The Value of Getting Involved Beyond Your Campus

I had a great visit with my friend Tim Selgo recently to record the BOSCA Small College Conversations podcast. Tim is a legend in the business having led Grand Valley State University to multiple National Championships and multiple Directors Cup’s. Tim is one of the few, and perhaps only, non-Division I AD’s to become President of NACDA.

My conversation with Tim helped me reflect on my own path as an athletic director. I recall attending conventions in my first year or two and seeing administrators like Tim who were at the front of the room in leadership roles. I admired and appreciated these folks and was immediately drawn to them. Visiting with leaders like this engrained in me the idea that I wanted to follow their example of being involved in conference, regional, and national committees and efforts.

In my third year as an AD, I joined Larry Carpenter (another legendary AD from Lee University) for lunch at the NAIA convention. At the time, Larry was the President of the NAIA Athletic Director’s Association and engaged in various other leadership positions within the NAIA. I asked Larry about his path to this position and told him that I thought that I’d like to get more involved. Larry encouraged my participation and ultimately nominated me to serve on the ADA. Little did I know that this was the start of an incredibly rewarding experience of growth, development and giving back to the profession.

I encourage any administrator to follow the same path and get involved. While it’s true that this is going to require a time commitment on your behalf, the benefits far outweigh the time sacrifice that you’ll make. Here are some of the reasons administrators should aspire to serve beyond their campus.

1. Awareness and input on critical issues. A primary benefit of service on national committees is understanding the important issues that are being discussed. Policy and rule changes often take months or years to talk through before implementation. Having a seat at the table when these items are brought up gives you and your department a head start in understanding what the implications of these changes might be and gives you time to prepare for their implementation. Importantly, you also get a voice in shaping these policies.

2. Growing your network and learning from other leaders. Committees are groups of administrators that face some of the same challenges that you do. The smaller nature of the committee lends itself to real opportunities to get to know your peers and discuss how they approach leading their department. This is an excellent growth opportunity, and you never know when you’ll need to reach out to one of these people for a reference on a prospective coach or advice on an issue that you’re facing. More than that, the time spent together gives a real opportunity to develop a closer relationship with your peers.

3. Visibility…for your institution and you. The primary reason that I knew about Grand Valley State University was because I admired Tim Selgo. Service on national committees and boards brings exposure for your institution (I was never listed as Jim Abbott, it was always Jim Abbott – Oklahoma City University) and increases your visibility as a leader in the profession. I once heard a senior executive from a search firm say that we’re not looking for administrators that are “members” of organizations…we’re looking for administrators that are leading those organizations.”

4. Advocacy for your department and conference. As mentioned in #1 above, these groups deal with real issues that will impact your department and peers within your conference. Being at the table ensures that your voice is heard, and the impacts are understood and considered before significant changes are made.

5. Contributing to something bigger than yourself. Your institution has made a decision to be nationally affiliated with the NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA. Similarly, you’ve chosen to participate as a member of a conference. Your experience in these organizations is only going to be as good as they are. Rather than sit back and complain about deficiencies that you see, get involved and be determined to help improve them or at least gain a more detailed understanding of why they exist.

There are numerous ways to get involved in either conference, regional or national committees and organizations. Whether this is service through the NCAA, NAIA, or some other organization, a first step is just familiarizing yourself with the opportunities that exist. Once you identify an opportunity that might appeal to you then reach out to someone who is currently serving and ask them how they got started…and how you might get involved. You’ll be better for it and glad that you did.