< Previous8 The Value and Impact of Athletics Communications in College Athletics A N ( I NTE R ) N A TI O N A L O R G A N I Z A TI O N CoSIDA SUPPORTS COMMUNICATORS FROM ALL DIVISIONS OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS CoSIDA representatives regularly attend national conventions and other events to meet with top leaders. Pictured at left, NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr (fourth from left) at the NAIA Convention in 2019. Pictured right, NCAA President Mark Emmert (front row, fourth from right) makes it a point to frequently update CoSIDA leaders throughout the year. WE SERVE ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS PROS IN ALL DIVISIONS “A CoSIDA membership has been invaluable personally and professionally in my 12 years as an SID. The resources that CoSIDA provides through continuing education and the convention have made an impact on my development and directly contributed to our University, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. I give all credit to CoSIDA for the enhancements our department has made in some major areas over the past decade-plus. “Almost as important is the networking element of CoSIDA. I’m so grateful for the relationships I’ve built throughout my career and truly feel my fellow SIDs are like family. I’ve felt that family connection especially in 2020, as we’ve all looked out for each other and helped each other any way we can. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the professionals I have met through CoSIDA. One of the most rewarding things is the ability to give that knowledge I have gained and pass that on to others. I’m proud to say five of my former interns or GAs are now full-time SIDs. I think of the following quote from former Lipscomb head men’s basketball Don Meyer on a daily basis. “Discover your gift, develop your gift and then give it away every day.” - Tyler Price – Park University, Assistant AD for Media Relations & Marketing9 An Advocacy Message From CoSIDA Being a CoSIDA member means something different to everyone. The Value of CoSIDA ADVOCATE • CONNECT • EDUCATE • HONOR • SUPPORT T HE ME A NI N G O F ME MB E R S HI P AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS & NON-MEMBERS Career Center Job listings are free to view Listing in the Freelancer Database $250 job listings for 30 days for non-members Professional Development Webinars & Podcasts Anyone can register to attend our live webinars, watch on-demand videos, or listen via podcast. Join Our Slack Community Our online community includes selected free channels open for anyone to participate. CoSIDA.com and @CoSIDAnews Social Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn Full price convention registration Non-members can attend the convention Support Many programs such as the Fitness Challenge and Coffee Shop are generally open to all Member benefits and availability are subject to change. DUES-PAYING MEMBERS BENEFITS Academic All-America® Nominating and voting rights Leadership Opportunities Executive Board of Directors, committee service Discounts on Job Postings $125 listings for unlimited time window Complimentary freelance help-wanted listings Recognition Opportunities CoSIDA Hall of Fame & Special awards Publication and Writing Contests Scholarships & Grants Mentorship Program Pairing mentors and mentees based on your preferences CoSIDA 360 Magazine Delivered four times per year Regular Communication Receive timely emails and targeted relevant information based on your profile Best pricing for convention Opportunity to apply for Convention Attendance Grants Priority to be featured in CoSIDA publications Including magazine, website and social channels “It’s no secret that SIDs work insane hours with high expectations to wear many hats and do it well. There have been many times in my career that I’ve felt alone or misunderstood at work. Once I became more than a casual CoSIDA member, that all changed. I got more involved and I gained a support system, a family and a group of people that understand not only what I do, but the struggles and successes. On the good days, I have a group to celebrate with and on the bad days that same group picks me up. “This past year has been challenging in many ways. We’re all doing more with less and in a time where things are constantly changing, the constant has been my SID friends across the nation. I wouldn’t have this family, support system or sanity without all that CoSIDA does to connect and support us. “CoSIDA gave me the family that I didn’t know I needed and I sure am grateful for them.” - Theresa Kurtz – Mountain West Conference, Associate Director, Strategic Communications CoSIDA.com/Membership10 The Value and Impact of Athletics Communications in College Athletics C OR P OR A T E S U P P OR T THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS! TIER I capitalone.com espn.com comeback-player.com External Affairs ncaa.org ncaa.org/d2 ncaa.org/d3 prestosports.com sidearmsports.com TIER II asapsports.com learfield.com ncaamanager.com/home neptunenow.com provationsgroup.org scoreshots.com pressroom.warnermediagroup.com/us/brands/ turner-sports/properties11 