The United States Collegiate Athletic Association held its 2022 National Convention from June 5th - 8th in Portland, Maine at the Holiday Inn by the Bay Portland. The annual meeting brought together member institutions from around the country to discuss current issues and bring forth ideas and legislation to improve the organization.
The National Convention began with the annual Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday evening with the induction of seven new members, after the two year hiatus. The 2022 USCAA Hall of Fame Class inductees were; Heather Searles (NHTI), Jonathan Dehoux (The Apprentice School), Patrick Dempsey (Central Maine Community College), Susie French (Central Maine Community College), Lucas Levesque (University of Maine Fort Kent), Matt Richards (Southern Maine Community College) and Marty Ogle (Penn State Mont Alto).
The night featured an opening reception with USCAA members, staff, and the Hall of Fame class preceding dinner and the award ceremony. In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions, D'Youville University was crowned during the Hall of Fame dinner as the 2021-22 USCAA Director’s Cup Champions, Carlow University claimed the President's Cup for the 2021-22 academic year and Staci Brennan (Penn State Mont Alto) was named the Garth Pleasant Athletic Director of the Year.
On Monday afternoon the opening session of the convention was held. Features included the “State of the Association” from Chief Operating Officer, BJ Bertges and the Championships Report from Nate Gurtis. Following the opening session were the Town Hall meetings for ratings/selections and championships. Six total proposals from the membership were discussed during these sessions. Complete meeting videos are linked below. The subcommittees for ratings/selections and championships will meet later this summer to file their recommendations based on discussion from these sessions. Those recommendations will be distributed in the coming months.
On Monday evening attendees were given the option to take a Lobster Boat tour where they had the opportunity to catch their very own Maine lobster. For those interetsed in a land based event, there was an option to take a local brewery tour and explore the sights, sounds and flavors of downtown Portland by foot. Finally, the night was capped off with the Annual Cornhole Tournament held at Rivalries Sports Pub where Ryan Palmer (CMCC) and Stephen Oberly (PSU Fayette) were crowned as this years champions.
Tuesday began this years Professional Development Series. The full line up of topics and speakers can be found below. For those who could not be in attendance, all professional development sessions are available to view, for a fee, on the USCAA Sports Network (www.uscaasportsnetwork.com). Following the three professional development sessions was the second Town Hall session which focused on the legislation proposed by membership. This session featured six topics as well, most notably the proposal to adopt an NIL policy specific to the USCAA. Following the town hall, attendees were invited to attend a Vendor Expo happy hour which featured current sponsors and partners of the USCAA.
Professional Development: Session I
Best Practices for Social Media in Athletics – Presented by: Cory McCarthy and Megan Dunlap, St. Joseph’s College of Maine
Recruiting as a part time coach in today’s world - Presented:by Andrew Novick, Plymouth State University
Professional Development: Session II
Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Your Team - Presented by: Katie Greene - Assistant Athletic Director Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator, Bowdoin College
Strategic Annual Giving, Planned Gifts, & Special Events to Enhance Athletic Fundraising - Presented by: Seth Woodcock - Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development, University of Maine
Professional Development: Session III
How to showcase the importance of Athletics to Senior Leadership / Administration - Presenteb by: Mike Fischer - President, York County Community College
How to create professional game productions streaming through the use of BlueFrame Technology - Presented by: Josh Braun, BlueFrame Technology
Professional Development: Session IV
Golf Tournaments to Create Department Revenue – Presented by: Matt Richards - Associate Dean of Students/Director of Athletics, Southern Maine Community College
How to Create Internship/Externship Opportunities to Support Your Athletic Department - Presented by: Jennifer Laney - Dean of Students/Director of Athletics / V.P. YSCC, York County Community College
Tuesday evening featured several social event options as well including a Skybox at the Portland SeaDogs baseball game or the opportunity to play in a USCAA Golf Scramble on the home course of Southern Maine Community College.
Wednesday morning concluded the fourth and final professional development series prior to the Strategic Planning Session which featured an overview of what's to come from the National Office on how we will continue to work toward the priorities as outlined in the plan. The Convention was capped off with the Business Meeting which is where the proposed legislation is voted on. The full meeting can be viewed using the link below.
Below is the complete 2022 USCAA National Convention report. If you have any questions please contact the National Office at 757-798-9536 or by email at info@theuscaa.com.
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Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021-22 USCAA Championships Report
State of the Association/Welcome to Portland/Town Hall: Championships and Ratings & Selections