What do Disneyworld, the US Tennis Association’s National Campus and Camp Boggy Creek have in common?
They are all sites visited by Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) students as part of a multi-day field trip in June that gave students an opportunity to speak directly with professionals in the field about the challenges and successes involved with operating different types of industry organizations.
PRTM EDGE program faculty and students at Epcot theme park in Florida last month.
The trip is part of the department’s Engaging in Diverse, Guided Experiences (EDGE) program, an innovative, immersive experience for sophomores that takes a collaborative approach to delivering core parks, recreation and tourism management content.
Unlike a traditional semester with several classes, the EDGE program incorporates the content of those classes into one learning experience. Learning is reinforced through lectures, small group work, individual assignments, readings, field trips, research and collaborations on real-world issues.
Field trips are designed to get students out of the classroom to see parks, recreation and tourism agencies in action, says Dr. Teresa Tucker, PRTM EDGE Program Coordinator and Senior Lecturer.
“Seeing concepts they’ve learned in the classroom being applied in the field, and in different settings, gives our students a better understanding of the qualifications and skills they’re going to need to succeed after they graduate,” she added.
Students met with executives of the US National Tennis Association and were given a tour of the facility.
The trip was planned to focus on topics that affect all parks, recreation and tourism management agencies, such as facility operations, administration, finance, marketing, programming and risk management. Students traveled to Orlando and Eustis, Florida to learn about leadership strategies from the Disney business model, tour the US Tennis Association’s national campus, and talk to Camp Boggy Creek Director David Mann about managing a camp for children and families with serious illnesses.
Tucker says that students left with a well-rounded understanding of the different challenges these organizations face and how they address them, and that the trip also helped to create lasting relationships between students and program faculty.
“This trip helps reinforce core concepts in our field, which is important,” says Tucker. “But it’s also rewarding to see these trips help our students create lasting bonds with their fellow students and faculty – relationships that can help them succeed with their degree, and that they can continue to rely on as they build their careers after graduation.”
Clemson’s MPA program ranking was based on its program quality, including the types of courses offered, faculty, rankings, awards and reputation, compared to all other accredited online MPA Programs in the United States.
“We’re proud of this designation, which recognizes our program’s ability to provide the advanced training our students need to assume leadership roles in the public sector,” says Lori Dickes, Program Director of the MPA program and Associate Chair of Clemson’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management department. “Over the past several years, we’ve grown this program from a regional offering to a national program that draws students from across the country.”
MPA students can choose to specialize their training in emergency management, homeland defense and security, local and state government, nonprofit management or regional sustainability – ensuring the program meets the needs of a diverse range of public administration and non-profit professionals. Before they earn their credential, students take a comprehensive exam or complete a capstone research project to either demonstrate or expand on the knowledge they’ve gained.
The MPA program is also working to expand its specialized training options through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Starting this fall, students can also further develop their professional and academic knowledge in two new certificate programs focused on Emergency Management and Homeland Defense and Security.
Although the program ranking confirms the quality of learning in the program, Dickes feels the real strength of Clemson’s MPA students rest in its people.
“This ranking confirms what we and our students already know – that our program, faculty and students are among the best of the best,” says Dickes. “What makes our program really special, however, are the relationships that come from this online program. Our students form close bonds with our faculty and one another and truly become part of the Clemson family, even though they only actually set foot on campus a few times.”
Learn more about Clemson’s online MPA program from its students and faculty:
Clemson PRTM faculty and graduate students on their trip to South Africa.
Clemson Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) faculty and graduate students were recently invited to South Africa to share their expertise, research human/wildlife experiences in Africa’s longest standing national park and explore new potential collaborations.
The group, led by Department Chair Wayne Freimund and consisting of Associate Chair Lori Dickes, faculty members Lauren Duffy and Aby Sene-Harper, and graduate students E’Lisha Fogle and Temitope Arogundade, took part in the Insaka international research symposium about how Africa can best meet the multiple societal and ecological challenges that come with transformative conservation, conducted a visitor research project for Kruger National Park and explored the possibility of a promising new collaborative project focused on Garden Route National Park.
The Insaka Symposium
The Insaka Symposium brought together experts in a wide variety of disciplines, such as social science, tourism, human rights, community development and environmental science to try to better understand and address rapid social and ecological changes in South Africa. According to Freimund, the multidisciplinary makeup of the group provides a richer and more thorough understanding of challenges throughout the country.
“South Africa’s conservation issues are complex, multidimensional and require all hands on deck, with everyone working together to find workable solutions,” says Freimund. “It’s rewarding to work as part of a collective of international leaders in their fields, collaborating on possible solutions we can share with the country’s decision makers.”
Clemson PRTM Chair Wayne Freimund speaking at the Insane Symposium in South Africa in June 2019.
