2005 Honor Award Winner Pat Besner a Dedicated NIRSA Member

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome. It is indeed a great pleasure to be here tonight to introduce NIRSA's 2005 Honor Award Winner. Before that, however, I would like to thank the Honor Award Committee members who served this year and helped with the selection process. Members are:

Stan Campbell, University of Nebraska at Lincoln (2002's recipient); Sam Hirt, Vanderbilt University (2004's recipient); Mitch Gartenberg, Syracuse University and John Campbell, the University of Texas at Austin

Also, a huge thanks to Kiki Alexander of the NIRSA National Center who served as our liaison; she was very helpful and a pleasure to work with.

The Honor Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a member of our Association. It honors an individual for outstanding achievements in the profession and exemplary service to the Association Ð this year's recipient easily exceeds the qualifications in both of these categories.

To be eligible for this award the candidate must be a member of NIRSA. This year's recipient is indeed a member of NIRSA and has been for over twenty five years.

The candidate must also be at least 35 years of age and should have at least eight years of experience in the field of recreational sports. This year's recipient is at least 35 years young and has over thirty five years in the field!

The candidate should have shown evidence of outstanding leadership in the Association and the workplace. There is no doubt that this year's recipient has had great success and shown exceptional leadership in NIRSA and at [the recipient's] institution.

The candidate should be of fine moral character. Testimonials in letters of nomination clearly indicate that this is one of the recipient's most respected qualities. One nominator wrote "Ever since I have known the recipient, [the recipient] has taught me that above all-else, be yourself, be fair and be truthful." Another nominator indicated there are seven words that describe the recipient: Truth, honor, dignity, trust, integrity, valor and ethics.

This year's recipient is a very special person. He or she is a mentor, friend and colleague to members all across the country. This year's recipient is known for commitment to NIRSA and the field of recreational sports. They are known as a quiet person with a quality spirit who doesn't like to be in the spotlight. As one nominator wrote, "He or she is an intensely private person who prefers to stay in the background with sleeves rolled up and focused on the task at hand." Another said "The recipient is a tremendous listener who is able to channel the positive energy and gets the most out of all involved."

One member wrote: "It wasn't until I left the university that I understood the tremendous gifts [the recipient] had bestowed upon me. The ability to lead without taking center stage, to mentor students and young professionals through every facet of their career development, all while remaining ethical, tried and true fighting for the good of the team or organization." Another NIRSA member said, "the recipient's word is [this person's] bond and [he or she] always speaks with respect and discretion."

This year's recipient has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Physical Education and received academic preparation in six states Ð Arkansas, California, Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. In addition, this person has continued their professional development over the years by participating in over 40 workshops ranging from legal issues to grant writing, from cultural diversity to blue print reading and from process engineering to facility planning and construction.

They have presented at NIRSA state, regional, national and student lead-on conferences as well as at their university and are a Certified Recreational Sports Specialist.

This year's recipient is a recreation facility design consultant, has been a certified official in track & field, badminton and volleyball, has coached at the collegiate level, served as a camp counselor, playground supervisor and trip leader and has participated in numerous outdoor activities such as backpacking, sailing, bicycle touring, snow shoeing, canoeing and cross country skiing.

This year's recipient's 35+ years of professional experience has included being a physical education instructor, director of intramurals, assistant director of recreation, senior director of recreation and director of recreation.

[The recipient] has held leadership positions at [his or her] university, in the community, in NIRSA and in [his or her] state association. [The recipient's] university service has included involvement on over twenty-five committees, advisory councils and task forces and the recipient has taught a student leadership class for the university's division of student life. The recipient has served [his or her] community well by being a leader and volunteer for several community-based sports organizations, volunteers in various capacities for the American Red Cross and actively supports cancer and diabetes research efforts.

This year's recipient has served our association and gone well above and beyond the call of duty. [The recipient] has served on numerous NIRSA committees and task forces including Standards, Certification, Finance, Development, Governance, Strategic Plan Implementation and has Chaired many of them. He or she has served numerous years on the Board of Directors for NIRSA and the NIRSA Foundation.

This year's recipient has received several awards for leadership and service from [his or her] state association, NIRSA and their university.

The recipient has always been committed to NIRSA, the profession, the membership, and student development. He or she has worked meticulously in front of and behind the scenes to create initiatives within our association that have assisted us in the advancement of our profession. One nominator said, "I have never met a NIRSA professional who exemplifies professionalism, caring and dedication like this year's recipient." [The recipient] leads with customary grace, optimism and wit and is known for the twinkle in [his or her] eye.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the 2005 NIRSA Honor Award winner, someone who is a valued friend and mentor, from the University of Toledo, Patricia Besner.