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The purpose of thisarticle is to pro-vide insight andperspective regardingthe value of collegiaterecreational sports tostudent leadershipdevelopment. Perhapsthe best place to begin isto ask a few questions inorder to frame a mean-ingful discussion. Howis student leadershipviewed and valued bycollegiate recreationalsports professionals?What foundational prin-ciples of student leader-ship development mightbe inherent in collegiaterecreational sports?What paradigm mighthigher education profes-sionals involved withcollegiate recreationalsports see as a sharedview of leadership?

Without a doubt, stu-dent leadership devel-opment within the high-er education specializa-tion of collegiate recre-ational sports demandsintention and consciouseffort from profession-als. This active engage-ment facilitates studentlearning and development, guidesstudents onto paths of integrity, andensures the highest standard of careand risk management. Without active

engagement, collegestudents must findtheir own way, attimes with success, butnot always. A univer-sity’s institutional mission, policies, andprocedures in-and-ofthemselves do not con-stitute or assure learn-ing outside the class-room, nor do theyguarantee the learningof life skills and lifelessons through recre-ational sports andother leisure pursuits.

FoundationalPrinciples ofCollegiateRecreational Sports

The theoreticalfoundations of leisure,recreation, play, sport,intramurals, fitness,wellness, and outdooradventure educationform the multidiscipli-nary profession of collegiate recreationalsports (Franklin &Hardin, 2008). Thesetheoretical foundationspresuppose the impor-tance of attitudes, values, and action on

student learning and development.Basic tenets or foundational principlesof collegiate recreational sports

INSIDE THISISSUE:

Collegiate RecreationalSports and StudentLeadershipDevelopment by Kent J.Blumenthal

Program Spotlight: A Need for AthleticsLeadershipDevelopment by JessManno & Julie Sterrett

Learning by Design:Intramural SportsʼCaptains andParticipants, theFleeting Moments forLeadershipDevelopment byKendra Jackson

LeadershipBookshelf: KenBlanchard and MarcMuchnickʼs TheLeadership Pillreviewed by Lucy Croft

Scholarship andResearch Updates: Sport and LeadershipDevelopment byShandol Hoover andSusan R. Komives

Volume 17 Issue 1 LEADERSHIP THROUGH INTERCOLLEGIATE, INTRAMURAL, 2010AND RECREATIONAL ATHLETICS

CONCEPTS & CONNECTIONSA P U B L I C AT I O N F O R L E A D E R S H I P E D U C AT O R S

Collegiate Recreational Sports and Student Leadership Development

Kent J. BlumenthalNational Intramural-Recreational Sports Association

Continued on page 3

“A university’sinstitutionalmission, policies,and proceduresin-and-ofthemselves donot constitute or assurelearning outsidethe classroom,nor do theyguarantee thelearning of lifeskills and lifelessons throughrecreationalsports and other leisurepursuits.”

With the sound of Fall sportsechoing throughout the campus, thisissue of Concepts & Connectionsseems very timely as we examine theimpact that the relationship betweenstudents and sports has on one’sleadership development. Thereseems to be limited research on theleadership development of studentsin the collegiate athletic setting. Theintramural sports context hasemerged as a fertile ground for therich peer and coach interaction thathas the capacity to ignite studentdevelopment (Astin, 1993). Clearly,intercollegiate athletics provide sim-ilar opportunities that need to bestudied further.

We are excited to offer you KentBlumenthal’s piece on collegiaterecreational sports and student lead-ership development. Given that stu-dent participation in recreationalsport programs seems to be a topdraw to entice students away fromtheir tweets, Facebook chats, andreality television, it makes sense tofocus our leadership developmentefforts within the rec sports domain.With limited attention being paid tothe integration of sports as a formalpart of general leadership programs,it is fantastic to be able to showcasethe work of Jess Manno and JulieSterrett at Lehigh University.

The evolution of the AthleticsLeadership Development Programprovides us with a case to study andlearn from as we explore the topic ofleadership in sports. The positiveimpact of the relationship betweensports captains and peer athletes has

been documented and can clearlyinfluence one’s leadership develop-ment. Kendra Jackson illuminates inher Learning by Design piece thedynamic relationship students facein the chaos of sports – both in theboardroom for organizational meet-ings and on the gridiron of the play-ing field. The Leadership Pill providesLucy Croft the opportunity to bringher unique perspective to the mean-ing of Ken Blanchard and MarcMuchnick’s provocative story of two companies competing in the“Whitewater” of customer andemployee relationships and the evo-lution of trust and competence.Susan Komives and Shandol Hooveroffer you a contemporary view ofthe scholarship and research land-scape, challenging and informingour thinking about sports and lead-ership development.

We hope you enjoy this edition ofConcepts & Connections as it advancesyour thinking and provides youwith a new paradigm through whichyou can advance in your leadershipeducation work.

ReferencesAstin, A.W. (1993) What matters in

college? Four critical years revisit-ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Joshua Ian HiscockCoordinator & Publications Editor

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Connections From The DirectorBy Craig Slack

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programs, gleaned from a primaryreview of literature (NIRSA, 2008;Mull, Bayless & Jamieson, 2005;Shields & Bredemeier, 1995), includ-ing a sampling of articles from theRecreational Sports Journal (Dalgarn,2001; Haines & Fortman, 2008; Lewis,Barcelona & Jones, 2001), characterizeand create a unique and safe learningenvironment for students withincampus recreat ion fac i l i t ies .Foundational principles inherentwithin these learning environmentsinclude quality of life (balancedlifestyle, wellness, fitness, and lifesatisfaction), community (friendship,socialization, inclusion, and commongoals), experiential learning (com-passion, sportsmanship, fairness,integrity, teamwork, team leader-ship), and student engagement andinvolvement (participation, charac-ter development, personal aware-ness, and physical activity). Astin’s(1999) theory of student involvementalso provides strong theoretical support as to the efficacy of campusrecreation programs and their learning environments. One of hispostulates concludes, “the amount of student learning and personaldevelopment associated with anyeducational program is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of student involvement inthat program” (Astin, 1999, p. 519).

Alignment of CollegiateRecreational Sports withStudent Affairs

Following a trend established in the 1990s, 75% of all collegiaterecreational sports programs andfacilities are now located within stu-dent affairs offices (Haines, 2007).Aligning the theoretical foundationsof collegiate recreational sports, witha focus on student learning anddevelopment inherent in the missionof student affairs as well as in colle-giate recreational sports, creates sig-nificant opportunities for collabora-tion and recognizes the vital contri-bution which collegiate recreationalsports programs and facilities maketo higher education and the studentsthey serve. A recent article entitled,

“Collegiate Recreational Sports:Pivotal Players in Student Success,”published in the Journalof the Society of Collegeand University Planning(Blumenthal , 2009) , discusses the evolutionof collegiate recreation-al sports and campusrecreation in studentlife including the valueand benefits of partici-pation in programs andservices, the phenome-nal growth and expan-sion of campus recre-ation facilities, and thesignificant impact theseprograms and serviceshave on s tudent success. The article alsoemphasizes, “the orga-nizational alignment ofrecreational sports pro-grams with studentaffairs incorporates stu-dent learning anddevelopment into theadministrative struc-ture of recreationalsports, further enhanc-ing the overall educa-tional experience” (Blumenthal,2009, p. 54-55).

Through implementation of a stu-dent learning and developmentapproach, collegiate recreationalsports programs and the multi-mil-lion dollar facilities in which they arehoused provide a unique and spe-cialized environment for infusing theperspective of learning suggested bystudent affairs professionals. Thepublication of Learning Reconsidered:A Campus Wide Focus on the StudentExperience (National Association ofStudent Personnel Administrators,2004) suggests, “learning is a com-plex, holistic, multi-centric activitythat occurs throughout and acrossthe college experience” (p.5).

Consistent with the evolution ofcollegiate recreational sports, thestudent affairs profession hasevolved over the past century, too,and despite its growth in scope andcomplexity, “its moral focus, its ethi-cal center, continues to be on stu-dents and the values associated withtheir welfare, learning, and develop-ment” (Dalton, Crosby, Valente, &Eberhardt, 2009, p. 179).

