Tag: leisure studies

For nearly half a century, a partnership between two Clemson University departments has provided courses for credit in leisure education and research opportunities to students on campus.

The partnership began when the university started its leisure skills program in 1972, which allows Clemson students to take a leisure or recreational course for one credit, while also helping them explore non-academic hobbies or career options. The program typically offers more than 150 one-credit learning options every semester in subjects such as dance, shotgun and other sports, yoga, fitness, outdoor recreation and first aid. The courses are developed and managed by the university’s parks, recreation and tourism management department, with 24 of the 159 courses offered last fall using campus recreation facilities.

Jeff Hallo, interim chair of the department, says that the leisure skills partnership between university departments is an example of working together in the best interests of students, while also furthering new research befitting Clemson’s status as one of the nation’s most active research institutions (Carnegie Basic Classification R1 – Highest Research Activity).

“We’re grateful to campus recreation, and are particularly thankful for Executive Director David Frock, for ensuring Clemson students can participate in learning opportunities in their campus facilities,” Hallo said. “It’s safe to say that these programs, which have provided numerous opportunities for our faculty and graduate students to conduct leisure-focused research while also serving thousands of undergraduate students, make a significant contribution to our university as a whole.”

Leisure Skills Program Director Dan Anderson adds that the program functions as a research lab of its own on campus.

“We have the most prized population to study in the leisure field – college-aged students – right at our fingertips, and we have them actively engaged in active forms of leisure, like sports, and non-active forms of leisure, giving us a unique research opportunity,” Anderson said. “We’ve had several graduate students and faculty members study the impacts associated with student participation in those types of programs, such as on their mental health, their ability to better focus on their studies and on their body image.”

A study led by former Clemson graduate student Katherine Ann Jordan that was published in the Journal of Experiential Education in 2018, for example, found that if college students have leisure education included in their academic schedule and tied to their grade point average, they were more likely to actively participate in healthy leisure activities and begin and maintain positive lifestyle habits.

Another study led by former doctoral student Cindy Hartman and published in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice in 2017 found that leisure education courses are a form of complementary health programming that helps students build adaptive coping skills and positive well-being. In 2013, graduate student Kate Evans used the leisure skills program to explore the impact leisure skills classes have on building student engagement with the university. The study results indicated that leisure education had a marked impact – providing a uniquely positioned environment for building students’ sense of engagement with their institution through an enhanced sense of community, enhanced sense of self and active learning.

Campus Recreation Executive Director Dr. David Frock said that the partnership between the departments aligns with the campus recreation mission to enhance the educational experience and promote lifelong wellness through high quality and diverse recreation programs, services and facilities.

“Hosting courses within the leisure skills program activates and engages students, exposing them to the numerous well-being services offered through campus recreation,” Frock said. “Our staff has collaborated with faculty on research and grants along with collaborations on programs and events throughout PRTM. Campus recreation staff also instruct courses and provide Clemson students the opportunity to develop new skill sets and build their resumes.”

Over the past few years, the partnership has expanded to include research, grants and other campus activities with a focus on diversity. For example, the departments recently worked together to introduce wheelchair basketball as the newest intramural sport.

These activities are part of the university’s Adaptive Sports and Recreation Lab, which was launched last spring in order to further existing efforts to implement high-quality adaptive sport programming and conduct applied research.

Other opportunities for adaptive sport involvement by students and community members include the Southeast Regional Wheelchair Games and the Clemson Classic juniors wheelchair basketball tournament. All of these programs require campus resources to be successful, of which campus recreation facilities and staff are vital.

These joint efforts demonstrate a commitment to achieve the university’s strategic aims of inclusive excellence and to break down the barriers to sport and recreation access that many students with physical disabilities experience on college campuses.

Hallo said he is hopeful that the partnership can continue to provide opportunities for students and faculty well after it surpasses its 50^th anniversary in 2022.

“This partnership has accomplished a great deal over the decades and helped thousands of students,” Hallo said. “We’re aware that many of these programs wouldn’t exist without access to campus recreation facilities and equipment, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to continue to work with them to create new opportunities for our students and community.”

Faculty in Clemson’s parks, recreation and tourism management department won three of six national awards presented by The Academy of Leisure Sciences at its annual conference in February. The awards program recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding performance in teaching, research or service in leisure studies and its related fields.

A department graduate student was also recognized for her potential as a scholar in recreation and leisure studies.

Interim Chair Jeffrey Hallo says that the awards are indicative of the impact the department’s students and scholars are making in the field.

