Campus Rec Podcast

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest David Davenport, the director at Austin Peay State University (APSU).

With almost 30 years in the field, Davenport has seen and experienced a lot. He shares about his journey into campus recreation and finding his place at APSU.

Plus, Davenport dives into his time as the NIRSA president. Leading through COVID-19, George Floyd and more was challenging. He gets real and shares how that time impacted his experience as a director.

Finally, Davenport shares about his experience at the Campus Rec Leadership Summit and advice to directors who are looking to continue to grow.

Enjoy the discussion that follows.

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest George Brown, the assistant vice provost and the director of University Recreation and Wellness at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

As they chat, Brown shares how he found his way from Trinity University to Minnesota where he resides today. Through the years he’s learned the impact of campus rec is more profound than the campus community itself.

Brown also shares on the tornado that hit in 2011 and campus rec’s role in shifting to serve the community by becoming a shelter. He also dives into how his team has bought into the purpose-driven experience. Finally, Brown shares the things he thinks aspiring assistant directors who want to get to the director level need to know.

And if you’re wondering what’s next for Brown, and how humility is the key to it all, tune into the conversation that follows.

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Laurie Braden, the executive director of University Recreation a Louisiana State University (LSU).

With 30-plus years under her belt in the industry, Braden has found herself learning along the way. Whether it’s the challenge that was the COVID-19 pandemic, to the things she wouldn’t do differently, Braden gets vulnerable in sharing her takeaways.

Plus, she goes into detail about the program Research in the Rec and how the “every campus is a park” mentality is changing the way UREC does things. All in all, the department is driven by service and the word “play” which Braden talks about in-depth.

As you listen to the following conversation, get involved yourself. Ask what you can take away from it to apply to your leadership, department and more today.

Spectrum Industries is helping esports evolve within campus recreation.

In this episode of the Campus Rec Magazine podcast, Rico Francis, the president of Campus Rec Magazine and Peake Media, sits down with Scott Dorn, the executive vice president of sales and marketing at Spectrum Industries.

They chat about the company’s ability to help onsite at universities across the nation, as well as what trends and evolutions Dorn is seeing in esports.

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Kim Scott, the director of Campus Recreation at Baylor University.

Scott didn’t start off pursuing recreation — but she did start at Baylor. She shares how she found herself suddenly in the campus recreation industry, building a department from scratch. It has led her to where she is today: a changed leader who has learned that relationships and a business mindset are essential for the director role.

As you listen to the following conversation, reflect on how you have changed as a leader yourself. And, ask how recreation can give the next generation what it needs as Scott talks about. You might be surprised what you come up with.

Aktiv is creating unique spaces in the campus rec industry that feel like drop-in boutique experiences.

But what exactly does that look like and how is the company achieving this? In this episode of the Campus Rec Magazine podcast, Rico Francis, the president and co-founder of Peake Media, sits down with Bryan Green, the founder and CEO of Aktiv Solutions, to chat more about who Aktiv is and how they are impacting the space of campus rec.

They discuss how Green got into the fitness industry and founded Aktiv. Diving deeper, they assess what functional training/fitness really is, the creation of energy epicenters and how Aktiv starts projects with the beginning in mind.

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Jocelyn Hill, the associate athletic director of recreation and aquatics facilities at American University (AU).

With 23 years under her belt at AU, Hill has learned a lot about leadership, especially when it comes to adapting and pivoting. She shares with Sheffield how she’s had to pivot in her thinking as a leader and about the challenges of managing people.

Further on, Hill dives into managing up, her non-negotiables, a key issue campus rec is facing today and why your department should not be an amoeba.

Moody Nolan isn’t just an architecture firm, and Troy Sherrard knows it.

In this episode of the Campus Rec Magazine podcast, Rico Francis, the president and co-founder of Peake Media, sits down with Sherrard, a partner and practice design leader of Sports and Recreation at Moody Nolan.

They talk about how Moody Nolan is different and unique in the realm of architecture firms. In addition, Sherrard shares how they are architects without egos. Plus, he dives into the impact their four unique pillars can have on campus rec directors.

Finally, he shares his assessment on trends — especially when it comes to simulators — and the future of Moody Nolan.

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Jorge Juarez, the executive director of Sun Devil Fitness at Arizona State University.

Juarez shares about his humble beginnings and the road he took to finally leave Texas, finding himself at Arizona State.

He and Sheffield also talk about the role of family and work-life balance. It started early in his career but has continued to be an important aspect of his role as a director, especially when it comes to overseeing four separate facilities on four distinct campuses.

So whether it’s moderating the 2023 Campus Rec Leadership Summit, diving into the realm of well-being or participating in the Hi How Are You Campaign, I hope you can hear in the following conversation how Juarez works to find a work-life balance amidst all he does.

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of campus recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Teri Bladen, the director of Weber State University.

Putting herself through school, Bladen found soon that she loved working in campus recreation. Eventually, she would find herself at Weber State.

Since her time there, well-being has evolved. A big part of that evolution has happened when it comes to professional and hourly staff.

Whether it’s tapping into their passions or being more flexible with uniforms, Bladen shares that if her staff are taken care of, so is she.

As you listen, I challenge you to think through how you are serving your own staff’s well-being. What suggestions or trains of thought can you take from the following conversation to improve the well-being of your own professional and hourly staff?