that surround it through a delivery system coordinated by a sports information office.
Frederick encouraged my presence at the table when decisions were being formed, not only in terms of crafting the message we funneled to the media and our fans, but also as a resource in understanding its impact. Like many athletics administrators then and now, Frederick understood the value of strategic communication as it related to the array of important decisions. He also respected my guidance in helping him work directly with the media and understand how to maximize those opportunities in a positive way.
I took his “front porch” statement as a meaningful compliment to athletic communications directors across the country and it’s one of the reasons that I was honored to accept the role on Oct. 1, as Executive Director of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
As I said in accepting the job, I feel like I’ve come back home. And, as Frederick suggested, to the “front porch” of college athletics.
I made the difficult decision in 2004 to step away from my career in college athletics and have spent the last nine years in the world of parks and recreation association management in Kansas. That job prepared me for this new assignment, allowing me to understand the concepts of association management. As a result, I’m in a much better position to see the big picture and provide leadership in helping shape the future for CoSIDA.
Without question, it’s a bright future. It’s clearly an organization of creative and high-energy professionals that has established the frame work to be a catalyst and a strong advocate for the values of college athletics. It’s easy for me to be a champion of CoSIDA and the highly skilled communications professionals it represents. I’ve walked in their shoes and understand their daily challenges.
More important, I feel strongly about the vital role our members play as a valuable resource in the ever-changing world of intercollegiate athletics. Our growing membership — expected to surpass the 3,000 threshold later this year for the first time in history — signifies that CoSIDA has a major voice that connects with athletics departments all
across North America.
Fundamental to that growing network of members is the firm commitment that CoSIDA represents a united organization for all divisions which are of equal importance. That serves as a starting point for me and a concept that was stressed during the interview process by our board leadership.
Thanks to strong and effective leadership, CoSIDA has placed an emphasis on collaborative opportunities. It has expanded its external network of partnerships and is striving for greater involvement and leadership opportunities in support of NCAA, NAIA, CIS and NJCAA programs.
Two meaningful initiatives, among a host of others, serve as clear statements that CoSIDA has a defined vision for its future:
• The 2013 CoSIDA Convention was the first to be conducted in partnership with the overall NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week and proved impactful on many levels. We are looking forward to continued involvement with NACDA in the years ahead.
• The results of a year-long strategic branding study conducted by Cryder Rinebold were announced last spring and are providing direction on many fronts, in particular, an expanding professional development program in the months ahead. That program will include educational strategies which relate to the tidal wave of technology that influence the full scope of information, communication and delivery systems that play a major role in our life.
My simple goal as executive director of this great organization is to bring a passionate commitment to making CoSIDA better, stronger and more relevant to its members. In addition, we need to focus on being strong advocates for all of our members and do it with equal focus at every level of our affiliation.
Our members do much more than manage the flow of information between their athletics departments and its publics. Our profession is one of strategic communications that engages and informs targeted audiences, builds meaningful relationships and brings important information back into the administrative leadership for analysis and action.
More importantl, I feel strongly about the vital role our members play as a valuable resource in the shifting landscape of intercollegiate athletics. I recognize that you rely on this contribution of energy, creativity and expertise every day on your campus and that perspective helps fuel the combined efforts with even more effectiveness.