Office of Student Life

Recreational Sports

Student Professional Development Association (SPDA)

About Us

The Student Professional Development Association (SPDA) is made up of Recreational Sports Graduate Assistants who work to provide students working for Rec Sports opportunities to advance their careers through networking and through developing professional skills.

Grow

The goal of SPDA is to not only create a stronger student employee community within the Department of Recreational Sports, but also better prepare them for future professional careers.

Lead

SPDA focuses on providing the students working for Recreational Sports a professional developmental experience, community involvement, and scholarship opportunities. Some ways that we do this is by offering resume building workshops, mock interviews, scholarship funding and more. 

Scholarships are open to all current student employees and can help to cover costs associated with conferences, certifications, workshops, presentations and other activities related to a student’s professional interests. Exact funding amounts, scholarship decisions and disbursement will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Application information and openings are listed below. The application process is not laborious, but applicants are encouraged to have a peer or supervisor review their application before submission. Once an application is received, an email from the Scholarship Committee will follow within two weeks with approval or denial of funds.

Summer Scholarships will be on a rolling basis. 

Conferences that we have previously provided scholarship:

  • National Intercollegiate Recreation and Sports Association (NIRSA) Annual Conference
  • National Intercollegiate Recreation and Sports Association (NIRSA) Region III Student Lead On Conference
  • Ohio Recreational Sports Association (ORSA) State Conference
  • Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) National Conference

Click here to access the scholarship application! 

Discover

SPDA organizes an annual trip to sport and recreation facilities across the nation. You can find more details about the 2019-20 annual trip here when details are finalized.

Connect

We are constantly looking for new ways to help cultivate a better developmental experience for the students working in Recreational Sports, if you have any questions or suggestions please contact us at:

osuspda@gmail.com