An Advocacy Message From CoSIDA TIER III 2020-21 CORPORATE PARTNERS C OR P OR A T E S U P P OR T allstatesugarbowl.org theamerican.org ATHLYTE athlytesports.com big12sports.com bigten.org blinderhq.com touchdownclub.com statcrew.com chick-fil-apeachbowl.com collegefootballplayoff.com collegetvticket.com sportswriters.net/fwaa cottonbowl.com levyrecognition.com mtmrecognition.com naia.org nabc.com footballfoundation.org pac-12.com secsports.com sportswriters.net/usbwa OFFICIAL PROVIDERS Official CoSIDA Website Provider: SIDEARM Sports Official Legal Services Provider: XOS Digital Official Printer: Provations Group Offical Awards/Contests Software: OpenWater Official Membership Software: Impexium Official Awards Provider: Levy Recognition12 The Value and Impact of Athletics Communications in College Athletics What is the value of a communications professional to an athletic director? Bernard M. Muir Stanford Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics “I sincerely appreciate how our communications team has embraced (the challenges during COVID-19), demonstrating a combination of versatility, creativity and willingness to adapt to the changing landscape. The team’s mission during that time remained the same: inspire people around the world to value the simultaneous pursuit of excellence in both athletics and academics. “As we (continue), that same mindset and emphasis on storytelling will again be critical...we also rely on our communications team to remain connected and responsive to their student- athletes and coaches, serving as a trusted resource and familiar face to those programs during this period of uncertainty.” A D V OC A T I N G F O R C o S I DA Todd Stewart Western Kentucky Director of Athletics “In most athletic departments, the communications/media relations staff are the ones who have the pulse of the greatest variety of key people. They are around the media the most, and they are around our players and coaches the most. They have a very good feel for things and are very good at determining if perception and reality are the same. I solicit their input before any media or public appearance I do, and I value their feedback because it is truly helpful.” Aaron Sagraves Cornerstone Director of Athletics “The value of the communications team within athletics is so valuable as it gives us a direct opportunity to share the student-athlete story. It’s easy to share about wins and losses, good games and bad...but to be able to see the person for who they are instead of what sport they play is critical to our campus community and outside branding. Our SID does a fantastic job at this to be able to see the WHO in our school.” Heather Lyke Pittsburgh Director of Athletics “As we define and refine the 21st century student-athlete, we need to keep their stories at the forefront. Our SIDs are our mouthpieces, vital in sharing these stories. The pressures the coaches feel are real and sometimes they just need to vent. An important skill our media relations staff has is to be that great sounding board for coaches, help center them with the right messaging and prepare them for the every day media blitz. I’m biased, but our media relations team at Pitt is extraordinary.”13 An Advocacy Message From CoSIDA H I G H L I G HTI N G C o S I D A ’ S VA L U E CoSIDA’s Priorities “CoSIDA” is not just the Executive Board of Directors. It’s not just the national office staff. CoSIDA is not just a convention, and it’s much more than an Academic All-America® team. “CoSIDA” is ALL of us who work in college athletics communications coming together to advocate, connect, educate, honor and support each other. Thanks and appreciation to everyone who makes CoSIDA a successful professional development association 365 days a year. Following are some of the ways CoSIDA, as an organization, provides value to communications professionals, institutions and student-athletes across all levels of college athletics. Our priorities, all in the name of advocacy, begin below and continue through page 31. NETWORKING & CONNECTION Providing a sense of belonging and community Many affectionately refer to the “CoSIDA family” and look forward to the “family reunion” at the CoSIDA Convention each June. In 2019-20, we did not get near as much of the in-person connection we all love, yet somehow we came together closer than ever. We all want to have a sense of belonging and community, and want the opportunity to network and meet new people. Here are some of the ways the CoSIDA community came together this year and will continue to come together. CoSIDA Coffee Shop One of the organization’s first priorities when the pandemic hit was to come together to connect and support our colleagues on an emotional level. Hosted primarily by staff, over 100 online “coffee shops” have been held including 40 in the first two months after the pandemic shut down. These sessions were offered as an escape and an outlet for members to connect and share their thoughts, feelings and ideas on whatever the group wanted to talk about. Using the coffee shop format, targeted sessions have been hosted by the Young Professionals Committee and CoSIDA U Committee. CoSIDA.com/CoffeeShop