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NIRSA leaders present Dillard University President with special recognition

CHEMA meeting in New Orleans was fitting site to honor NIRSA’s history

Left to right: NIRSA President Tom Kirch; Dillard University President Dr. Marvalene Hughes; NIRSA President-elect Vicki Highstreet; NIRSA Executive Director Dr. Kent J. Blumenthal

NIRSA President Tom Kirch, President-elect Vicki Highstreet, and NIRSA Executive Director Dr. Kent J. Blumenthal attended a meeting of the Council of Higher Education Management Associations (CHEMA) in New Orleans, Louisiana May 30-June 1. They presented keynote speaker Dr. Marvalene Hughes, President of Dillard University, with a special plaque commemorating the first meeting of the National Intramural Association (NIRSA’s predecessor) at Dillard in 1950.

NIRSA is a member of CHEMA, and Executive Director Blumenthal is serving a two-year term as Chair of CHEMA’s Steering Committee. Representatives from more than twenty CHEMA member organizations attended the meeting.

Dr. Hughes spoke on the topic of “surviving adversity.” She joined the administration at Dillard only two months before Hurricane Katrina hit. Faced with a campus covered in floodwaters up to ten feet deep and buildings destroyed by fire, Hughes and other administrators at higher education institutions in New Orleans worked tirelessly to open their doors to students again. Her story of perseverance amid seemingly insurmountable devastation captivated attendees.