Most of the team presented at the symposium, with Freimund and Dickes delivering keynote speeches. Their presentations shared findings from research conducted by the department in national parks throughout the United States and parts of Africa, and applied those learnings to a South African context. PRTM’s different areas of focus, including parks, community recreation, youth development, tourism and public administration, makes it well-suited to address the rapidly evolving social and ecological challenges the region is facing.
“We had a great scientific exchange and social capital building experience at the symposium, with the collective experiencing the breadth and depth of what Clemson had to offer and how a department like ours can fit into these large-scale problems in a constructive way,” continued Freimund.
The collective is now working together to apply for a National Science Foundation network collaboration grant involving the Insaka Consortia, Clemson and Montana universities, and potentially the University of Botswana, the Nelson Mandela University and other African partners. The grant proposal is focused on the Kafue River basin in Zambia, part of the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Trans Frontier Park, which is the largest in the world.
Kruger National Park
After the symposium, the PRTM group traveled to Kruger National Park, one of the longest standing parks in Africa, to develop a study on challenges associated with human interaction with wildlife.
Clemson PRTM faculty and graduate students researched visitor wildlife encounters, such as this one with a female lion, at Kruger National Park.
International and domestic tourism to the park is increasing, which brings a number of opportunities to the region, but also creates a tension between the park’s natural space and the humans wanting to experience it. Wildlife is migratory, making it difficult to create experiences for tourists. Human interaction can also pose challenges when animals feel at risk.
The group conducted research in the park to get a sense of wildlife interactions from a visitor’s perspective, and to better understand the complexities – and possible solutions for – human and wildlife experiences over time. The group is developing an app-based experience sampling method, where visitors send data throughout the day during their visit that describes where they are, what they are doing, how they feel about it, their perceived quality of their experience, among other questions. This will give researchers a better understanding of how to better manage incidents and create a better code of ethics for visitors, while also taking steps to enhance their visitor experience.
“Right now, the visitor experience at the park is based on the luck of the draw. For example, you could have an awesome experience of nature if your car drives beside a lion next to the road, or you could stumble into a long traffic jam if dozens of people get there before you,” says Freimund. “The first is a very positive experience. The second isn’t. Developing a visitor app for the park can help flag some of these issues and help help us better understand how the positive and negative episodes affect the overall experience and impression of the park.”
Garden Route National Park
The group’s final visit was to Garden Route National Park, near the town of George, where they explored the possibility of a new research collaboration with the Sustainability Research Unit at Nelson Mandela University, the Knsyna Basin Project and South Africa National Parks.
The group is exploring a number of key opportunities and challenges facing the park and region, such as municipal park development, tourism as an economic generator, youth development and conservation.
“The area’s national parks are open access, similar to national forests throughout the United States,” says Freimund. “There are opportunities to help visitors explore the health and cultural benefits of nature and expand the park’s recreational use and community engagement, while also managing its conservation. We have a great deal of experience in managing those issues, making a partnership a good fit.”
After a successful first meeting, the collective is working together to explore potential opportunities for collaboration, including research projects, student and faculty exchanges and a possible visit to Clemson. The group has struck a committee to look for ways to facilitate an exchange moving forward.
Watch the video below for more pictures of the group’s experiences!
A group of Clemson University undergraduate students and lifelong learners recently traveled to Tanzania as part of a unique study abroad program organized by the department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) and Clemson’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
Clemson University offers several international travel options that expand the learning environment beyond the classroom into unique, and often challenging, cultural contexts. What sets this trip apart, however, is that the students were joined by a group of OLLI members midway through their experience.
The study abroad trip was service-oriented, with students and OLLI members volunteering at a primary school in Chagga Village.
OLLI is a regional continuing education community and membership organization of more than 1,450 people that primarily serves adults age 50 and older, though adults of any age are welcome to participate. The institute offers lectures, courses, excursions and social events, as well as access to Clemson events and resources. Clemson’s OLLI is one of 123 similar organizations throughout the country, with a collective membership of more than 150,000 learners. The Tanzania study abroad trip was organized so that both groups could benefit from an intergenerationally-focused learning opportunity, and to establish stronger connections between our university students and the upstate community.
“We’re always looking for ways to enrich student learning, and partnering with OLLI accomplishes that by allowing both groups to experience Tanzania through another generation’s perspective,” says Arthur-Banning. “Students are able to learn from and network with key members of the upstate community, who also play lead roles in many upstate organizations.”
The study abroad experience is focused on service, with students volunteering with local children at schools and at a family-run orphanage in Tanzania’s capital city of Dar es Salaam before joining OLLI members for a few days to experience the country together. The combined group visited a Chagga village in Uru east at the base of Mt. Killimanjaro, where they learned about traditional food, coffee, and the process of making banana beer (called Mbege). They also taught students at the village’s primary school and went on a safari of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.