Research on the Benefits ofCollegiate Recreational Sports

Research in colle-giate recreational sportsis in an emergent stateand building researchcapacity is imperative in demonstrating thebenefits of collegiaterecreational sports par-ticipation on studentlearning and develop-ment (Haines & Farrell,2 0 0 6 ; H a i n e s &Fortman, 2007). Prior to2002, the majority ofresearch studies con-ducted within the colle-giate recreational sportsprofession “focused onparticipant’s personalitycharacteristics, collegesatisfaction, scholasticachievement, attritionrates and recruitment”(NIRSA, 2004, p. 20).

The Value of Recre-ational Sports in HigherEducation presents datafrom the 2002 Kerr &Downs Research Report

(commissioned by the NationalIntramural-Recreational SportsAssociation), and is the most com-prehensive attempt to date to inves-tigate and publish findings on theimpact of participation in recreation-al sports programs and activities.The NIRSA 2002 study found that“participation in recreational sportsprograms and activities is a keydeterminant of college satisfaction,success, recruitment, and retention”(p. 5). Students involved in the studyagreed that participation in recre-ational sports programs resulted in awide range of benefits including thefollowing:

1.. improves emotionaal well-being

2.. reduces stress

3. improves happiness and self-confidence

4.. builds character

5.. makes students feel like part ofthe college community

6.. improves interaction withdiverse sets of people

3

Collegiate Recreational Sports andStudent Leadership DevelopmentContinued from page 1

Continued on page 4

“There exists a dichotomywithinstudentleadershipdevelopmentin collegiaterecreationalsports. Thatis, studentsmay beparticipantsandemployees.”

7.. is an important part of the learning experience

8.. teaches team building skills

9.. aids in time management

10. improves leadership skills (p. 18).

Work-Leisure Dichotomy of Student LeadershipDevelopment in CollegiateRecreational Sports

There exists a dichotomywithin student leadership develop-ment in collegiate recreationalsports. That is, students may be par-ticipants and employees. If we fol-low these two paths, student leader-ship development may seem moreovert in the workplace and subtlerwith regard to students participatingin recreational sports programs andservices. However, in both instances,student leadership development isunlikely to happen without inten-tion, mentoring, advising, training,intervention, and counseling.Student leadership development incollegiate recreational sports takesinteraction and conscious effort. If these methods of intervention areabsent, students (employees or par-ticipants) will be left on their own –to their own devices. Student devel-opment may occur independent ofoutside influence (meaning that stu-dents may mature), and studentleaders may emerge (for instance, anelected officer of a sport club), but astudent may not necessarily developwell-honed leadership skills withoutproper intention and intervention.

Collegiate recreational sportsprofessionals are entrusted with thecare and well-being of students. Thevery skills, knowledge, and experi-ence that they bring to campus leadership positions that supportstudent life ought to be applied tostudent leadership development, aswell. In short, if students know bet-ter it is likely that they will act better,and it is a responsibility of highereducation professionals, includingthose employed in collegiate recreational sports, to see that thishappens.

Leadership Development –Student Employees

There are many options for stu-dent employment within collegiaterecreational sports. In fact, mostcampus recreation centers dependgreatly on student workers to deliv-er services, and at many schools, collegiate recreational sports pro-grams employ more studentsthan any other campus depart-ment. Depending on the campusrecreation facility, student staff posi-tions include front desk reception,equipment checkout, lifeguard,intramural official, fitness instructor,climbing wall instructor, outdoorguide, sport safety staff, member-ship services, and retail cashier.Many student staff positions havejob responsibilities of supervision,scheduling, staff training, and evalu-ation. Graduate assistantships arealso available within collegiate recre-ational sports for students majoringin several academic fields (e.g.,Recreation Administration, SportsManagement, Exercise Science, andStudent Personnel Administration).

Examples of recent studies reportpromising findings regarding somespecific elements of student leader-ship development and studentemployment in recreational sports.These include a study which found apositive connection between studentemployment and academic success(Hackett, 2007); a study wherebystudents trained as intramural offi-cials reported improvements in com-munication skills, self-confidence,self-reliance, teamwork, how to han-dle difficult situations, decision-making, leadership, and self-control(Schuh, 1999); and a study whichfound a relationship between lengthof student employment with level ofcommitment and a stronger connec-tion to the university (Turner, Jordan& DuBord, 2005).

On some university campuses,students serving as intramural offi-cials have expanded their role toinclude external officiating beyondthe campus, into the larger communi-ty. A recent article (Faircloth &Cooper, 2007) highlighted this uniqueopportunity and illustrated how students involved with this type ofexperiential learning within collegiaterecreational sports programs gained

experience in “professional develop-ment, community engagement, mentor relationships, and positiveinstitutional image” (p. 44). Externalofficiating beyond the campus alsoprovides students with avenues foradditional personal income genera-tion.

Student Involvement in ClubSports and Intramural Sports

Leadership development oppor-tunities occur for students involvedin organizing and running sportclubs and intramural sports. Hall-Yannessa and Forrester (2004)explored leadership development ofclub sport officers and found thatstudents gained leadership skillsdirectly from their experience. Thetop five leadership skills studentsreported are: 1) respecting the rightsof others; 2) sensitivity towarddiversity; 3) understanding conse-quences of actions; 4) relating well to opposite gender in a work-typesituation; and 5) ability to identifypersonal values (Hall-Yannessa & Forrester, 2004, p. 13). Study find-ings also imply that with profession-al advising and training, studentsmay further develop leadershipskills in the areas of public speaking,delegating, constructive feedback,marketing, and stress management.Students involved in intramuralsports, both in leadership roles with-in club sports as well as employmentin campus recreation facilities, areoften in positions in which they arerequired to supervise their peers.

Hall-Yannessa and Forrester(2005) engaged in additionalresearch and found a “positivecorrelation between leadership-skills development and the amountof time [students] spent with theadvisor” (p. 17). Students reportedspecific leadership skill develop-ment in the areas of creative prob-lem-solving, meeting facilitation,managing organizational finances,setting goals, risk-taking, criticalthinking skills, and communication.

Concluding ThoughtsKnowledge about oneself and

understanding oneself in the contextof others comes from experiencesand a readiness to learn. Gerald S.Fain (2008), a noted educator andscholar in health, recreation, leisure,and ethics, affirms that:

4

Collegiate Recreational Sports andStudent Leadership DevelopmentContinued from page 3

5

“When we are at leisure, our obligations to self are preeminent.Learning how to bring out the best in ourselves involves voluntaryactions in which we learn what wemost value and hope to become.What students do with their freetime during their college years doesmatter” (p. 274).

Collegiate recreational sportsprofessionals are committed to student learning, both inside andoutside the classroom, and they arekey players in student life. And tothem, what students do with theirfree time during their college yearsdoes matter. When it comes to leadership development, collegiaterecreational sports programs offerstudents a plethora of opportunitiesto enrich and enlighten their livesthrough participation and/oremployment. Nonetheless, success-ful student leadership developmentin collegiate recreational sports hasadditional elements: intervention,mentoring, and training, to name afew. Absent this, students enrolledat their school of choice may obtainleadership skills that are also avail-able at a school of hard knocks,though likely at a higher price.

ReferencesAstin, A. W. (1999). Student

Involvement: A DevelopmentalTheory for Higher Education.The Journal of College StudentDevelopment, 40(5), 518-529.

Blumenthal, K. J. (2009). CollegiateRecreational Sports: PivotalPlayers in Student Success. TheJournal of the Society of College andUniversity Planning, 37(2), 52-62.

Dalgarn, M. K. (2001). The Role ofthe Campus Recreation Center inCreating Community. RecreationalSports Journal, 25(1), 66-72.

