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Recreation staff of the recognized university at the NIRSA National Conference

The NIRSA national conference: Leaders in collegiate recreation 2019 was held from February 16 to 19 in Boston and attended by 2,397 professionals from 485 institutions. The members of the University Recreation staff received national recognition and scholarships at the annual conference.

Abby Blumberg, a former graduate of University Recreation, received the NIRSA Service Award, which celebrates the efforts of people in the NIRSA community who have gone beyond their duty of volunteer service. As a graduate assistant, Blumberg served as the student representative of Region IV for 2017-2018 and received this award for her creative recruitment and student participation. Blumberg served in his assistantship with UREC from 2016 to 2016.

"Abby has a passion for student development and was always interested in connecting students to the field of college recreation," said Erin Butler, assistant director of staff development and evaluation.

Katherine Haarmann, UREC graduate assistant for Intramural Sports, was selected as the regional student representative of NIRSA for 2019-2020. In this position, he will work in conjunction with regional representatives to promote NIRSA's goals, as well as the membership and participation of students.

"During her first year as a graduate assistant, she became involved in the Lead-On planning committee for Region IV students who helped create networks and educational opportunities for students at the Region IV conference," said Jonathan Elliott, assistant director of intramural and club sports. "I am thrilled to see that your leadership continues to influence more students through this opportunity."

Jeremy Battjes, director of University Recreation, was chosen to present at the conference. Presentations were:

  • " Improvement of professional skills through on-campus recreation employment: Results of two doctoral dissertations" that explored the findings associated with professional skills learned and improved through student employment in a university recreation environment.
  • " Prescribing collegiate recreation as an intentional intervention for academically unprepared students" where attendees learned about a program, UREC Healthy Hogs, which demonstrates the value of college recreation through a co-curricular program without Cost Designed to complement the academic experience.

Nathan Lonngren, Club Sports graduate assistant and Kaitlyn McCracken, graduate assistant at the UREC facilities, were awarded the travel assistance stipends from the NIRSA Foundation, which covered the cost of registration to the conference.

In addition, three other UREC employees perform functions at NIRSA. Meagan Purdy, a graduate assistant for student development, serves as the state student leader for Arkansas, and Kristin DeAngelo, associate director of facilities, serves as the representative of the state of Arkansas. Jonathan Elliott is a member of the professional and student development committee of the NIRSA Championship Series, as well as the Region IV Planning Committee.

NIRSA is a higher education association composed of the university departments of recreation, sports and physical conditioning of the United States and Canada. The association began in 1950 as the National Intramural Association, eventually adopting the nickname NIRSA: Leaders in collegiate recreation. There are more than 600 member institutions that belong to NIRSA.

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