COLUMBUS, OH -- Representatives from National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) and the Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports participated in an early August ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the National Research Institute for College Recreational Sports and Wellness, according to NIRSA’s Web site. The ceremony took place on The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus, at an amphitheater inside the newly constructed Recreation and Physical Activity Center, which is the new home of the Institute.
Formed in April 2005, in collaboration with NIRSA and The Ohio State University, the Institute will improve the quality and accessibility of data available to college recreational sports professionals for evidence-based decision making, build a research culture among the profession, and provide staff who will operate and administer all research projects with grants and contracts. NIRSA will provide $15,000 per year for three years to the Institute to assist with administrative and operating costs. The Institute’s mission is to foster and facilitate interdisciplinary and collaborative research, provide educational research services, and to develop data sharing processes directed toward optimizing college recreational and wellness pursuits, the Web site said.
Danell Haines, director of research and assessment for the Ohio State Department of Recreational Sports, is the director for the Institute, leading a thirteen-member advisory board with members from Ohio State and NIRSA.