President's Corner
Greetings N4A Members!
President's Corner - Mark Meleney
We Are the N4A...
We are the N4A and as a service organization we pledge to be:
Committed to our students. We must continue to emphasis that we are here to serve the academic needs of our students. We must teach those in the profession about model practices in working with our student athletes. We must empower our members with the knowledge needed to best advise our student athletes. We must recognize the challenges that our student athletes face and acknowledge their efforts.
Committed to our members. We must reach out to those new in our profession and mentor or new colleagues. We must create opportunities of inclusion so that everyone feels they have an opportunity to contribute. We must continue to provide professional development through our Professional Development Institute. Including tracks for New Practitioners, Leaders and Managers, and in the coming year Learning Specialist.
Committed to our partners. We should be proud of the Partnerships formed over the past few years. Our relationship with the NCAA has never been stronger. No longer are we trying to get in the door. Now, the door is a revolving door and we are able to walk in and out without concern. We thank the NCAA for seeing the value of this relationship. We must continue to build on the relationships we have with the NFL, NBA, NACADA, and others. These organizations see the value of our efforts and continue to support our mission. We must continue to provide opportunity for our vendors and sponsors to impact our profession. The tools and products they offer will only make us better. We must be creative in making their commitment to us a worthy one.
Committed to our business model. As an association we must continue to understand the Non-profit business model. We must understand that non-profit does not mean no-profit. We must continue to support the growth of the National Office. We must empower our Executive Director to conduct business as an Executive Director. The Executive Director must be involved in the growth of our organization as a professional association.
Committed to fiscal responsibility. In today’s economic times we must weigh each decision related to revenues and expenses. Our committees must create a seamless review of these decisions and provide an endorsement of their positions to the Board of Directors. We must understand that sponsorship will be developed through relationships and that each one of us carries a responsibility to identify potential sponsors.
Committed to our core values. We are the guard dogs for campus integrity. We must never waiver from the academic honor code and the student conduct code on our campus. We must have integrity within the association. We must believe in each other and trust that the decisions we make are for the benefit of the N4A. We must become a united voice for positive change.
Who will we be in Miami Beach in 2009...
We will provide unique programming for our members. We are committed to having something available for everyone. We will have developed model practices for sub-groups within our student athlete population. Each sport is a culture of its own. We will define ways to best serve each sub-group and meet their unique needs. We will have established a 5 year plan for fiscal responsibility. The financial future of the N4A is a stake. We will have strengthened our relationships with our existing vendors and sponsors so that we offer reciprocal value. We will have developed a solid foundation under our National Office. We will be united in or efforts.
The 2009 N4A National Convention theme for Miami Beach Florida is……