Convince Your Boss

Make the case for developing your team’s skills and connections: Show your boss why you need to be at NIRSA 2024.

Thriving campus recreation departments know that continuous skills development and idea sharing are essential to a team’s ability to pivot, leverage opportunities, and overcome challenges. With staff and student professional development budgets at risk of being trimmed down or cut entirely, it’s crucial to showcase how your professional work innovates and reflects an understanding of the absolute best practices in the field.

When you request institutional support from your supervisor or administrator, feel free to use the tools we’ve put together to help you build your case. These tools include a benefits worksheet, a budget worksheet, and a sample letter for your supervisor.

• When submitting a proposal to your supervisor or administration, clearly outline the connection between the needs of your department and your institution with the benefits of attending the 2024 NIRSA Annual Conference & Campus Rec and Wellness Expo. Emphasize how your NIRSA 2024 attendance will give you the knowledge and the resources necessary to meet the needs on your campus.
• Review how your planned appointments with exhibitors will form connections that foster a better student experience for your campus community and that ultimately save the college or university money. Consider the value of learning new best practices, making new contacts, and gaining new insights and ideas from the educational sessions you’ll attend. Remember to also highlight the specific skills, knowledge, and experiences you can immediately bring back to your organization.

Showing that you can put the connections made and the knowledge gained at NIRSA 2024 into action straightaway makes it easier for your supervisor or administration to support your attendance at the conference. So, download the toolkit, customize your letter, and fill out your expenses and benefits worksheets!

We will see you in Phoenix!

Any Questions?

Please forward any questions to NIRSA Staff in the Learning Department at NIRSA Headquarters.