“I’m not surprised to see such outstanding recognition of the value our faculty and students bring to the study and teaching of leisure sciences,” Hallo said. “It’s affirming to see that their colleagues throughout the country feel the same way I do about their work and commitment to their profession.”

The department’s award recipients include:

Excellence in Teaching Award – Lauren Duffy, PhD

Lauren Duffy, associate professor of travel and tourism, was recognized for consistently demonstrating an outstanding ability as a teacher of leisure sciences. Duffy’s teaching approach actively engages students in course content, creating inclusive learning environments and diversifying the methods she uses to teach. She provides opportunities for her students to work directly with community organizations and governments, ensuring the knowledge they develop is firmly rooted in both a focus on service and a practical understanding of the profession. She feels her most important job is to create critical thinkers who are prepared to engage with complex problem-solving and global issues of the 21^st century.

Duffy is also a 2019-20 Clemson University Teaching Forward Fellow and 2018 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from The Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences.

New Researcher Award – Ryan Gagnon, PhD

Ryan Gagnon, assistant professor of community recreation, sport and camp management, was recognized for exceptional research contributions since earning his doctorate. The award signifies Gagnon’s potential to become an exceptional member of the Academy as his career progresses.

Gagnon’s research is focused on improving out-of-school programs as contexts for youth thriving and development, exploring how out-of-school settings can best serve youth from poverty contexts and examining the role and influence of overparenting on youth development. Since 2015, Gagnon has published 28 peer reviewed journal articles, two book chapters and 22 conference proceedings, while also completing more than 48 research papers, posters and educational sessions. He’s also part of research grants and contracts totaling close to $1.5 million (including a grant from the National Science Foundation).

Gagnon has also been recognized with a Doctoral Degree Candidate Research Award (2017) from the Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, as well as through his department and other external organizations.

Innovation in Teaching Award – PRTM Writing Mentorship Project

Faculty members: Gwynn Powell, PhD and Lauren Duffy, PhD

Inaugural PRTM Writing Mentorship Project Members: E’Lisha Fogle, Paul Gremillion, Karleisha Kakraba, Tori Kleinbort, Lisa Olsen and Lauren Stephens

The team, led by Gwynn Powell and Lauren Duffy, was recognized for transforming how their department’s undergraduate, graduate students and faculty address professional written communication. The PRTM Writing Mentorship Project applies a “learning through teaching” approach that gives graduate students the tools and skills they need to effectively coach undergraduate students – improving the writing skills and ability of both groups.

The project brought together professionals, faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students, ensuring an approach informed by professional needs and standards. This work was started through a grant from the Pearce Center for Professional Communication and is now in its third year, with improvements being made every cycle.

Powell is the only member of the Academy to have been recognized with this award three times.

Hannah Wells – TALS Future Scholar

Hannah Wells, a graduate student in the department, attended the conference as part of the Academy’s Future Scholars Program, which gives graduate students interested in pursuing a doctorate in an area related to recreation and leisure sciences an opportunity to connect with scholars in the field by attending the Academy’s annual conference. Wells was paired with an Academy mentor during the conference and received $1,000 from the Academy to cover her transportation, lodging and meal expenses.

Award recipients are chosen based on their academic ability; indications of scholarly potential in the field based on their publications, presentations and research experience; level of professionalism and their intention to pursue a doctoral degree in the future.

Wells was previously recognized in 2019 for her achievements as a student by the parks, recreation and tourism management department at Clemson. She received awards for academic excellence (department-wide), departmental honors (graduate) and academic excellence in recreational therapy.

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The parks, recreation and tourism management department at Clemson University is one of the largest and most well-recognized programs of its type in the nation. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in  community recreation, sport and camp management, park and conservation area management, PGA golf management, public administration, recreational therapy, travel and tourism, and youth development leadership.

You often hear people say, “there’s something in” Clemson’s hills, but there’s also something in its streams. That’s where you’ll find groups of Clemson University students casting flies when the weather’s right.

Mike Watts has been teaching fly fishing as part of the university’s leisure skills program for about 15 years, and estimates he’s taught about 800 students to tie flies, cast a fly rod and understand the ecosystem where the fish they’re hoping to catch thrive.

“Our classes are about fly fishing made simple, but also about the environment that supports the fish and why that’s important,” Watts says. “We also take the time to talk about conservation of our natural habitats and why that matters.”