WoSIDA Wind/Wine Down Beginning in the summer of 2020 in support of the women of CoSIDA, these monthly online social gatherings average nearly 60 women per session. CoSIDA.com/WoSIDA CoSIDA Cares Fund This fund supports members who have experienced losses related to natural disasters or other weather-related problems. Multiple members were impacted by hurricanes and wild fires in 2020. BCSIDA Black College Sports Information Directors Association provides professional development, virtual happy hours and more for members. Twitter.com/The_BCSIDA14 The Value and Impact of Athletics Communications in College Athletics A D V OC A T I N G F O R C o S I DA What important contributions can athletics communications professionals provide looking forward? Bob Williams NCAA Senior Vice President of Communications “What we all need to do is start thinking about what we want college sports to look like in the coming years. One of the ways to ensure that you, the athletics communications professional, get a seat at the table — or strengthen your position at the table — is to pose to the leaders and decision-makers in your organization the realities of where we are today and the challenge of where we, as leaders, want to be tomorrow. That conversation must happen around the table; if that conversation doesn’t happen AT the table, it will happen TO that table. “The way to secure the seat is to bring all the important issues to your leaders, asking, ‘How will we address and handle a student-athlete group on campus saying, Here are our demands?’ Step forward and impress your leadership before these issues are put on them. Understand as communicators, we are the ones who forecast — saying and strategizing that ‘this is on the horizon, here are the issues, and we need to start talking about these things today.’ And, you need to come with potential solutions…not just questions. “The biggest value we can leverage across all communicators in every NCAA division and at every campus is to further communicate the narrative on everything we all provide for our student-athletes. You start changing outlooks and opinions when people have skin in the game. Let the public know: here’s what we provide, here are the student-athlete benefits, and let them know we want to provide more for them. This is the key to us moving forward.” This appeared in the September 2020 issue of CoSIDA 360 Magazine.15 An Advocacy Message From CoSIDA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION Career Development/Continuing Education & Training presented by Capital One Professional development is at the heart of CoSIDA’s year-round programming through our extensive live and on-demand webinar and podcast series. A wide range of topics ensure that on-going sessions are available for all of our members, regardless of division, experience level, career stage or job title. Our year-round programming provides lifelong learning to help you improve your job skills, stay competitive and advance your career. Each session is provided with the goals to: • help athletic communications professionals be better prepared, knowledgeable, more strategic and efficient in their every day responsibilities • elevate the skill sets of SIDs to meet our ever-changing communications needs • ask questions, exchange ideas, share useful resources and be inspired • provide connection to colleagues and leaders in the communications and collegiate sports industry When COVID-19 hit and we needed to explore how the pandemic changed the ways we work in college athletics, a new series was introduced — Listening & Leading — to hit on the most relevant topics and issues that continue to face us. Included in CoSIDA’s online training options is a robust on-demand library of content through our GoToWebinar platform, YouTube and through most popular podcasting services. Our offerings include: • Teachable Tuesdays and Building Knowledge Monthly Webinars • Listening & Leading Series (topics relevant to COVID-19 pandemic) • Monthly NAIA-SIDA Continuing Education series • June Stewart Leadership Series • Educational Lounges (focused small-group learning labs) • Racial & Social Justice Initiative • CoSIDA U Student Programming • #CoSIDA2020 Virtual Convention Stay up-to-date on upcoming webinars at CoSIDA.com/ProfessionalDevelopment Watch archived webinars at CoSIDA.com/Webinar Subscribe to CoSIDA podcasts at CoSIDA.com/Podcast H I G H L I G HTI N G C o S I D A ’ S VA L U E In the 2019-20 academic year, CoSIDA delivered over 120 hours of impactful professional development video content, all free of charge. This included 59 year-round professional development sessions and 47 virtual convention programming sessions over three weeks in June during #CoSIDA2020. An additional 12 sessions (CoSIDA Committee-based podcasts and committee- generated content) also were offered throughout 2020-21. Sphere of Influence & Expertise Nearly 150 athletics directors, conference commissioners, senior administrators, head coaches, industry consultants and career coaches, NCAA and NAIA leaders, and student-athletes offered their expertise to CoSIDA members in 2020. See page 28 for a full list of