In this October edition of our NAIA-SIDA Spotlight series, we visited with Mitchell Huppert of Marian University in Indiana. We talked about his time as an intern with the Indianapolis Colts before he the Assistant SID and now Head SID for the Knights in Indianapolis!

Mitch Huppert | NAIA SIDA Spotlight

The CSC U committee and panelists discuss our College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization, our members, the CSC U Committee and the benefits of being part of our ever-growing membership. CSC is the professional organization for all those who are athletic/media relations contacts and the creative/digital athletic department members - and those exploring the profession.

Bring your questions and see how we can help you navigate issues and questions AND how we provide lots of networking and mentorship opportunities and how these opportunities can open doors for your future successes.

Note: This webinar is geared toward the audience of the CSC U Committee - new full-time and part-time athletic communications professionals and emerging professionals (undergraduate and graduate student assistants, graduate assistants, interns)

Panelists
- Caleb Garner, Arkansas State Director for Media Relation
- Katie Gonzales, Illinois Wesleyan Assistant AD - Athletic Communications / CSC Executive Board Member
- Amanda Phillips, Oberlin College Associate Director of Athletics Communications & Digital Media Strategist/Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach
 
Moderator
- Brian Odgen, Mississippi State Associate Director/Communications

Webinar: Town Hall - What is CSC? What is CSC U?

During Global Diversity Awareness Month, the three panelists and moderator, all leaders in the DEI space, offered their thoughts and answered numerous questions from webinar attendees on today's environment for diversity, equity and inclusion in the ever-changing and somewhat volatile politically charged landscape that administrators, coaches and student-athletes are currently navigating in.

They spoke on the shift towards a more nuanced approach to DEI - moving away from only offering programming initiatives and training, to policy writing and carving out space for people to bring their authentic selves to work and to the competition fields and arenas. They discussed various ways to build an inclusive workplace when laws and policies are changing all around us.

Additionally, they addressed the following in DEI work, with recommendations for CSC members:
- Storytelling: How communicators can best show employee and student-athlete impact and how CSC members can help tell these stories and humanize and personalize student-athletes, coaches and staff members in this inclusion space
- Read and get educated on legislation and what DEIB (belonging) policies are in your community 
- Noting the danger of placing DEI work in a silo, as it needs to be woven into the fabric of your department and leadership team
- Managing DEI work when serving on a committee/in a department where everyone is not on the same page with the importance of this work - and how to approach people to bring them together
- What are the "blind spots" right now when it comes to inclusion work in athletic departments, and strategies and ideas in managing them
- Best methods to ask DEI questions to lead to healthy conversations when those conversations have not typically taken place in your workspace

Panelists:
- Derek Cowherd, University of Louisville Associate Athletics Director for Community and Culture
- DeeDee Merritt, NCAA Managing Director, Leadership Development 
- Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen, LSU Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Advancement

Moderator:
- Kendrell Watkins, Long Island University Senior Associate Athletics Director for Revenue Generation

Webinar: Navigating DEI in Today’s Landscape

As colleagues in the college sports areas of communications, creative work and marketing, this webinar is a collaboration between College Sports Communicators (CSC) and the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA). The presenters, from both CSC and NACMA, focused on sharing strategies and insights on how to maximize your promotion, publicity and storytelling content - and capturing fan and audience engagement – independent of team performances.

Topics discussed:
- Engaging fans from diverse groups, particularly in unique environments
- Within your local media market, the importance of creating positive relationships with reporters and broadcasters; emphasis on home-town storytelling via social media and Zoom; media day/photo day strategies when you are not located in a major media market
- Best practice in collaborating with your fellow athletic department colleagues to promote your programs, support marketing/ticketing/communications/event initiatives and engage fans
- Setting up local broadcasts of your games
- Keys to keeping fans and customers engaged in your programs
- Managing the push-and-pull between sports coverage and promotions during crossover seasons
- For special day celebrations: ideas for ticket sales and promotions
- Promoting your student-athlete alumni
- Capitalizing on new hires

Panelists:
- Alyshia Allison, Old Dominion University Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing
- Eric Bohannon, Old Dominion University Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications
- Calvin Larson, Michigan Tech Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations

Moderator:
- Michael Smoose, San Jose State University Associate Athletics Director for Marketing, Digital Media and Licensing

Webinar: Driving fan and media engagement independent of team performance

College Sports Communicators is the premier professional and educational association for strategic, creative and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the U.S. and Canada. Known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for its first 65 years (1957-2022), the organization adopted a new name and associated visual identity in 2022-23.

Our new brand identity is a major step in a larger strategic plan to define the association’s evolution and expansion. It is designed to represent our brand promise –- connect and support all communicators in college sports through advocacy, leadership, education, recognition and collaboration.

College Sports Communicators

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