The group’s volunteer work in the Chagga Village benefited both groups of learners in different ways. Students gave OLLI members insight into Clemson’s study abroad programs and their focus. OLLI members were able to apply their extensive skill sets to their volunteer roles, enriching the experience for students.
The trip provided a unique opportunity for intergenerational learning between Clemson students and OLLI members.
“Our OLLI members are impressive, with a vast depth of knowledge and experience to share,” Vidotto says. “This program provides an excellent opportunity for our participating members and students to learn from each other and experience a different country and culture in a unique, authentic and culturally immersive way.”
Now that the trip is complete, Arthur-Banning and Vidotto are conducting an assessment to determine whether the study abroad trip met its learning objectives, and opportunities for improvement.
“We see great potential in continuing to find ways for Clemson students and the OLLI community to interact and learn from one another,” continued Vidotto. “This program is a great start, as we can now easily see how Clemson can create a model for the national OLLI network.”
Arthur-Banning also sees an ongoing opportunity for his students, now that the group is back in Clemson.
“We’ve encouraged our students to really think about how this experience has moved them to action in some way – whether it is spending more time with their family, bringing them closer to a higher being, moving them to have a more positive role in their own community or here on campus, or perhaps even to return to Africa to continue the amazing work that our institution continues to do,” says Arthur-Banning. “Whatever it is, I hope this trip does not simply become a neat experience, but that it stirs up an opportunity to continue to grow.”
A group of Clemson undergraduate students are spending five weeks in Kalmar, Sweden, this summer to learn about what makes the area one of the most sustainable regions in the world.
From July 10 to August 13, the students will live and study at the Linnaeus University Summer Academy in Kalmar, where they will explore topics such as sustainable shipping, farming, water treatment, water, energy, transportation, infrastructure, local foods, environmental impacts, business and economics, policy and ecology.
Students bicycling by the Swedish coast during last year’s study abroad program.
The program responds to a new global environment, with governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe considering how they can be more sustainable. Sustainability impacts a wide variety of management issues, such as overdevelopment, environmental issues, municipal services – such as water, trash, transportation and power – public health and high-quality nutrition, access to green space and concerns of over tourism.
“The concept of sustainability is increasingly vital for students to understand regardless of their study focus,” says Dickes. “Students participating in this study abroad program will have a unique opportunity to experience a city that is at the top of the sustainability game, and to consider how they can apply these lessons to their studies and their communities in the United States.”
Sweden consistently tops the RobecoSAM Country Sustainability Ranking, a semiannual survey that ranks 65 countries based on several environmental, social and governance indicators. The country’s green technology industry produces revenues of approximately $3.5 billion annually and employs more than 40,000 people.
The study abroad program includes field work, class field trips, case study sites throughout the region, and research and group projects with students from other universities. The program uses an integrated systems and interdisciplinary approach to teach students how to learn about and consider research, behavior and social norms around sustainability.
Students are placed in teams to complete group projects, and will also expected to write blog posts and share presentations about what they’ve learned on a wide variety of sustainability topics. When they’re not in the classroom, they’ll also be given the option of experiencing Swedish culture in a different way, by participating in cultural and extracurricular activities, attending lectures by internationally-renowned speakers and experiencing other popular recreational activities in the area, such as biking, hiking, kayaking, canoeing and swimming.
Students learn about several different sustainability topics throughout their month in Sweden.
Students will also study and assess best practices from local, regional, national and international perspectives, with an emphasis on the transfer of knowledge across regions. Dickes says that this is particularly important, as it helps students understand how the scale of a sustainability initiative can impact its planning, implementation and ongoing management to reflect specific regional, social and cultural needs.
“Sustainability is often complex and culturally-influenced, so there is no single, one-size-fits-all approach to solutions,” says Dickes. “Being able to see what is working in Sweden and what challenges they’ve faced, while also being immersed in that culture, can help students understand why certain initiatives were framed or developed in a certain way for that specific population.”
The ability to consider the cultural context for a sustainability initiative, including an understanding of what motivates people to change patterns of behavior, can help students better adapt and apply best practices to challenges faced in the United States and throughout North America. The program also enrolls students from universities around the world, helping its participants see sustainability initiatives through the lens of other cultures, and to discuss sustainability experiences through a global perspective.
Dickes feels that having students from different areas of study – and different countries – take part in the program reflects the need for every sector with a stake in the issue to come together to find multi-faceted solutions.
“Because sustainability is a broad topic with many dimensions, it requires an interdisciplinary lens and understanding of the breadth of topics that fall under this broad umbrella,” she says. “We need many different types of academic and professional backgrounds to work together if we’re going to solve the complex environmental, social, organizational and policy problems of the world.”
