General Info
What is CoSIDA?
CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) was founded in 1957 and currently is a 2,700-plus member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, communications and information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The 2009-10 academic year marked the 59th year of the organization, and a membership record was set in the early stages of the 2010-11 academic year when the annual membership grew to 2,600 active participants for the first time; that membership has now topped the 2,700 mark.
The association is designed to help the athletic media relations and communications professionals at all levels. It is the desire of the members to have the profession take its rightful place on the decision-making levels of college athletics. Everything undertaken - the short- and long-term strategic planning and initiatives, year-long professional development opportunities, and the annual Convention/workshop - is geared to this objective.
Prior to the formation of CoSIDA, sports information directors as a group were a part of the American College Public Relations Association; yet, most SIDs at those ACPRA meetings felt that a separate organization was needed. There were 102 members at the original meetings. CoSIDA was founded in 1955-56.
CoSIDA's Board of Director leadership is comprised of nine elected officer positions (President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, three Past Presidents removed, a treasurer and secretary-Digest editor), along with 10 other Board appointees. These athletic PR professionals, along with an Executive Director, a Director of External Affairs and a Director of Internal Operations, compose the leadership group.
In addition, the association has been strengthened since the summer of 2008 with the creation of additional management teams: the University Division Management Advisory Committee (UDMAC) and the College Division Management Advisory Committee (CDMAC). The UDMAC and CDMAC were created as part of the Board’s strategic initiatives in creating a more federated management structure within CoSIDA. The purpose and goal of these management teams is to encourage divisional leadership groups to take a more direct and personal responsibility approach in regards to division-specific CoSIDA matters.
CoSIDA's signature program is the Academic All-America® program which honors the nation's highest-achieving student-athletes for academic and athletic excellence across all divisions of play (NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, CIS and NJCAA). CoSIDA members nominate and vote in selection of Academic All-America performers in 12 sports (men's at-large and women's at-large [multiple-sport category], baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country and women's volleyball).
John Humenik, who has over 30 years of award-winning experience in the sports public relations and communications industry, serves as the Executive Director for CoSIDA. He was named to that post - as the first Executive Director in the history of the organization - in January 2008 and serves as the organization’s senior administrator working closely with its Board of Directors and staff in handling the organization’s day-to-day administration and operations as well as the development of short- and long-term strategic planning and initiatives. He also serves as the organization's primary liaison with all of the nation's collegiate sports governing bodies, sports management organizations and coaches associations.