Dalton, J. C., Crosby, P. C., Valente,A. & Eberhardt, D. (2009).Maintaining and ModelingEveryday Ethics in StudentAffairs. In G. S. McClellan, J.Stringer & Associates (Eds.), TheHandbook of Student AffairsAdministration (pp. 166-186). SanFrancisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Fain, G. S. (2008). Ethics. InNational Intramural-RecreationalSports Association (Ed.), CampusRecreation: Essentials for theProfessional (pp. 269-284).Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Faircloth, S. & Cooper, N. (2007).Communities of Practice inCampus Recreation: A Frameworkfor Developing StudentIntramural Officials. RecreationalSports Journal, 31, 43-50.

Franklin, D. S. & Hardin, S. E.(2008). Philosophical andTheoretical Foundations ofCampus Recreation: Crossroadsof Theory. In NationalIntramural-Recreational Sports Association (Ed.), CampusRecreation: Essentials for theProfessional (pp. 8-18).Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Hackett, M. W. (2007). Exploring theRelationship Between RecreationalSports Employment andAcademic Success. RecreationalSports Journal, 31, 69-74.

Haines, D. (2007). NationalIntramural-Recreational SportsAssociation Member Survey Results.Columbus, OH: NationalResearch Institute for CollegeRecreational Sports & Wellness,The Ohio State University.

Haines, D. J. & Farrell, A. (2006).The Perceived Barriers toResearch in College RecreationalSports. Recreational SportsJournal, 30, 116-125.

Haines, D. J. & Fortman, T. L.(2007). Building ResearchCapacity in College RecreationalSports. Recreational SportsJournal, 31, 26-33.

Haines, D. J. & Fortman, T. (2008).The College Recreational SportsLearning Environment.Recreational Sports Journal, 32, 52-61.

Hall-Yannessa, S. L. & Forrester, S.(2004). Differences in LeadershipDevelopment of Club SportsOfficers. Recreational SportsJournal, 28, 7-18.

Hall-Yannessa, S. L. & Forrester, S.(2005). Impact of AdvisorInteraction on the Developmentof Leadership Skills in ClubSports Officers. RecreationalSports Journal, 29, 9-21.

Lewis, J. B., Barcelona, R. & Jones,T. (2001). Leisure Satisfactionand Quality of Life: Issues forJustification of CampusRecreation. Recreational SportsJournal, 25, 57-63.

Mull, R. F. Bayless, K. G. & Jamieson,L. M. (2005). Recreational SportManagement, 4th Ed. Champaign,IL: Human Kinetics.

National Association of StudentPersonnel Administrators.(2004). Learning Reconsidered: ACampus Wide Focus on the StudentExperience. Retrieved fromwww.naspa.org/membership/leader_ex_pdf/lt_long.pdf.

National Intramural-RecreationalSports Association. (2004). TheValue of Recreational Sports inHigher Education: Impact onStudent Enrollment, Success, andBuying Power. Champaign, IL:Human Kinetics.

National Intramural-RecreationalSports Association. (2008).Campus Recreation: Essentials forthe Professional. Champaign, IL:Human Kinetics.

Schuh, J. H. (1999). StudentLearning and Growth Resultingfrom Service as an IntramuralOfficial. Recreational SportsJournal, 23, 51-61.

Shields, D. L. L. & Bredemeier, B. J. L.(1995). Character Development andPhysical Activity. Champaign, IL:Human Kinetics.

Turner, B. A., Jordan, J. S. &DuBord, R. R. (2005). RetainingStudent Workers: TheImportance of OrganizationalCommitment. Recreational SportsJournal, 29, 117-126.

_________________________________Kent Blumenthal, Ph.D., is ExecutiveDirector of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association inCorvallis, Oregon. Kent has a long histo-ry in the profession that began in 1976 asthe coordinator of summer recreationprograms for the University ofMaryland, College Park. He received aB.A. degree in Sociology (1974), a M.A.degree in Therapeutic Recreation (1979),and a Ph.D. in Recreation and ParksAdministration (1990), from differentcolleges at the University of Maryland,College Park. His career includes animpressive tenure at the NationalRecreation and Park Association, beforejoining NIRSA in August 1997.Correspondence concerning this articleshould be addressed to Kent J.Blumenthal, Executive Director, NIRSANational Center, 4185 SW ResearchWay, Corvallis, Oregon 97333-1067.Email: executiveoffice@nirsa.org.

Sports are being played inincreasingly competitive environ-ments and the pressure to excel isoften measured by the win/loss col-umn (“Leadership in Sports”, 2006).Despite this pressure to win:

The mission of the NCAA is tomaintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the campuseducational program and the student-athlete as an integral part of the stu-dent body. With this in mind, student-athlete development initiativesof NCAA member institutions,including leadership developmentprograms, are getting a closer look toenhance the quality of the student-athlete experience within the contextof higher education. (The NationalCollegiate Athletic Association, n.d.)

Meaningful dialogue about thevalue of developing the student-ath-lete holistically and the belief thatsuccess in athletics atLehigh is the result ofmore than just talentalone highlighted aneed for collaboration indelivering intentionalleadership education.

Core PhilosophyTo guide program-

matic offerings, a corephilosophy reflectingcongruence with leader-ship theories and “bestpractices” that meet theneeds of our student-athletes, coaches, andteams was adopted. Theprimary philosophy ofthe Athletics LeadershipDevelopment Programis embedded in theTr a n s f o r m a t i o n a lLeadership Theory. Thistheory is put into prac-tice by utilizing three models: theSocial Change Model, the RelationalLeadership Model, and the LeadershipChallenge Model (Komives et al., 2007;Komives, Wagner, & Associates, 2009;Kouzes & Posner, 2007). The JanssenTeam Captain’s Leadership Model wasutilized in conjunction with theTransformational Leadership Theoryto provide an athletic context and cred-ibility for the program curriculum(Janssen, 2003).

Drawing on essential conceptsimbedded in the theories and mod-els described above, the core philos-ophy of the Athletics LeadershipDevelopment Program at Lehighcontends that every individual hasthe opportunity to take ownership ofthe leadership process, guided by avision and an authentic commitmentto congruent values and actions, andthat positive change is reflectedthrough role modeling, teamwork,and intentional engagement withothers to create and sustain a cultureof positive leadership.

John A. Cable CenterThe John A. Cable Center for

Athletics LeadershipDevelopment was created in 2008 throughthe vision and generosi-ty of alumnus John A.Cable ’45 as an extensionof Lehigh University’sOffice of StudentLeadership Develop-ment. The vision of thecenter is to foster andinspire a culture of lead-ership within the Lehighathletics community inwhich enhanced self-awareness, an authenticcommitment to teamgoals, and congruencebetween values andactions all invigorate andcomplement a champi-onship athletic experi-ence.

Among the mosteffective programming

within the Cable Center is theLehigh Athletics LeadershipAcademy, which is affiliated nation-ally with other universities throughthe Janssen Sports LeadershipCenter in North Carolina (Janssen,n.d.). The Leadership Academy isfocused on two key groups of upper-class student-athletes:

Emerging LeadersThe Emerging Leaders program

is the first stage of the LehighAthletics Leadership Academy.Offered to sophomore and juniorstudent-athletes identified by coach-es and/or self-identified as having astrong interest in leadership devel-opment, this phase builds upon theleadership foundation established inthe Lehigh P.R.I.D.E. program.

Student-athletes have the opportu-nity to expand their self-conceptthrough reflection and evaluation oftheir abilities to lead by example andto lead vocally. The challenge to effec-tively lead oneself first (through com-

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6

Program SpotlightA Need for Athletics Leadership Development

By Jess Manno & Julie Sterrett, Lehigh University

“Formalleadershiptraininghelps todiminish the“preachingwithout theteaching”phenomenonthat iscommon insports.”

mitment, composure,confidence and charac-ter) remains consistentwith the notion thatbefore a leader can showthe way, he or she mustmodel the way. Oncecredibility is establishedby effectively leadingoneself, the focus canshift to relationships(through encouragingand enforcing team-mates). Matt Cohen, acurrent senior footballcaptain who completedthe Emerging Leadersprogram in 2008 under-stands that “It is essen-tial to communicatewith others who you arenot familiar with in aproductive fashion inorder to accomplish agoal. You must knowwhen to be vocal andwhen to listen and whento lead by example.”