these influential speakers.16 The Value and Impact of Athletics Communications in College Athletics H I G H L I G HTI N G C o S I D A ’ S VA L U E DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CoSIDA is, and has been, a leader on the diversity and inclusion front in college athletics for several years. The organization developed its Diversity & Inclusion Committee and value statement in 2017, and has continued to make strides in its educational offerings each year. In 2020, the CoSIDA Executive Board of Directors launched the CoSIDA Racial & Social Justice Initiative aimed at making a greater impact in our efforts to promote opportunity and equality. CoSIDA is proud of its growth when it comes to representation of its leadership. In 2019-20, CoSIDA enjoyed its most diverse board in its history in terms of race and gender. In 2020-21, the diversity extends to having at least one representative from every division from NCAA, NAIA, Two-year Colleges and Canadian institutions. Racial & Social Justice Initiative: CoSIDA.com/CoSIDAforChange LGBTQA+ Webinars: CoSIDA.com/Webinar Disability and Accessibility: CoSIDA.com/Webinar and CoSIDA.com/CoSIDA360 RECENT PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS • WEBINAR: Opportunities and Challenges Faced by Young Women of Color in Athletics Communications • SALARY SURVEY: A Look at CoSIDA Member Demographics • CoSIDA 360: More than Able: Employers should focus on abilities, not disabilities, when making hires. • #CoSIDA2020: Breaking the Stigma: Being accommodating in times of crisis; hiring processes and the ADA; working with students and fans with disabilities. • CRITICAL CONVERSATION: The Intersection of Race and Athletic Communications • CRITICAL CONVERSATION: Activism and How to Amplify the Voices of Student-Athletes and Staff • CoSIDA 360: Race, Sports and Athletic Communications: Championing Allyship into Action • CoSIDA 360: 10 Things You Can Do To Improve the Accessibility of Your Website • WEBINAR: LGBTQ+ Inclusion Initiatives in College Athletics (Administrator Point of View) • WEBINAR: LGBTQ+ Inclusion Initiatives in College Athletics (Student-Athlete Point of View) • CRITICAL CONVERSATION: Crafting and Communicating the Messages of a University Diversity Plan • THROUGH MY LENS: Jessica Poole of Chicago State • CRITICAL CONVERSATION: How Communicators Can Become Effective Allies • THROUGH MY LENS: Rob Knox of UNC Greensboro • THROUGH MY LENS: Denise Thompson of the Big Sky Conference “Be authentic, creative, have fun, adaptable, value people & cherish every moment. Remember, you make a difference in the world everyday through your energy and actions.” - Rob Knox, UNC Greensboro CoSIDA Past President, 2018-1917 An Advocacy Message From CoSIDA CAREER DEVELOPMENT The CoSIDA Career Center is regularly one of the most viewed pages on CoSIDA.com. CoSIDA members get the best rates on posting job opportunities. For years, CoSIDA has offered a free resumé posting service for job seekers and a listing of job transactions. In 2020, CoSIDA offered new services to continue to help members and non-members alike during a difficult time. These services include a Peer Resume Review provided by the Job Seekers Committee, an free opportunity for current members. The CoSIDA Freelance and Help Wanted Database is a new service aimed at making connections between freelancers and those seeking to hire freelancers. Anyone can request to be added to the freelance database, while the help wanted listings are offered complimentary to current members. CoSIDA also partnered with Trip Durham of 2D Consulting LLC to offer professional career coaching services. Read our CoSIDA Job Seekers Top 10 at CoSIDA.com/JobSeekerTop10 Job Listings and Member Transactions: CoSIDA.com/jobs.aspx Job Seeker Resumes: CoSIDA.com/JobSeekers Peer Resume Review: CoSIDA.com/ResumeReview Freelance and Help Wanted Database: CoSIDA.com/Freelance Professional Career Coaching Offer with Trip Durham: 2dconsultingllc.com/career-coaching MENTORSHIP More than 500 members have participated in the CoSIDA Mentorship Program, now in its fifth year. Solid, lasting relationships have resulted. Networks have been strengthened, advice has been given and received — some leading to career advancement. CoSIDA.com/Mentor Follow @CoSIDAjobs for the latest job openings and transactions. H I G H L I G HTI N G C o S I D A ’ S VA L U E Brian Morales Wagner Mentorship Committee Chair “The CoSIDA mentorship program, now more than ever, is an invaluable member benefit, and is available for all SIDs and athletic communicators. I say that we are a ‘family’ of listeners and advisors because that’s what do as part of the program. “Our work in the last five-plus years reinforces the fact that we are in this together. For those new to the profession, it can be scary. You may be achieving your life-long dream of working in sports but getting started can be daunting. Having mentors with years in the profession eases that transition from the nervous ‘rookie’ to a seasoned professional by years’ end. “To achieve your goals, there are always those that have your best interest in mind, and those come in the form of mentors.”Next >