The most recent CoSIDA Column was written by Judy Willson, Mountain West Associate Director of Communications and CoSIDA's second vice president; Willson oversees 2014
CoSIDA Convention programming The column will appears in the current June 2014 issue of NACDA's
Athletics Administration Magazine.
This December issue is available in a digital format and also is 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.
It is hard to believe that we are wrapping up another successful academic year and the 2014 CoSIDA Convention (June 8-11) in Orlando is upon us. Last year we met together with NACDA and its affiliates for the first time and had a great week of programming, networking and socializing.
This year, CoSIDA introduces up a specialized day of division-specific programming. When you have a large organization, one of the biggest challenges with the annual Convention schedule is coming up with panels and discussions that appeal to a variety of members while keeping up with all of the latest innovations in athletics communications. CoSIDA topped the 3,000 members mark in 2013-14, a number that includes communications professionals from all NCAA divisions, NAIA, NJCAA and CIS.
Divisional Day, scheduled for Monday, June 9, features sessions specific to the topic requests of each leadership group. Sessions include day-to-day skills updates, crisis communications strategies and updates from the national governing bodies.
Monday’s activities will also include two of our premiere events, the Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame ceremony and the CoSIDA Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon. We welcome all NACDA and affiliates convention attendees to join us as we welcome a new class of the brightest and the best former student-athletes into the AAA Hall of Fame, and thank our corporate partner Capital One for the sponsorship of our Academic All-America® program. Florida State University standout linebacker
Derrick Brooks, who will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, joins University of California gymnast
Dr. Sigall Bell, University of Virginia and former New York Giants football standout
Tiki Barber, distinguished University of Southern California football back
Dick Nunis and Bentley University soccer star
Terry Carleton as the 2014 class of inductees.
The Monday awards luncheon will recognize the passion of some of the best in our profession as they become members of the organizations Hall of Fame. This year’s class includes two CoSIDA past presidents, Alan Cannon (Texas A&M) and Nick Joos (Baylor), two former CoSIDA board members in Sam Jefferson, Jr. (Jackson State) and Bill Wagner (DePauw), and former Warren Berg Award winner Wayne Block (Christopher Newport/Mesa Community College).
Before we dive into Divisional Day, we kick off the convention Sunday with several panels geared towards career development and enhancement. Getting started and need advice from veterans? There’s a panel for that. Been in the business for a while and need ideas on how to recharge your passion for the job? There’s a panel for you. Looking for tips on how to keep up with changes in social media, time management and networking while keeping work and life in balance? We’ve got that panel as well.
The Job Seekers Committee will be conducting its annual interview techniques and advice session on Sunday afternoon as well. Lawrence Fan (San Jose State) and his excellent committee will coordinate interview sessions and any job postings that come up during the week’s activities.
We are excited to have career coach and motivational speaker Bob Beaudine as our Sunday keynote speaker. He will be sharing ‘The Power of WHO’. Managing a leading executive search firm in sports and entertainment, Beaudine (www.eastman-beaudine.com) helps shape the leadership teams of innovative and dynamic businesses like the NBA and Major League Baseball. He will challenge us to rethink the way we network as professionals. This is a great topic to start the best networking opportunity of the year in collegiate athletics.
Tuesday will feature a variety of sessions for the overall membership, including a panel by Academic All-America® Hall of Famer Tracy Warren regarding recent changes to a variety of labor laws. We will also hear from four outstanding student-athletes, representing NAIA and NCAA Divisions I, II and III, for their perspective on how we interact and communicate with our teams.
Other Tuesday panels feature topics on competing for media exposure, how to develop a budget and social media engagement. The CoSIDA/NACMA social media engagement panel will have presenters from both organizations walking through different applications and innovations used by their respective institutions. The traditional “table topics” interactive discussions also will be held, while Tuesday evening is CoSIDA’s chance to check out the NACDA Exhibit Hall during the evening reception.
Mid-day Tuesday, the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee is coordinating our annual community service project (10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.), taking place for the second consecutive year at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. Look for news about an exciting membership-wide initiative from the Goodwill and Wellness Committee to be announced during the Convention. Early that morning, the fourth annual CoSIDA 5K fun run/walk takes place at 6 a.m., and CoSIDA’s small registration fees from the 5K go towards our fundraising for the Coalition for the Homeless. Our NACDA friends will join us this year for the 5k.
Highlights of our final convention day (June 11) includes an afternoon motivational session with Olympic gold medalist Dain Blanton (www.dainblanton.com). Dain will be speaking on leadership and appears courtesy of our new partnership with USA Volleyball. The day, like Tuesday, begins with mega sessions presented by NACDA. CoSIDA follows with skill training sessions on design and statistics software and video editing.
Wednesday’s luncheon features more special awards winners, including Warren Berg Award recipient Mark Beckenbach (Ohio Wesleyan), Jake Wade media award honoree Beth Mowins (ESPN) and Arch Ward winner Julie Bennett (Baylor).
Kudos to the CoSIDA staff for renewing several partnerships and adding to our social agenda for 2014. ESPN will sponsor Sunday night’s opening night party, following the annual CoSIDA Exhibit Hall reception. The NBA and WNBA are hosting Monday’s post- Academic All-America® Hall of Fame social, while USA Volleyball present Wednesday’s farewell event.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Orlando!