Leadership LegaciesThe Leadership

Legacies program is the second stage of the Lehigh AthleticsLeadership Academy.Offered to coach-identi-fied veteran team lead-ers and team captains,this phase focuses onapplication of core lead-ership skills and princi-ples, exploring leadership challengesfaced by team leaders in season.Additionally, Leadership Legaciesparticipants have the opportunity toengage in 360 degree evaluationprocess, utilizing Jeff Janssen’s TeamLeadership Evaluation, providing stu-dent-athlete leaders with self, team-mate and coach feedback as a guidefor personalized leadership develop-ment plans.

Relational leadership is stronglyemphasized in the LeadershipLegacies program, as team captainsand veteran team leaders work hardto maintain effective relationshipswith coaches and teammates and tohighlight gaps in perception andcommunication between the two.Additionally, a strong emphasis onchallenging the status quo encour-

ages student-athleteleaders to creativelyleave their mark ontheir teams for years tocome.

Former captain ofthe women’s soccerteam, Hailey Coonraddescribed her experi-ence with the program:

The leadershiptraining I received inthe Legacies Programwas extremely valu-able for all of my ath-letic related relation-sh ips . Be ing ab le to communicate andproblem solve withother team captainswas extremely worth-while and beneficial.Our weekly coachesmeeting also began toevolve and take shapethroughout the seasonbecause the leadershipprogram providedstructure and directionfor effective communi-cation.

What We HaveLearned

The Cable Centerprogramming hasbeen well received bystudent-athletes andteams as they are beingprovided with direc-

tion in their assumption of leader-ship responsibility. Formal leader-ship training helps to diminish the“preaching without the teaching”phenomenon that is common in sports.

We have also learned that formalleadership development initiativesshould complement the informalleadership training that coaches offerdaily in their interactions with student-athletes. Partnerships withcoaches are paramount to the successand effectiveness of any athleticsleadership development program asthey most regularly interact with andinfluence student-athlete leaders.Head Women’s Basketball Coach,Sue Troyan reflects on the value ofleadership within her program:

“At Lehigh, our competitive goalis to win championships. Having atalented team is obviously importantto the success of any program, butchampionships are not won by talentalone. Championships are won byteams who have the ability to distinguish themselves by achievingat a higher standard than anyoneelse. Strong team leadership resultsin a culture that is committed to continually raising the bar anddoing whatever it takes to reach it.”

“Obstacles that we continue toface include the diminishingresource of time, as student-athletesare consistently challenged to bal-ance academics, athletics and socialresponsibilities. We also continue towork hard to create a commonunderstanding of leadership withinthe athletics community to clarifythat leadership can be learned andpracticed and that effective leader-ship requires responsibility on thepart of many, not just a captain.”

Inspired by a VisionBy continuing to encourage our

student-athletes, coaches, and teamsto reflect upon the myriad of practi-

7

Continued on page 8

We alsocontinue towork hard tocreate acommonunderstandingof leadershipwithin theathleticscommunity toclarify thatleadership canbe learned andpracticed andthat effectiveleadershiprequiresresponsibilityon the part ofmany, not justa captain.

Check out the new collaborative Web site www.socialchangemodel.org

for more information on using the Social Change Model. Share resources with colleagues and find the latest resources for

users of the Model.

LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD

cal leadership experiences they areprivileged to have regularly throughsport and by demonstrating the con-nections between those experiencesand the core leadership principlesthat are being taught, we are confi-dent that the courage and convictionto take leadership action willstrengthen, not only providing ourteams with a competitive advantage,but also positively influencing thedevelopment of the world’s nextgeneration of leaders.

ReferencesJanssen, J. (2003). The Team

Captains Leadership Manual.

Janssen, J. (n.d.) Peak PerformanceCenter. http:// jeffjanssen.com/coaching/index.html

Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., &McMahon, T. R. (2007). Exploringleadership: For college students whowant to make a difference(2ndEdition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Komives, S. R., Wagner, W., &Associates. (in press). Leadershipfor a better world: Understandingthe social change model of leadershipdevelopment. A publication of theNational Clearinghouse forLeadership Programs. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2007).The leadership challenge (4th Ed).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Money-zine.com (2006-2007).Leadership in sports. Retrievedfrom http://www.money-zine.com/Career-Development/Leadership-Skill/Leadership-in-Sports/

National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (n.d.). NCAACHAMPS life skills. Retrievedfrom http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?key=/ncaa/NCAA/Academics+and+Athletes/CHAMPS+-+Life+Skills/Program

________________________________Jess Manno, M.Ed. is the AssistantDean of Students for LeadershipDevelopment at Lehigh Universitywhere she has worked professionally for 7 years. Jess earned her master’sdegrees from James Madison Universityin Co l l ege S tudent Per sonne lAdministration and her bachelor’sdegree from Penn State Erie, TheBehrend College. You can visithttp://www.lehigh.edu/~insi/leadership/index.shtml to learn more about theleadership development opportunities atLehigh University.

Julie Sterrett currently serves as theAthletics Leadership Coordinator atLehigh University. Julie earned herMaster’s of Education from theUniversity of Washington inIntercollegiate Athletics Leadership in2008 and her Bachelor’s Degree fromLehigh University in 2007. Julie alsoplayed four years of Division I softball atLehigh.

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Collegiate Recreational Sports andStudent Leadership DevelopmentContinued from page 7

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9

Intramural sportsprograms face agrowing chal-lenge. Expansion ofour programs andincreasing numbers,make leadershiptrainings even moreimportant and vitalfor us to create andprovide the idealatmosphere for ath-letics. Participation inrecreational activitieshas been a growingpart of higher educa-tion and plays aninvaluable role inmany students’ expe-riences. Students arereporting that a largepart of their satisfac-tion with the collegeexperience is linkedto the recreationalactivities and facili-ties. Intramural pro-gramming is a part ofthis puzzle.

With this growth,we see an increasedneed for leadershipdevelopment andsportsmanship edu-cation that help ourstudents identify and clarify theirvalues. But how do we go about thisgiven the fleeting moments we haveto train and work with students ontheir values and leadership skills?Also, intramurals are something thatthey have chosen to do to exerciseand play with friends and usuallytake a break from learning! Oftenthey are not thinking about being aleader and working on their leader-ship skills. This makes the lessonseven more important and yet evenmore precarious as students do notwant to “waste” time going to train-ings. They are busy, and they per-ceive other arenas to be the place tolearn leadership, such as their class-es, their leadership programs, or

their student organi-zations. I would arguethat they are experi-encing moments oftough challenges totheir leadership, char-acter, and growthwhile being intramu-rals participants.

What are some ofthe old techniquesthat have been used tomaintain our intramu-ral programs? Wehave tried to ensurethat everyone knowsthe rules, knows theirresponsibilities andunderstands the con-sequences o f not fo l lowing these .Captains’ meetingshave often been thesource of dissemina-tion of this informa-tion. These are man-dated meetings inwhich all the captainsof all the teams mustcome and listen tosomeone talk forabout an hour.Another techniquethat has been used issportsmanship rat-

ings at games. Every team at the endof their game is rated by the staff on-site for their behavior and sports-manship throughout the game. Thisscale usually falls from outstandingto unacceptable. But this does notcreate conversation about whatsportsmanship means for them andfor their development.

Many captains see themselves asleaders but do not see themselves asleaders on the intramural field. Thiscreates a dichotomy. I believe it isimportant for us to alter this percep-tion. So as a program we are settingout to connect their leadership withtheir playing. Team sports have richand diverse experiences allowing for

many traditional and non-tradition-al moments requiring strong leader-ship.

Given these conditions, what canwe do as student affairs educators?Like our intramural program, I believe we have to offer many dif-ferent opportunities for our studentsto succeed.

• Instead of holding a requiredcaptains’ meeting where Ibelieve captains often tune outthe things we are telling them,we have captains’ quizzes. Thesequizzes encourage them to learntheir own resources and to thinkof their required duties in theirrole as a leader as less obtrusiveand on their own time.

