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2007 NIRSA NCCS Summit finds common ground, produces new eligibility guidelines

Highlights from the recent meeting of the National Campus Championship Series Committee

Row 1: Dan Hazlett, Lisa Hanson, Kathleen Hatch, Dennis Corrington, Mark Salazar, Jacob Tingle, Chad Ellsworth   Row 2: Valerie McCutchan, Stephanie Thompson, Mark Williams, Andre Love, Randall Ford, Jason Lipe

The NIRSA National Campus Championship Series (NCCS) Committee met at The University of Texas at Austin August 6-8 for the second annual NCCS Summit. NCCS Committee Members include: Dan Hazlett, Chair, Georgia Tech; Chad Ellsworth, Arizona State University; Randall Ford, The University of Texas at Austin; Lisa Hanson, DePaul University; Jason Lipe, Southeast Missouri State University; Andre Love, Medical College of Georgia; Mark Salazar, University of Maryland; Stephanie Thompson, Texas State University; Jacob Tingle, Trinity University; and Mark Williams, Seattle University. Representing the NSC Board were Dennis Corrington, Texas A&M University and Kathleen Hatch, Washington State University. Valerie McCutchan from the NNC also attended.

The two-and-a-half day meeting made significant progress toward developing and planning the future of NIRSA National Sport Programs, and addressed NCCS commonalities, eligibility, brand awareness, and more.

“I was proud that this group, with varied backgrounds and experiences, found common ground that allowed us to set a clear path for the future of NCCS events. I believe this summit will have a profound impact on the delivery of National Sport Programs and student and professional development,” said Dan Hazlett, NCCS Committee Chair.

Bernie Freeman of NIRSA/HyperLife Marketing provided the attendees an overview of his approach to seeking out corporate sponsors for our on-campus programs and the benefits to all NCCS events. NCCS Committee member Stephanie Thompson said, “After attending the summit and meeting with Bernie Freeman, I am excited to see the collaborative possibilities with HyperLife Marketing Group.”

In addition to formalizing the guiding principles from last year’s summit, the committee established a consistent platform for the delivery of NCCS events. In the next few months the NCCS Committee will be submitting their recommendations to the NSC Board of Directors on site selection process, event management, committee structure and more. The committee already has NSC Board approval for the Eligibility Guidelines. After much discussion and compromise by both sides of the table (extramural and sport club championships) the group created common eligibility guidelines for all sports under the NIRSA NCCS umbrella.

A huge thanks to Dan Hazlett for his leadership during the summit, keeping the group on time and on task.

The NCCS Committee and NIRSA National Center staff would like to acknowledge and thank those who helped make the summit possible, including host Tom Dison and The University of Texas at Austin Recreational Sports staff, Kathleen Hatch, Dennis Corrington, and the entire NSC Board.