College Sports Information Directors of America

To ensure as many members as possible can participate, the CoSIDA Executive Board of Directors has established an online Aug. 31 vote for the recommended organizational name change to College Sports Communicators.

All members will have the opportunity to vote via an electronic form that will be distributed via direct email on Aug. 31. The voting form will be available from 9:00 AM - 11:59 PM (Eastern) on Aug. 31 only.

Below is the letter that the Excecutive Board emailed to all eligible voters. These include our 2021-22 members, 2022-23 members, Lifetime members and past presidents. The vote takes place in the transition period of membership from last academic year and those that cover this academic year, so both groups of members are eligible to vote.

See details about the name change recommendation here: https://cosida.com/news/2022/8/8/general-cosida-membership-vote-scheduled-on-proposed-new-name-for-organization.aspx. More about CoSIDA’s transformational efforts over the past four years can be found at CoSIDA.com/a-new-vision.

Two member Q&A's are available: READ: August CoSIDA 360 cover story: Rebranding: Answering your questions about Name, Image and Membership; #CoSIDA22 follow-up WATCH: Member Open Forum/Q&A Replay (Aug. 24)

Dear CoSIDA Member:

In the life cycle of organizations and their brands, there are key influential decisions that significantly chart the future.

For our organization, one critical moment was the name change 65 years ago to College Sports Information Directors of America. Not without debate, this decision reflected the latest thinking at the time and was an update from the common term of sports publicist.

Another significant step was the partnership with NACDA more than a decade ago. This crucial decision joined us with the leadership of college sports so they could view our organization more accurately and positively.

Following the recent governance restructuring and adoption of our All-In membership model, we are now at a decisive stage of our rebranding initiative with the upcoming vote on the recommended name change to College Sports Communicators.

As your executive board of directors, we urge you to vote on Wednesday (Aug. 31). In addition, we urge you to join us in supporting our unanimous recommendation for the future of our organization.

Influenced by a highly engaged and diverse strategic working group and informed by extensive research, the recommended name is designed to be clear, direct, inclusive and improve our perception with ADs, commissioners, presidents, external groups and sponsors.

Launched more than three years ago, our rebranding process has included tremendous dialogue and healthy debate, and we are united in this recommendation to strengthen our organization and position us to provide even more solutions for our membership and all of college sports.

We are grateful that leaders throughout college sports have called this recommended move bold, smart and strategic. A vote to approve the name signals to these leaders that our members are serious about wanting a modern and better future for our profession.

Thank you for your engagement and support.

Executive Board of Directors:

• Jessica Poole, President, Chicago State University
• John Paquette, First Vice President, Big East Conference
• Kevin Trainor, Second Vice President, University of Arkansas
• Mary Beth Challoner, Third Vice President, University of Toronto
• Jeff Hodges, Secretary, University of North Alabama
• Cindy Potter, Past President, Columbia College (Mo.)
• J.D. Campbell, At-Large Representative, Indiana University
• Donnie Smith, College Division Representative, Southeastern University
• Dan Ruede, College Division Representative, University of New Haven

Membership vote details

• What: Membership vote to approve the Executive Board of Directors’ recommendation to change the organizational name to College Sports Communicators
• When: Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022 — 9:00 AM - 11:59 PM (Eastern)
• Who: All dues-paying 2021-22 and 2022-23 CoSIDA members
• How: Electronic form delivered via direct email on the morning of Aug. 31. The form will be accessible on both computers and mobile devices and sent to all the above members prior to Aug. 31.

Important:

• Only 2021-22 and 2022-23 dues-paying members may vote
• Each member may only vote once
• Identifying information will be required on the form to confirm member status
• Any member who does not receive the email with the voting link by 9:00 AM (Eastern) on Aug. 31 should contact a CoSIDA staff member immediately to request the link.

Calendar

Important Dates