Fly fishing is one of more than 150 one-credit learning options students can take in subjects such as dance, shotgun sports, yoga, fitness, outdoor recreation, sports and first aid. Class sections are taught by experts in each respective field and coordinated by Clemson’s parks, recreation and tourism management department, which applies a research focus to course development and management.

Students take a leisure skills class for a number of reasons, such as introducing themselves to new activities, or exploring potential new hobbies or career options. Fly fishing is one of the program’s most popular class options.

Eleven years ago, the fly fishing class started growing exponentially, so Watts brought on another instructor to meet the demand. Watts and Mike Harvell have been splitting fly fishing classes ever since. Harvell has been fishing since 1960 and says that teaching the class has helped him continue to share his passion for the hobby with others.

“I’ve always liked fishing,” Harvell says. “I learn new things every time I go out, and I like seeing our students experience that, too.”

Classes are taught using the philosophy that the fisherman that only enjoys the catching of the fish is a miserable person 90 percent of the time.

“The point of fly fishing is partly to catch a fish, but it also helps you build an understanding of what fish eat and how that relates to different flies,” says Watts. “You need to know the natural environment to successfully catch a fish and would do it differently if you’re trout fishing in the mountains or salt water fishing on the coast.”

After their leisure skills class ends, many students keep fishing through the CU Fly Fishing Club, with about two-thirds of them becoming members or participating in club events and many more following them on their Instagram account, which has more than 1,200 followers. The group plans group fishing expeditions and shares photos of successful catches by its members. The club was founded by Watts and former student Robert DiBenedetto, who found his passion for fly fishing is also furthering his career.

“My first job interview centered around my leadership of the CU Fly Fishing Club and got me a job in the United States House of Representatives,” DiBenedetto says. “I also just formed a new relationship with a prominent businessman because of our mutual love for fly fishing and my background with the fly fishing class and club at Clemson.”

Another of their former students, Sam Caruso, who graduated from Clemson University with a Bioengineering degree in 2015, says that the weekly classes were an opportunity to break away from the rush to complete their degree by giving them something else to focus on.

“The best part, however, is the continual growth and connection that takes place after the course,” says Caruso, who’s kept in touch with Watts long after his class ended.

Dan Anderson, who runs the leisure skills program, says that Watts and Harvell have found a unicorn of sorts on campus.

“Creating a huge fly fishing community on campus from scratch and then keeping the student club going through leadership changes every couple of years is a major achievement,” Anderson says. “Their ongoing work with these classes and that club demonstrates the passion they have for the students and the sport.”

Information about Clemson University’s leisure skills classes are available in the undergraduate catalog.

Emily Whitaker Poetz, a mother of three in Clemson, South Carolina, is among millions of parents dusting off their lawn chairs and preparing to enroll their children in sports programs in their community this spring.

About 71.8% of youth between the ages of 6 and 12 participated in youth sports programs in 2018. Poetz says she’s had only positive experiences with the programs in her area, which allow her kids to explore different athletic options.

“We don’t let even my sport-crazy kid specialize in just one sport,” she says. “Instead, we make sure he takes breaks so he isn’t playing something continuously all year.”

Poetz also looks for other ways for her children to channel their energy throughout the year, such as enrolling one of her sons in a private training program to teach him how to work out safely with the experts.

Although Poetz’s experiences have been largely positive, other parents may find themselves navigating other issues on the sidelines, such as dealing with overbearing parents or preventing sports overuse injuries.

Dr. Skye Arthur-Banning of Clemson University’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management department wrote a book to help parents navigate some of these challenges. Called Youth Sports in America: The Most Important Issues in Youth Sports Today, it provides an expert’s perspective on 37 different issues parents may face in a sporting environment.

Because some of the issues in the book fall outside his area of expertise, Arthur-Banning assembled a team of academics and practitioners throughout the country to write about specific topics. An M.D., for example, wrote a chapter on concussions. References are provided at the end of each chapter for further reading.

“The book was written for parents, coaches and administrators and tries to address questions each may have, such as the benefits of playing on an organized team, pay to play, and how to prevent or protect a child from being pressured into playing with an injury,” he says. “This is a guidebook that can help them whether they’re on the sidelines or volunteering as a parent-coach.”

Banning brings a unique perspective to these issues. He researches and teaches amateur sport by day, officiates soccer games on his evening and weekends, and watches his two young daughters play community athletics on weekday evenings.

His advice to parents with concerns about how team sports are being managed is to pay attention to what your child tells you about their experience, and to talk to your local parks and recreation department when issues start to feel out of control.