• With this in mind, we offerweblinks and tools to connectthem to resources on their owntime. The university offers serv-ices such as online resume helpand leadership practices invento-ries to assist them in thinkingabout sports leadership and howtheir behavior impacts other.Helping our captains and play-ers get their own resources helpsthem become more empoweredleaders so that in the future,when they are in need of otherleadership information, they areconnected to the resources wehave to offer here in studentaffairs.

• We also make a cheat sheet, aguide to some of the everydaycaptain issues that are commonacross teams. This gives studentsthe chance to get a quick look atsome of the problems they mightface, and that others face so thatthey do not feel alone in theirproblems.

• One-on-one meetings, when wedo have problems, allow us toturn bad behavior into learningmoments. Meeting with the cap-

Continued on page 10

Learning by DesignIntramural Sports’ Captains and Participants, the Fleeting Moments

for Leadership DevelopmentKendra Jackson

“LeadershipDevelopmentOffices andCampusRecreationServices arenatural partnerswho do notalways workhand-in-hand,but can reachmany differentstudents whoparticipate inprogrammingand recreationalactivities.”

tains and the players reinforces theimportance of their leadership andencourages them to reflect on whatwent wrong and what they can dobetter in the future.

• Using words like leadership andsportsmanship in our languagewith captains in meetings, on ourpaperwork, and on our champi-onship t-shirts reinforces the message.

• When we ask them about theirexperience in surveys, we ask aboutleadership, connecting their devel-opment to their sports-play andcaptain role. We make them thinkabout how being a leader in intra-murals can translate to being aleader in other aspect of their life.

All of these practices have helpedraise leadership development to cap-tains with whom I work and hopefullythese things can trickle down to thethousands of participants we have in our program. As we move forward, I hope we can develop more opportuni-ties for all of our students to thinkabout their leadership skills. Leader-ship development offices and CampusRecreation Services are natural part-ners who do not always work hand-in-hand, but can reach many different stu-dents who participate in programmingand recreational activities. As we con-tinue to use technology to connect withour students and with the continuedconnections we can establish on thefield, even though their time is fleeting,we now can create more time than everto connect with our students.

___________________________________Kendra Jackson has worked atGeorgetown University and WesternWashington University in Sport ClubAdvising, Student Programming, andIntramural Programming. She was a stu-dent leader and participant through herundergraduate years in sport clubs, studentprogramming, and student leadership programs. Kendra is pursuing her MBAdegree at the University of Michigan.

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Learning by DesignContinued from page 9

The Leadership BookshelfThe Leadership Pill:

The Missing Ingredient in Motivating People TodayBlanchard, K. & Muchnick, M.

New York: Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2003, $21.00 (hardcover)Reviewed by: Lucy Croft

University of North Florida

A HealthyApproach toLeadership

What’s on yourbucket list? Sky-diving? Travellingaround the world?Writing a novel?Joining the PeaceCorps? Whateveris on your list, thereis a sense of exhila-ration where theheart starts beatingand blood startsflowing; sweatingpalms and wobblyknees soon to fol-low. It is this typeof adrenaline thatpushes us passedour barriers to con-quer our challenges. This iswhat we call motivation. Formarathoners, it is called the“runner ’s high” where for asplit second when crossing thefinish line you are overcome withpure bliss and satisfaction. Forme (and my sister) running amarathon was on our bucket listfor years until we finally said yesto the journey in 2005. Fivemonths, 550 miles, 75 nutrition gelpacks, hundreds of ounces ofGatorade, and too many cross-training hours to count, weaccomplished our goal.

I n t h e b o o k The Leadership Pill,Blanchard andMuchnick tell theshort story of twocompanies compet-ing in a challenge of administeringsustainable andeffective resultsalong with cus-tomer and employ-ee satisfaction. TheLeadership PillCompany approachwas to compress allof the attributes ofeffective leadershipinto a single “pill’producing quickresults, while theEffective Leader

Company took a methodicalapproach to building trust andcompetency.

Early in the competition, TheLeadership Pill Company sur-passed the Effective LeaderCompany in production level. Themagic leadership pill seemed to beworking. Morale of the LeadershipPill Company was high while themorale of the Effective LeaderTeam was skeptical. Over severalweeks, things began to change andthe Leadership Pill Company wasultimately defeated because the“leader never seemed willing toshare the power and informationwith the team and kept the teammembers in a state of dependencythat made them feel subordinate,unmotivated, and resentful”(Blanchard & Muchnick, 2003,p.98).

“The EffectiveLeader developeda “Secret Blend”of integrity,partnership, andaffirmation thatwas a potentcombinationover the longhaul.“

The Effective Leader developed a“Secret Blend” of integrity, partner-ship, and affirmation that was a potentcombination over the long haul. Theemployees learned to lead their livesthrough the core values of integrity,partnership, and affirmation.

Despite being defeated in the competition, the Leadership PillCompany took its lead from theEffective Leader and realized that“Leadership: It’s more than a Pill”(Blanchard & Muchnick, 2003, p. 102).It is the power of collective wisdom,shared ownership, and responsibility.

Training for a marathon is similarto the Effective Leader’s approach toleading. It takes staying true to yourroutine and training. It is the inter-nal motivation, your integrity ofaccomplishing your vision thatkeeps you focused on your goals.Although some may choose to trainby themselves, in actuality, prepar-ing for a marathon takes severalpartners such as running buddies, atrainer, family, and perhaps yourfamily physician. The quote fromthe book, “It is easier to get up thehill when you climb it together”(Blanchard & Muchnick, 2003, p.80)sums up the support system neces-sary regardless of the tasks at hand.

Practical ApplicationThe Leadership Pill: The Missing

Ingredient in Motivating People Today,provides a simple read with multipleapplications for leading and moti-vating people. The story is relevantto any person, regardless of position,that needs to revisit morale of theirstaff, group, and/or personal situa-tion. The “prescription” for motivat-ing others comes from leader’s abili-ty to establish trust, clear expecta-tions, buy-in, and encouragement.

This would be anexcellent book toread as part of a staffdevelopment pro-gram focused onbuilding a team,morale, or goal set-ting. Another formatcould be a book clubwhere members ofthe staff informallydiscuss the lessonslearned from thebook and addressingquestions such as…• The “Leadership

pill was able toproduce quickshort-term results(Blanchard &Muchnick, 2003,p.98).” When (oris it?) OK to havea quick fix verse taking themethodical path to accomplish-ing a goal?

• When you know someone isunderperforming, how mightyou redirect their intentions backto the goal? According to the“effective leader,” he knew thatthe underperforming individualswere still capable of doing agood job. Instead of focusing hisenergy on their poor perform-ance, he engaged them in a dis-cussion on revising the gameplan and reassigned tasks andskills to better aligned with theirstrengths and talents (Blanchard& Muchnick, 2003, p. 91).

• In what situation may you findyourself utilizing the followingleadership quotes? “Leading peo-ple is the opposite of trying to control them” (Blanchard &Muchnick, 2003, p.19);“Leadership is not just what hap-pens when you’re there, it’s whathappens when you’re not there”(Blanchard & Muchnick, 2003, p.27); “Sharing the big picture putseveryone on the same page”(Blanchard & Muchnick, 2003, p.74); “Praise is most effective whenit is specific, sincere, and given assoon as possible after the desiredbehavior occurs” (Blanchard &Muchnick, 2003, p. 85); “You will go a lot further if you stop torefuel” (Blanchard & Muchnick,2003, p. 93).

RecommendationIn conclusion, this

is a quick read whenneeding to provokedialogue related tomorale, motivation,and goal-setting – aswell as characteristicsof an effective leader.It can be used in anon-threatening man-ner by directing thediscussion based onthe experiences of thecharacters in the bookthat emulate real-lifesituations. Mary AnneBrannon, TechnicalOperations, Develop-ment and Learning forDelta Air Lines, sumsthis special little gemup perfectly in her

endorsement for the book: “What an easy-to-understand approach tobuilding positive and productiverelationships…both professionallyand personally. It’s about doing theright thing at the right time for theright reasons. When people under-stand their respective roles in thebusiness, the results are more thanjust the dollar.”

