by Barb Kowal, CoSIDA Director of External Affairs
Today, in the spirit of the holidays and a new year, we kick off a new series leading into 2016:
12 Days of CoSIDA.
Leading up to January 1, you'll see us:
• showcase different CoSIDA programs, contests, award recognitions and initiatives
• highlight some of the individuals who contribute to growing our vibrant member-focused organization
We start the series by taking a look at our new Mentorship Program.
Come back throughout the next two weeks to see more 12 Days of CoSIDA!
Next up:
Monday Dec. 21: Interested in Attending #CoSIDA16 Convention to Learn-Network-Advance Your Career?
Apply for a Convention Attendance Grant
Tuesday, Dec. 22: Send in your holiday photos for our CoSIDA Holiday Photo Gallery! Post your photos to Twitter with the specific @CoSIDAnews #CoSIDAHoiday hashtag. The photos can be your interactions with colleagues during the holiday break (at games or socially with holiday outfits) traveling with your teams, being with your family and friends. Photos can also be sent to
barbkowal@cosida.com for a website gallery.
DAY 1: Our Mentorship Program
In June of 2015, during the Convention in Orlando, CoSIDA launched a mentorship program which has been met with
great enthusiam and interest over the last seven months.
Andy Seeley,
UCF assistant athletics director of communications
and CoSIDA's first vice president, initiated the idea to begin the mentorship program. CoSIDA staff member
Laurie Bollig,
Director of Membership Engagement, is coordinating the program.
The mentorship program is open to all 2015-16 current CoSIDA members. Read more HERE.
Over 100 CoSIDA members currently are participating in the mentorship program - and we invite ALL members to join in!
This new member benefit matches athletics communications veterans with those who would benefit from mentorship. These
seasoned colleagues are providing career advice, answering questions and talking about best practices in the workplace. The mentors
and mentees are checking in via in-person meetings, texts and phone calls. The mentees enjoy meeting a more
experienced professional and having them available to give advice and serve as a sounding board.
In our August continuing education call on "CoSIDA Resources," mentorship program participants
Cindy Potter
(Columbia [Mo.]), the NAIA president, and
Akilah Laster (Oklahoma) discussed their mentor-mentee relationship.
See the transcript and audio from that session.
In early December, a survey was sent to mentorship participants asking for feedback and suggestions. The survey participants
responded favorably about the program to date, offered suggestions for more "check-ins" and noted that the most
discussed topics were job advice, work-life integration/balance and professional development ideas.
“This program gives our experienced members a chance to connect with those who are just starting out or even those who
are simply looking for a jump-start on their career,” said Seeley. “It's an important new benefit for our membership. We know
there are many more members may want to take advantage of the opportunity to either be a mentee or a mentor, so we
encourage you to contact us now!"
CoSIDA members who are seeking mentors and those who believe they can contribute as a mentor should contact
Laurie at
lauriebollig@cosida.com or 913-707-0365.