CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- For the second time ever, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) will host a weekend Student-Athlete Leadership Conference. On the heels of a very successful 2010 event, nearly 70 IIAC undergraduate students and nine administrators will be in Cedar Rapids this weekend, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 3-5, for the next in what the Conference hopes is a long string of meetings that educates and bonds the IIAC athletics community.
The event is funded almost entirely by grant dollars provided by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "This weekend features two unique brands in athletics," said Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen. "The Iowa Conference is one of the jewels of Division III, annually excelling in the classroom and on the field. The NCAA is the gold standard for college athletics, period. We are extremely grateful for NCAA grant money that gives our student-athletes a quality experience they will carry with them for a long time."
Eileen Segura, NCAA Consultant for Student-Athlete Affairs, will lead the group through the DiSC assessment. DiSC is a personality test that provides "insight on an individual's unique behavioral styles and how those styles affect the way the individual communicates with others." Ms. Segura will kick off the Conference with a Friday night introductory DiSC session and then a follow-up on Saturday morning.
Saturday's program begins with a presentation and Q&A with the IIAC's representative to the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Loras baseball player Travis Misner. Misner, who recently was one of only two individuals, nationally, chosen for the University Sport Federation Forum in China, will update the group on NCAA SAAC's activities and initiatives; most notably, the group's partnership with Special Olympics. Later in the day, Dr. Robert Malekoff, Associate Professor at Guilford College (N.C.) and contributor with the College Sports Project, will lead sessions on academic / athletics integration and Title IX / gender equity. The College Sports Project has a stated commitment "to strengthen the bonds between intercollegiate athletics and educational values." Dr. Marie Baehr, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at Coe College, and Coe Director of Athletics John Chandler also will present during the integration session. Skylar Price of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network will cap off Saturday's meetings with a personal finance session. Price played baseball at Coe and is a 2009 grad.
Sunday morning's session will include the student-led production of public service videos on the subjects of their choice (sportsmanship, general Conference promotion, etc.). The Conference ends with a final session of reflection and possible action steps for when the attendees return to campus.