_________________________________Lucy Croft serves as the Assistant VicePresident for Student Affairs andAdjunct Instructor at the University ofNorth Florida. She holds a Doctorate inEducation with a concentration inHigher Education Administration andLeadership Development and a Masterof Arts in Community counseling bothfrom the University of Cincinnati. Shereceived her Bachelor of Arts inCommunication and ElementaryEducation from Hanover College (IN).Lucy has served as the Director ofStudent Activities and LeadershipDevelopment at the University ofCincinnati, Director of StudentActivities and Residence Hall Directorat Virginia Intermont College, andAssistant Director of Student Activities and Orientation at the PrattInstitute.

Renew your membership now.

It’s never been a better time tojoin NCLP. Get discounts on pub-lications, subscribe to the NCLPlistserv, and benefit from dis-counted conference registration.

Join or renew now atwww.nclp.umd.edu

11

“The‘prescription’ for motivatingothers comesfrom leader’sability toestablish trust,clearexpectations,buy-in, andencouragement.”

11

Athletes, coaches, and person-nel involved with athleticshave long stated that partici-pation in sport enhances the abilityto work in teams, fosters life skills,builds character, and develops lead-ership skills (Reese, Howell &Miracle, 1990; Ryan, 1989). Althoughthe body of work related to partici-pation in sport and student develop-ment outcomes is growing (Gaston-Gayles & Hu, 2009; Umback, Palmer,Kuh, Hannah, 2006) participation inintercollegiate athletics in relation tostudent leadership developmentremains limited (Astin, 1993; Eiche,Sedlacek & Adams-Gaston, 1999;Glenn & Horn, 1993). Work that doesexplore leadership development isoften framed in the context of coach-ing styles or team captains; there is agap in the literature regarding thecontext of sport in relationship tofostering and enhancing partici-pants’ overall leadership capacities(Dupuis, Bloom, & Loughead, 2006;Eiche, et al., 1999; Glenn & Horn,1993; Holmes, McNeil, Adorna, &Procaccino, 2008; Loughead, Hardy& Eys, 2006)

The Multidimensional Theory ofSport Leadership has guided muchof the sports-related leadershipresearch (Maby & Brady, 1996).Identifying the coach as the leader,the model consists of three compo-nents: actual leader behavior, groupmembers’ preferred leadershipbehavior, and situational leadershiprequirements (Chel ladurai &Carron, 1978). The model conceptu-alizes that the greater the congru-ence between the coach’s actualbehavior and the athletes’ prefer-ences and the situational require-ments, the better the athletes’ execu-tion and the more likely that the ath-letes will report satisfaction(Chelladurai, 1990). Based upon theMultidimensional Theory of SportLeadership framework, theLeadership Scale for Sports (LSS)consists of a 40-item scale andaddresses five dimensions to meas-ure: (a) athletes’ preferences for

coach behaviors, (b) athletes’ percep-tions of coach’s behavior, (c) coach-es’ perception of his/her own behav-ior (Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980).Zhang, Jensen, and Mann (1997)later revised the scale to account forsituational dimensions that mayimpact a leader’s behavior.

Holmes et al. (2008) facilitated apilot study that examined leadershipfrom the student-athlete’s perspec-tive using the Revised LeadershipScale for Sports (RLSS), substitutingthe term peer leader for coach.Interested in leadership beyond for-mal roles, Holmes et al. utilized asample of male and female varsityathletes across 14 different teamsand intentionally expanded the sam-ple to include athletes not identifiedas team captains. In addition to theRLSS, participants were asked toidentify three players viewed to beleaders on the field, three playersseen as leaders off the field, and toexplain why the players were nomi-nated. Although a pilot study withseveral limitations, the findings provide insight on student-athletes’preferences for peer leadershipattributes beyond the context ofsport and also illuminate potentialgender differences. Holmes et al.found that although both men andwomen indicated that leaders on thefield should be hard-working andset good examples for fellow play-ers, men placed greater importanceon work ethic and performance com-pared to women who emphasizedmotivating and encouraging theteam as more important for leaderson the field. Women indicated peerswith friendly, respectful personalitytraits to be the strongest leadershipfactor for leaders outside the realmof sport, followed by being a goodstudent and caring about others.Although placing slightly lessemphasis on friendly personalitytraits then women, men indicatedpersonality traits were important aswas caring about other players andbeing a good role model outside ofthe athletic context.

In addition to understandinghow athletic participation influencesstudents’ leadership capacities, it islikewise important to understandthe factors that influence student-athletes to engage in educationallyand developmentally purposefulactivities. Gaston-Gayles and Hu(2009) utilized one of the largestdatasets available on student-athletes, the Basic Academic SkillsStudy (BASS), to gain a better under-standing of Division I student-athletes’ engagement in four areas:(a) interaction with faculty, (b) inter-action with non-teammate students,(c) participation in campus groups,organizations and service activities,and (d) participation in academicactivities. Noting the differences intype of sport, Gaston-Gayles and Hualso examined student engagementin relationship to participation inhigh profile sports (men’s footballand basketball) to low profile sports.The study found that of the fourtypes of engagement, interactingwith students other then teammateswas reported the most frequently;this type of engagement held acrossrace/ethnicity, academic major, andprofile level of sport. Interested inthe impact of student engagementon college outcomes such as culturalattitudes, personal self-concept, andlearning and communication skills,Gaston-Gayles and Hu also exam-ined the engagement areas as agroup and found significance in allof the college outcome models.Gaston-Gayles and Hu did note thathigh profile student-athletes report-ed lower levels of interaction withnon-athlete peers compared to lowprofile sport athletes and also founddifferences in the effects of studentengagement measures on collegeoutcomes between sport profiles. As such, in addition to promptingeducators to create opportunities forstudent-athletes to engage in thefour areas examined, the findingssuggest that researchers shouldaccount for differences in sport typewhen examining the experience ofstudent-athletes (Gaston-Gayles &Hu, 2009).

Theoretical FrameworksSwalley (2004) utilized the

Achievement Style Framework(Lipman-Blumen, Handley-Isakesen,& Leavitt, 1983) to examine femalestudent-athlete’s leadership styles in

12

Scholarship and Research UpdatesSport and Leadership Development

Shandol Hoover and Susan R. Komives

13

an exploratory study and found theframework helped conceptualizestudent-athletes’ perspectives onleadership styles. The AchievementStyle Framework holds that theprocess of accomplishing a goal pro-vides insight on the outcome of whatis achieved (Lipman-Blumen, et al.,1983). The framework consists ofthree achievement styles: direct,instrumental and relational; eachachievement style has three individ-ual styles. Lipman-Blumen and asso-ciates propose that individuals areable to access each style, but demon-strate a preference for two to threestyles to accomplish a task; the morestyles individuals are able to drawfrom, the more versatile the leader-ship style. The L-BL AchievingStyles inventory (ASI) measuresachievement behavior (Lipman-Blumen et al., 1983) and severalresearchers have found the instru-ment useful for relating achievementstyles to leadership (Beardsley,Stewart, & Wilmes, 1987; Komives,1991, 1992, 1994; Lipman-Blumen,1992, 1996; Offermann & Beil, 1992).

