Tom Lovins, Director of Recreational Sports at Penn State
Tom has been the Director at Penn State since 2000, and was at Marshall University prior to that. I had the pleasure of working for Tom as an intern.
From your experience, how important is it to be involved in NIRSA?
Your involvement in any professional association shows evidence that you are committed to that profession. The more active a person is in the business of an association the more they can keep track of current issues. If you are an active member you not only support the association through your attendance, and dues; but it also affords you an opportunity to have a say in how your association makes their decisions and moves forward. Our association in particular allows for many ways of expanded development opportunities through the workshop, conferences and other state and national meetings. It’s of critical importance for a professional and for students to be involved in an association especially one that is connected to their career and career aspirations.
What positions have you held and how was it rewarding professionally and personally?
I served as a State Director, and as a Region II Vice President. I’ve hosted state workshops, a regional conference, a winter directors meeting and a spring conference for recreational sports. The rewards have been many. Coordinating conference activities is always a learning experience, showcasing my university and how we operate, the exchanges with friends and professional members, initiating contact with peer institutions, and viewing other institutions are some of the rewards. I would say acting as a Region II Vice President was the most challenging position because I was coordinating workshops for eight states and served on the board of directors for NIRSA.
I’ve always had the philosophy that whatever I do makes me a better person, whether it’s a social or cultural situation. Whatever I’m engaged in has benefitted me in some way shape or form. My contacts across the field have expanded inside and outside the profession. My work with NIRSA has made my life more enriching and more satisfying. There’s a sense of accomplishment which always enhances your self esteem when helping further the work of your association. I can say I’ve become a better professional by hosting meetings because of the feedback you receive on the job you and your staff did. Professionally, it has opened my eyes to how other people and schools operate; the challenges they have. I can honestly say, it strengthened my belief in people and concreted my interest in working in a very rewarding profession.
What are some advantages of working at a large big ten institution? Disadvantages?
Marshall had about 10,500 students when I started and is currently at about 13,500. We were a one person operation outside of graduate assistants, and it is certainly a hands on operation at that size. The thing I enjoy the most about working at a mega institution is the exchange and interaction with a very active campus. There is no lack for participants and interested people. I also enjoy working with professionals at similar institutions. I’ve been able to develop close relationships with directors and other staff at those schools. With only about 30 mega institutions in the nation, these professionals are some of the leaders in the field, the dreamers, and the innovators. The interaction with them socially or professionally is always rewarding. I always come back rejuvenated from our meetings, and knowing I can call on their expertise and advice at any time is comforting. The network of professionals is a big advantage. The Big Ten director’s association which dates back to 1922, and has met every year outside of war years and continues to meet and is an opportunity to interact with those from conference institutions. Since 1995 the meeting was moved to each institution to see their facilities and operating procedures. We are always taking ideas from other schools to use at our own institution.
At a large institution, the scope of the program is much larger, which means your funding must accompany it. Because of the size of the institution, you find you are one of many areas that are fighting for a very limited amount of resources. Your slice of the pie is much smaller. It’s a realization that your program has to define its’ role in student development. Many large institutions are research institutions and are highly academic oriented, often resulting in departments looking at your job differently then you do. These departments do not fully appreciate what you do, which can eventually determine your funding possibilities.
How have you seen our association, NIRSA, change over the years?
I have certainly been a part of many changes over the years. Here’s just a few: a name change of the association (which was a very fiery and contentious time), the establishment of a national headquarters for our association, my first professional conference had 300 members attend and Austin had over 2,000 members (a huge growth), NIRSA was a once a very small operation and now it has grown to a large full time staff and executive director. My most memorable experience was watching my first graduate assistant become my first assistant and then watching her become a director, to then become a regional vice president and then have her be a two time NIRSA President. So as much as I’ve seen NIRSA change over the years, it was accompanied with the growth and development of a great professional.
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a Director?
The most rewarding aspect of being a Director is certainly the interaction with students I’ve had throughout the years. As campus recreation professionals we have to remember that without students we wouldn’t have a customer base, and without a customer base we wouldn’t have a job. It’s always rewarding to see students develop and succeed and then having them succeed in their professional goals. Knowing that I’ve helped them in some way is a huge reward to my job. Many university administrators look at students as ones who just come and go after every four or five year cycle. And by having that outlook they lose touch with students. Now you have to understand, students can be demanding and outrageous in their wants, but you work at a university, and working with the students is your job and part of that job is to educate them- as a result you need to take a keen interest in those who are providing you a job.
Campus recreation is often misunderstood and not granted the respect it deserves from other professions or academic areas. In your opinion, how can students change the current reputation of campus recreation?
Students can become involved in their campus recreation departments and programs through participation, employment or both. As participants and employees they need to exhibit model behavior. Students should take advantage of the research opportunities within our field and publish those findings. They should also take advantage of any opportunity to educate and promote those who do not know what we do and how we do it. Anytime someone asks you “what you do” those individuals are giving you an opportunity to share the mission behind campus recreation. Although NIRSA is very small, in the Big Ten we impact approximately one million people annually. That’s a large population that we are serving. Students need to continue to speak positively and be model employees and get involved.
The interview process when looking for a job can be a little nerve racking. Can you give students an idea of what you look for when interviewing candidates? What traits you notice most, and any advice on how to impress an employer?
First, I look for people who have experience in the job they are applying for. It’s amazing how people apply for jobs and do not have the right experience. I also look for an orderly and brief resume. It’s important that it gets to the point quickly. When I interview people, I look for proper language, people who know how to dress for success, and proper manners. Nothing is more embarrassing when you take a candidate to lunch or dinner and they do not have proper table etiquette. I look how the candidate answers questions- often times they answer a question with a question. Interviews often go longer than the allotted time, and are much too wordy. I would recommend keeping your answers short to make every word count. It’s good to have some knowledge of the university and department of which they are applying to. Some more key components: someone who has a sense of humor and sense of humility. And it’s important that the candidate be able to vocalize their own accomplishments and interests.
As you know, campus recreation has changed tremendously in the past 25 years. Change is often hard to incorporate in strategic planning. How would you advise students to go about implementing change in our profession/at their institution?
Change is threatening to people. People who do not embrace change are destined to repeat their past mistakes. Change is a part of life, if you don’t accept it you continue to provide stale programs and stale ideas and you are stuck in an era that doesn’t exist anymore. Change is good but also scary. I advise students to create change in steps, organize your thoughts on your desires and what you hope to accomplish with change. Remember, university administrators listen to students, so work through the channels of university personnel to press your issues and get student voices to back up your claims. Have patience. This is a key element to being successful at administering change at your institution. Be careful not to pressure the administration, but meet with them and conduct yourselves in a professional manner. If you can earn their respect you are more likely to get a response from them. Certainly students can become more active, take a role in NIRSA, and gather research to help your cause. Give yourself a presence no matter where you are, you never know who you will meet.
In your opinion, what aspect of the annual conference do students fail to take advantage of the most?
I think they pass up on engaging and networking with other region members and professionals. Students tend to clump together. They should engage with people, many students miss out on that. They hang out with their friends and hang out with the same people they work with day in and day out. If you want a job, you have to get out there and meet people. Take the opportunity to learn about people, not just for networking, but to cultivate relationships. You have no idea when they may come to help you professionally. There’s a lot of opportunity to relax and become known to other people. The more the students get to know other people, and get involved, the more it serves them. You may not be applying for a job at their institution this year, but in five years you might be. Students also tend to forget about the regional and state meetings at the annual conference. It’s a small population and offers great one on one time with professionals.
Thank you Tom for your time and effort in helping the students of Region V become better professionals!
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