“Community recreation is there to help children explore healthy activity and encourage teamwork and cooperation,” he says. “Parks and recreation managers want to make sure that children are playing in a safe and supportive environment, so don’t be afraid to talk through concerns with them.”

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Scuba divers never dive alone. A diving buddy is needed to make sure the diver is able to get out of the water quickly and safely, if the unexpected happens. Robbie Bogan, owner of Upstate Scuba in Clemson, says that same general rule also applies to running a successful business.

Robbie’s buddy? The Leisure Skills program managed by Clemson’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management department, which helped him build and grow Upstate Scuba, a local scuba diving business that trains divers in more than nine counties throughout South Carolina and parts of Georgia.

Robbie, who’s been teaching a scuba diving course for the program since 2004, has always had a passion for diving and rescue.

“I started diving as a child, and worked as a firefighter for several years,” he says. “one of the areas I always wanted to explore was rescue diving – applying my scuba experience to underwater rescue and training others to do it too.”

On a trip to Clemson in 2004 and after discussions with people in the community, he realized the area had everything he needed to start a scuba diving business. There were no existing options to learn how to scuba dive in the region, giving him an untapped market.

Most importantly, says Clemson’s Leisure Skills program Director and Senior Lecturer Dan Anderson, a local scuba diving training option didn’t exist for Clemson University students who may need certification to build their careers, such as for some jobs in marine biology.

“When we spoke with Robbie, we saw an opportunity to help our students earn a certification that was otherwise locally unavailable,” he continued. “Scuba diving is a perfect fit for our Leisure Skills program, which helps Clemson students learn new skills, get more involved on campus and broaden their network opportunities.”

Students take leisure skills program for a number of reasons, including introducing themselves to new activities, and potential new hobbies or career options. More than 150 one-credit learning options were offered last spring in subjects such as dance, shotgun sports, yoga, fitness, outdoor recreation, sports and first aid. Class sections are taught by experts in the field, like Robbie.

The Leisure Skills scuba diving course teaches basic open water diving techniques and helps students gain the knowledge they need to meet requirements of an open water diving certification. Students take four classes to learn the basics of open water diving and practice what they’ve learned in three pool sessions.

At the end of the course, students are required to pass a swim test for certification by an internationally recognized and accepted certifying agency. The test requires them to complete three dives one day and two the next. When they pass the swim test, students earn one credit towards their undergraduate degree at Clemson University, while also gaining an international certification that they can use to dive anywhere in the world.

Students can maintain that certification for life, says Robbie.

“All they need to do to maintain their certification is to keep a log of their dives,” he says. “If they complete and record two dives per year, they keep their certification. If they don’t complete their dives, they have the option of taking a half-day update class to get them back up to speed and get re-certified.”

Robbie says that after starting to work with Leisure Skills to train Clemson students, he’s never looked back. His business continues to grow, having certified more than 3,000 students over the past 15 years, and is able to offer rescue diving training to first responders.

He credits his success to Clemson University.

“We’re now making a huge impact in the region by building underwater rescue capacity, but if it weren’t for the university’s leisure skills program, we wouldn’t be doing this,” he says. “The impact of the Leisure Skills program on my small business and so many others has impacted the Clemson community in ways that they may not even realize. We’re very fortunate and appreciative.”

He also says that the program helps people in more fields than you would originally expect.

“We’re seeing scuba diving being used in a number of different professions, such as for engineers doing underwater bridge inspectors, or even astronauts, as being underwater can mimic the experience of being in space,” he says. “Some of our former students have even become rescue divers themselves. Even if they don’t ever need to actually rescue anyone, the peace of mind knowing they’re ready to help is huge.”

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Clemson’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management department employs experts in leisure studies and outdoor recreation. Learn more about its Leisure Skills program.

Any graduate student will tell you that earning a master’s or doctorate is a very different experience than earning their undergraduate degree.

Graduate school often presents new challenges, such as how to successfully navigate juggling school and life, securing funding support, the academic job search, and imposter syndrome. These challenges don’t end after graduate school, as new faculty members find themselves working towards and beyond the tenure track.

With that in mind, several current and former faculty members in Clemson University’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management department guest edited and contributed to a two-part special issue of SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education that focuses on the academic profession in parks, recreation, tourism and leisure.

The special issue was guest edited by Mariela Fernandez, Lauren Duffy, Gwynn Powell, and former faculty member Lincoln Larson. Contributors included Professor Emeriti Brett Wright and Fran McGuire, current department faculty member Iryna Sharaievska, and former faculty member Dart Schmalz.