Swalley (2004) utilized theAchievement Styles Framework toexamine the structure of the sportgroup environment (team sportcompared to individual sports) inrelationship to female student-ath-letes’ perceptions of leadership andachieving style preferences. Swalleyfound that although individual andteam sport female student-athleteshold similar views on leadership, theprocess by which the student-ath-letes accomplish leadership is differ-ent. Team sport student-athleteswere found to draw from a widerrange of achievement styles whileindividual student-athletes indicat-ed a preference for more leader-cen-tric styles. Although the study wasexploratory in nature and holds lim-itations, the work prompts educatorsto intentionally tailor leadershipprogramming to address the uniqueneeds of team sport and individualsport student-athletes

Recreational SportsAlthough marginal in compari-

son to other bodies of leadershipwork and not without empirical lim-itations, there is an emerging body ofliterature regarding leadershipdevelopment and participation in

recreational campus sport programs(Barcelona, 2002; Haines & Fortman,2008; Hall, Forrester, Borsz, 2008;Hall-Yannessa &Forrester, 2004).Recreational sportincludes variousdomains, but two ofthe most commonlyreferenced are intra-mural sports and clubsports. The termintramural sport typi-cally refers to struc-tured athletic contestsand tournamentswithin one institution(Mull, Bayless, Rossand Jamieson, 1987).Club sports are char-acterized as a team ofstudents organized tocompete againstteams from outsideinstitutions (Mull, etal.). Differing fromintercollegiate ath-letes, club sport ath-letes assume respon-sibility for schedulingpractices and compe-titions, managing finances, coordi-nating travel arrangements, ensur-ing compliance with university andsport policies, and other relatedfunctions (Mull et al., 1987).

Noting the strong degree ofresponsibility club sport officersassume, Hall-Yannessa and Forrester(2004) sought to explore club sportofficers’ self-reported leadershipskills. Hall-Yannessa and Forresteradministered the Student LeadershipSkills Inventory (SLSI) to male andfemale club sport presidents, vicepresidents, treasurers, and secretariesbefore and after completing clubsport leadership terms. Post-testaverages found respecting the rightsof others, becoming more sensitivetowards working with diverse peo-ple, understanding the consequencesof actions, relating well to the oppo-site gender in work-settings, and theability to articulate personal values asthe top five reported leadership out-comes. The lowest five reported lead-ership outcomes included publicspeaking, task delegation, providingconstructive feedback to others, mar-keting events, and managing stress.Although limitations of the SLSI, data

analysis, and the sample are noted,the study provides insight for educa-tors seeking to help club sport officers

develop skill and comfort with a wide-range of leadershipskills (Hall-Yannessa &Forrester, 2004).

In a constructivistcase study focused ongaining insight onhow students’ leader-ship involvement inrecreat ional sportrelates to self-reportedleadership skills, Hallet al. (2008) is one ofthe first studies toexplore leadershiproles across diverseaspects of recreationalsport. Hall and associ-ates interviewed asample of male andfemale student officersinvolved with therecreational sportscouncil, intramuralsports council, fitnesscouncil, and clubsports teams. The

interview analysis yielded sevenbroad leadership skills: (a) organiz-ing, planning and delegating, (b) balancing academic, personaland professional roles, (c) motivat-ing and influencing others and beinga mentor/role model, (d) problemsolving and decision making, (e) communication skills, (f) workingwith others/diversity, and (g) givingand receiving feedback (Hall et al.).Consistent with Komives, Owen,Longerbeam, Mainella, and Osteen(2005), Hall et al. found participationin the research interviews providedthe recreational sport student lead-ers a venue to identify leadershipstrengths, areas for further improve-ment, and an opportunity to consid-er how recreational sport leadershipexperiences might connect to futuregoals. Pushed to articulate how therecreational sport leadership posi-tion influenced skill development,the student leaders made meaning oftheir experience.

Prompted by a call to demon-strate the valuable learning that therecreational sports arena fosters,Haines and Fortman (2008) devel-

Continued on page 14

“Team sportstudent-athleteswere found todraw from awider range ofachievementstyles whileindividualstudent-athletesindicated apreference formore leader-centric styles.”

oped a 41-outcome survey to examinelearning outcomes in relationship to clubsport participation. Using a proxy-posttest design, the study found an increasein all outcome items, with overall leader-ship development being among the topfive outcome items participants indicatedto be the most enhanced. The study’s sur-vey is of particular interest. Drawingfrom the Council for the Advancement ofStandards (CAS) and vetted withNational Intramural-Recreational SportsAssociation (NIRSA) professionals, asso-ciates from the National ResearchInstitute for College Recreational Sport,and a past president of ACPA—CollegeStudent Educators International, the sur-vey is being adapted to measure learningoutcomes in other recreational sport areassuch as intramural sports, outdooradventure sports, student employment,recreational sport internships and otherrelated contexts (Haines & Fortman.2008).

ResourcesThere are several resources for educa-

tors interested in learning more aboutshaping leadership capacities throughintercollegiate athletics and recreationalsports. The National Collegiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA) (www.ncaa.org)facilitates several leadership-related ini-tiatives that enhance intercollegiate stu-dent-athlete leadership development. Ofinterest, include the Student-AthleteAdvisory Committee (SAAC) which pro-vides student-athletes a voice regardingthe student-athlete experience as well anavenue for providing input on NCAArules and policies; per NCAA legislation,the SAAC functions at all NCAA mem-ber institutions, athletic conferences, andon a national level. The NCAA also facil-itates leadership conferences for student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff, andadministrators to enhance personal lead-ership skills as well as teach skills toenhance the overall student-athlete expe-rience. In addition to funding grants fornew and existing student-athlete devel-opment programs, the NCAA also offersresearch grants for graduate studentsconducting student-athlete relatedresearch for a dissertation, master’s the-sis, or external publication. For moredetails regarding the SAAC, LeadershipConferences and Research Grant, visitthe NCAA web page at www.ncaa.org.

Challenging Athletic Minds forPersonal Success (CHAMPS / Life Skillsprogram) is a NCAA program that promotes the holistic development of student-athletes. Implemented in 1994,CHAMPS focuses upon five primarycomponents: (a) academic excellence; (b)athletic excellence; (c) personal develop-ment; (d) career development (e) commu-nity service. Although the facilitation andcurriculum of CHAMPS varies acrossparticipating NCAA institutions, the corepremise of the program provides a viablecontext for developing and enhancingstudent-athletes’ leadership skills andcapacities. Assessing the effectiveness ofCHAMPS programs to positively impactstudent-athletes’ development proves tobe an interesting research topic and war-rants more exploration (Goddard, 2004;Wisdom, 2006; Wright, 2002).

The National Intramural-RecreationSports Association (NIRSA) www.nirsa.org,serves recreational sport professionals,students and associate members. In addi-tion to facilitating an annual recreationalsport conference and expo, NIRSA also facilitates a Collegiate Sport ClubSymposium. The Symposium is specifi-cally tailored to help sport club profes-sionals focus on how to make sport clubs more effective on campus. TheRecreational Sports Journal, NIRSA’sscholarly journal, is published bi-annual-ly. For more information about NIRSAvisit www.nirsa.org.

Leadership educators interested inresearch regarding recreational sportsshould consult the National ResearchInstitute for College Recreational Sportsand Wellness. A collaboration betweenThe Ohio State University and NIRSA, theInstitute manages a research clearing-house and provides services related to assessment, facility benchmarking,learning outcome measurement, surveydevelopment and administration. Moreinformation regarding the Institute isavailable at www.nirsa.org.

Human Kinetics Publishers Inc., pub-lishing over 20 national and internationalscholarly and professional journals, is aleading publisher in the fields of physicalactivity, recreational and organized sport. View http://www.humankinetics.com toaccess journals, books, on-line courses,podcasts and more information. Anotherhelpful resource is Scholarly Sport Sites(http://www.ucalgary.ca/lib-old/ ssportsite/). Asubject directory created by the Universityof Calgary Library, The North AmericanSport Library Network (NASLIN) and the

14

Scholarship and Research UpdatesContinued from page 15“Implemented in

1994, CHAMPSfocuses upon fiveprimarycomponents: (a) academicexcellence; (b) athleticexcellence; (c) personaldevelopment; (d) careerdevelopment (e) communityservice. Althoughthe facilitationand curriculumof CHAMPSvaries acrossparticipatingNCAAinstitutions, thecore premise of the programprovides a viablecontext fordeveloping andenhancingstudent-athletes’leadership skillsand capacities.”

International Association for SportsInformation (IASI), Scholoarly SportSites links to national and internation-al sport-related journals, newsletters,archives, associations, conferences,research databases, publishers, andmuch more.

