APPLY BY FRIDAY, FEB. 27 for the 2015 Convention Attendance Grant Program.
The on-line application portal for 2015 grant applications opened on Monday, January 5 and closed on Friday, Feb. 27
Winners will be notified by March 23.
Check out the 2015 Convention programming, social events, hotel reservations and other promotions:
2015 CoSIDA Convention
In addition to general information, applicants must submit a personal letter indicating their interest in attending, why they haven’t attended recently and what they hope to learn at the convention, as well as a letter from their supervisor or business manager detailing the school’s inability to fund all or a majority of the related travel expenses.
Applicants must be paid CoSIDA members for 2014-15 at the active or student level, and previous recipients are not eligible.
Below, read more about the grant program, and see what 2014 recipients had to say about their convention experience.
By Will Roleson, CoSIDA Director of Internal Operations
JoJo Freeman had long wanted to attend the annual College Sports Information Directors of America’s annual convention.
But, at a smaller school that couldn’t fund his trip, the Cumberland (Tenn.) University sports information director had always put off going.
That changed in 2014 when Freeman was one of the recipients of the new CoSIDA Convention Attendance Grant, which awarded 10 scholarships in the amount of $800 each to deserving applicants. With the grant and only less than $300 of university money, Freeman was able to attend his first CoSIDA Convention, which was held at the Marriott Orlando World Center in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Week.
“For a first-time attendee, it was quite an eye-opening experience at the expanse of the convention when taking into account not just CoSIDA, but NACDA, NACMA and all the other professional organizations for collegiate employees,” Freeman said. “It’s also great to put names and faces with some of the companies we use for services.”
Another grant recipient, Rob Knox, had attended several conventions in the past but had just taken a new job last spring as the director of athletic communications at Coppin State University, which had not usually sent staff and not budgeted for the trip for 2014.
“Being able to network across organizations was something that was valuable to my growth as a professional,” said Knox. “If it wasn’t for the generosity of the CoSIDA grant, I would not have had the chance to speak with athletic directors, marketing personnel and vendors and also re-connect with friends and former colleagues.”
The Convention Grant Attendance Program will double in size for 2015 to 20 grants, each worth $800 apiece. The grant includes a complimentary convention registration, which is a change from 2014, allowing all the grant funds to go toward hotel nights, transportation and per diem. The 2015 convention will be held June 14-17, again at the Marriott Orlando World Center.
“As an organization we should consistently provide opportunities for our members to grow as professionals and the Convention Grant Program is an example of how we can open the door for a member, who may lack funding in the budget, one of those meaningful opportunities to experience the CoSIDA Convention,” said Doug Vance, CoSIDA Executive Director. “It’s an easy application process and is open to anyone who has the desire to attend but needs funding support to cover expenses.”
In addition to general information, applicants must submit a personal letter indicating their interest in attending, why they haven’t attended recently and what they hope to learn at the convention, as well as a letter from their supervisor or business manager detailing the school’s inability to fund all or a majority of the related travel expenses.
Applicants must be paid CoSIDA members for 2014-15 at the active or student level, and previous recipients are not eligible.
The on-line application portal for 2015 grant applications opens on Monday, January 5 a http://forms.cosida.com/conventiongrant.aspx with a deadline of February 27. Winners will be notified by March 23.
“The CoSIDA application was perhaps the easiest we’ve completed,” said Matt Higgins, an assistant executive director at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. “In roughly an hour, myself and my supervisor had written the letters of application, and I had submitted them using the convenient on-line form.”
As part of receiving a grant, each winner will be recognized at one of the convention awards luncheons and will be asked to help CoSIDA’s Convention Operations Committee with on-site registration duties and/or distributing beverage tickets at various social events. Recipients also must provide written reviews of their experience following the convention.
Added Higgins, “I would strongly encourage any SID who has never been to the convention to apply for the CoSIDA Convention Attendance Grant, and I’d guarantee that they’d come away from their first CoSIDA Convention just as energized an enthusiastic as I did.”
2015 CoSIDA Convention Attendance Grant Application Timeline:
Jan. 5 – Application information opens
Feb. 27 – Application deadline
Mar. 23 – Winners notified
June 14-17 – CoSIDA Convention at Marriott Orlando World Center
To Apply:
• Complete on-line application
• Submit personal letter of interest (attach as PDF)
• Submit letter from supervisor or business manager with notification of need (attach as PDF)
Questions?
Contact Will Roleson, CoSIDA Director of Internal Operations, at
willroleson@cosida.com