“As professors, we have a unique perspective, having experienced the academic system through the lens of both graduate students and by working as faculty members at different stages of our careers,” says Fernandez. “The special issue is a valuable resource that can serve as a guide for students at every stage of their graduate studies, up to, including, and after their job search, as well as for our colleagues working in the academy.”

Part 1 of the issue provides advice about successfully navigating the different stages of an academic career, from graduate school to the post-tenure years. Part 2 explores contemporary challenges in higher education that influence academic programs and may impact faculty members throughout their careers, such as changing approaches to governance in academic institutions, the evolving experience economy, and the ongoing struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The goal is to help graduate students and faculty colleagues recognize and address common challenges, ultimately enhancing success at both the professional and personal level.

Although the special issue is written to address challenges in the parks, recreation, tourism and leisure fields, contributing editor Lauren Duffy notes that the general principles could also apply to other fields.

“The challenges we all face in the leisure studies field are often not dissimilar from challenges others may encounter over the course of their academic training and career,” Duffy says. “Although information provided in this special issue is focused through the lens of our work, there are common threads that can be useful to any graduate student or academic professional.”

Contributing editor Gwynn Powell notes that the special issue can also start a dialogue about issues that are important topics of discussion, but are not often publicly discussed.

“For example, one of the articles in the special issue focuses on post-tenure pathways – the fact that extensive mentorship is provided pre-tenure, but disappears in the decades following that achievement,” says Powell. “Highlighting challenges like this can help colleagues working in the field realize they’re not alone, while also helping them address it.”

Clemson University hosted its inaugural Race Symposium last week, bringing scholars from across North America together to discuss opportunities, challenges, and current work associated with Race-related research in leisure studies.

Although progress is being made to increase diversity in higher education, a recent study released by the American Council on Education demonstrates that more needs to be done. The study found that while diversity among faculty, staff and administrators is increasing, nearly three-quarters of full-time faculty identify as white. People of color also represented less than one-fifth of senior executives on campus.

“One of the priorities outlined in the university’s ClemsonFORWARD 10-year strategic plan is to enhance diversity and create an environment of inclusive excellence,” says Wayne Freimund, PRTM Chair. “There is a clear need for diversity in the leisure studies field, where our professional ranks and emerging academic leadership is relatively homogenous. We’re going all-in as a department to change that.”

The symposium was co-sponsored by the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, the College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences, and the university’s Office of Inclusion and Equity. Pathway Post-Doctoral Fellow Aby Sène-Harper and Assistant Professor Harrison Pinckney led the organization of this event to address a growing need in research on Race and leisure. “We know that several of our colleagues in the field are doing important work in this area, however, there aren’t many opportunities for this community to come together, share ideas in a focused discussion, and support one another,” says Sène-Harper. “We wanted to get a sense of what research was already underway, and provide valuable input – and a shared direction – for moving forward.”

The symposium explored how the leisure research field currently examines Race, trends taking place in other disciplines, and how scholars can work together to support the development of a relevant body of work about Race in a leisure context. Sessions included discussions about how the concept of Race developed in the United States, a history of Race in leisure studies, and an overview for responsibly engaging in Race scholarship. Junior faculty and PhD students were also provided with the space to present their research ideas and receive comprehensive feedback from peers and leaders in the field to hone their research focus.

“Working together gives us a unique opportunity to see our research through different perspectives and levels of academic experience,” says Pinckney. “Participants can use the input they received to strengthen or refocus their research goals, while also creating new opportunities for collaboration with our colleagues moving forward.”

Before the symposium ended, teams were encouraged to continue to work together over the coming months to develop a manuscript addressing some aspect of Race scholarship in leisure, such as a systematic leisure review, literature content analysis, concept paper or research study. The department is looking to host an annual gathering of emerging and established Race scholars and plans are already underway for continuing this important work.

“We had some invaluable group discussions and generated positive momentum, and we want to keep that going,” continues Pinckney. “Continuing to come together can help us track our progress. For example, will we see increased diversity in faculty throughout the country? Are the number of published research results increasing? Are there other impacts? Hosting this event on a regular basis can help us identify trends – either positive or negative – and create lasting opportunity.”

Feedback received from symposium events will also help guide PRTM department efforts to meet the ClemsonFORWARD goal of making the university an outstanding place to live, learn and work, while also increasing diversity and a climate of inclusive excellence.