SummaryThe Multi-institutional Study of

Leadership (Dugan & Komives,2007) found that 40% of studentswere involved in intercollegiate,intramural, or recreational sports.This study recommends deliveringintentional leadership developmentprograms in contexts where studentsare engaged with each other such as these venues. Although limited,there is an emerging body of workthat suggests intentionally designedintercollegiate and recreational sport settings can be conducive forenhancing students’ leadershipcapacities. In the face of recentmedia reports regarding the under-side of intercollegiate athletics andbudget cuts related to programs thatdo not articulate student learning,this is encouraging news for univer-sities working to establish congru-ence between participation in inter-collegiate and recreational sport andthe goals of higher education.

ReferencesAstin, A.W. (1993). What matters in

college? Four critical years revisited.San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Barcelona, B. (2002). Studentinvolvement in campus recre-ational sports activities and gainsin team-functioning. LARnet; TheCyber Journal of Applied Leisureand Recreation Research, 1-13.

Beardsley, K.P., Stewart, G.M., &Wilmes, M.B. (1987). Achievingstyles of students and studentaffairs professionals. Journal ofCollege Student Development, 28,412-419.

Chelladurai, P. (1990). Leadership in sports: a review. InternationalJournal of Sports Psychology, 21,328-354.

Chelladurai, P. & Carron, A.V. (1978).Leadership: The Development ofthe multidimensional theory ofsports leadership. Journal ofSports Psychology, 6, 167-176.

Chelladurai, P. & Saleh,S.D. (1980).Dimensions of lead-ership behavior insport: Developmentof a leadership scale.Journal of SportPsychology, 2, 34-45.

Dupuis, M., Bloom, G.,& Loughead, T.(2006). TeamCaptains'Perceptions ofAthlete Leadership.Journal of SportBehavior, 29(1), 60-78.

Dugan, J. P., &Komives, S. R.,(2007). Developingleadership capacity incollege students:Findings from anational study.College Park, MD:NationalClearinghouse forLeadershipPrograms.

Eiche, K., Sedlacek,W.E., & Adams-Gaston, J. (1999). Anexploration of leadership charac-teristics in college athletes. TheAcademic Athletic Journal, 13, 27-34.

Gaston-Gayles, J. & Hu, S. (2009).The influence of student engage-ment and sport participation oncollege outcomes among divisionI student athletes. Journal ofHigher Education, 80(3), 315-333.

Glenn, S., & Horn, T. (1993).Psychological and personal pre-dictors of leadership behavior infemale soccer athletes. Journal ofApplied Sport Psychology, 5(1), 17-34.

Goddard, M. (2004). An assessmentof the effectiveness of theCHAMPS/Life Skills program at the University of North Texas:A pilot study. Ed.D. dissertation,University of North Texas,United States -- Texas. RetrievedOctober 18, 2009, fromDissertations & Theses: Full Text.(Publication No. AAT 3126573).

Haines, D., & Fortman,T. (2008). The CollegeRecreational SportsLearning Environment.Recreational SportsJournal, 32(1), 52-61.

Hall, S.L., Forrester, S.,& Borsz, M. (2008). Aconstructivist case studyexamining the leader-ship development ofundergraduate studentsin campus recreationalsports. Journal of CollegeStudent Development,49(2), 125-140.

Hall-Yannessa, S.L. &Forrester, S. (2004).Differences in leader-ship development ofclub sport officers.Recreational SportsJournal, 28(1), 7-18.

Holmes, R., McNeil, M.,Adorna, P., &Procaccino, J. (2008).Collegiate StudentAthletes' Preferencesand PerceptionsRegarding PeerRelationships. Journal of

Sport Behavior, 31(4), 338-351.

Komives, S. R. (1991). Gender dif-ferences in the relationship ofhall directors’ transformationaland transactional leadership andachieving styles. Journal of CollegeStudent Development, 32, 155-165.

Komives, S. R. (1992). Gettingthings done: A gender compari-son of resident assistant and halldirector achieving styles. Journalof College and University StudentHousing, (22), 30-38.

Komives, S. R. (1994). Women stu-dent leaders: Self-perceptions ofempowering leadership andachieving styles. NASPA Journal,31, 102-112.

Komives, S.R., Owen, J.E.,Longerbeam, S.D., Mainella, F.C.,& Osteen, L. (2005). Developing aleadership identity: A groundedtheory. Journal of College StudentDevelopment, 46(6), 277-304.

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“...there is anemergingbody of workthat suggestsintentionallydesignedintercollegiateandrecreationalsport settingscan beconducive forenhancingstudents’leadershipcapacities.”

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0110 Stamp Student UnionUniversity of Maryland

College Park, MD20742-4631

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Lipman-Blumen, J. (1992).Connective leadership: Femaleleadership styles in the 21st-century workplace. SociologicalPerspectives, 35, 183-203.

Lipman-Blumen, J. (1996). The con-nective edge: Leading in an interde-pendent world. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.

Lipman-Blumen, J., Handley-Isaksen, A., & Leavitt, H.J. (1983).Achieving styles in men andwomen: A model, an instrumentand some findings. In J.T. Spence(Ed.), Achievement and achievementmotivates: Psychological and socio-logical approaches (pp. 147-204).San Francisco, CA: W.H.Freeman.

Loughead, T., Hardy, J., & Eys, M.(2006). The Nature of AthleteLeadership. Journal of SportBehavior, 29(2), 142-158.

Maby, R., & Brady, G. (1996). Sportsrelated leadership. The Journal ofLeadership Studies, 3, 131-137.

Mull, R., Bayless, K., Ross, C. andJamieson, L. (1987). Recreationalsport management (2nd ed.)Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Offermann, L.R., & Beil, C. (1992).Achievement styles of womenleaders and their peers.Psychology of Women Quarterly,16, 37-56

Reese, C.E., Howell, F.M., &Miracle, A.W. (1990). Do highschool sports build character? Aquasi-experiment on a nationalsample. Social Science Journal, 27,303-315.

Ryan, F.J. (1989). Participation inintercollegiate athletics: Out-comes. Journal of College StudentDevelopment, 30, 122-128.

Swalley, S.C. (2004). Self-perceptionsof leadership ability and achievingstyles of female student-athletes.Unpublished master’s thesis,University of Maryland CollegePark.

Umbach, P., Palmer, M., Kuh, G., &Hannah, S. (2006). IntercollegiateAthletes and EffectiveEducational Practices: WinningCombination or Losing Effort?.Research in Higher Education,47(6), 709-733.

Wisdom, T.L. (2006). Assessing theeffectiveness of the NCAACHAMPS/Life Skills programmodel at meeting the develop-mental and psychosocial needsof Division I student-athletes.Ph.D. dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, UnitedStates -- Colorado. RetrievedOctober 18, 2009, fromDissertations & Theses: FullText.(Publication No. AAT3231298).

Wright, O.L. Jr. (2002). The admin-istration of the NCAA DivisionI-A CHAMPS/Life Skills programand the perception of support by program coordinators. Ph.D.dissertation, The University ofNew Mexico, United States --New Mexico. Retrieved October18, 2009, from Dissertations &Theses: Full Text. (PublicationNo. AAT 3072042).

Zhang, J., Jensen, B.E., and Mann,L. (1997). Modification and revi-sion of the leadership scale forsport. Journal of sport behavior,20(1), 105 – 122.

_________________________________Shandol Hoover is the AssociateDirector of New Student & CarolinaParent Programs at the University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shandol’swork experience includes New StudentPrograms, Admissions, AcademicAdvising, Athletic Academic Support,and Residence Life. An ACPA AnnuitCoeptis Emerging Professional recipient,Hoover received her bachelor’s degreefrom Purdue University (2000) and amaster’s degree from the University ofMaryland, College Park (2004). She canbe reached at schoover@email.unc.edu.

Susan R. Komives is the scholarshipeditor for the NCLP and Professor in theCollege Student Personnel Graduate pro-gram at the University of Maryland. Sheis also co-PI for the Multi-InstitutionalStudy of Leadership and President of the Council for the Advancement ofStandards in Higher Education.

Scholarship and Research UpdatesContinued from page 15

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