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CTR Highlights
National Accreditation
The Department recently underwent their 35-year accreditation review by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT), sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).A comprehensive self-study was implemented and a recent site visit by three outside accreditation team members yielded an extremely positive report. Dr. Schleien sat before the Council at the NRPA Conference this past year and received a glowing report. Commendations included: The department’s mission, strategic plan, and curriculum are relevant to the mission of the university and school; Faculty are very attentive to the curriculum and committed to serving students at a high level to meet the educational and professional needs of their students; Recreation and park professionals are well-connected to the program in both formal and informal manners; Students are highly satisfied with the professional and career advising performed by faculty.
New Faculty Hires
The Department welcomedthree new faculty members, Drs. Justin T. Harmon, Benjamin D. Hickerson, and Kimberly Miller.
Dr. Justin Harmon received a Ph.D. in Recreation, Park, & Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M University. Dr. Harmon has two primary threads of research: the use of alternative therapies for people with cancer and survivors as complements to medicalized treatment, and the role of music in life course development. Harmon started a hiking program for people with cancer, survivors, and their support networks in Greensboro, NC, and he leads hikes twice a week, every week. Not only is this an opportunity to give back to the community he calls home, but it is a rich context for learning about the therapeutic properties of nature in the recovery process. Additionally, Harmon also has a drumming clinic for this population as well. He works extensively in promoting music and the arts as creative outlets to find release and catharsis in recovery from cancer. Not only does this project blend both of his major research lines, but it continues the work he started in his doctoral research on music as a coping mechanism and resource for identity maintenance in aging populations. Harmon works closely with the Cone Cancer Center and the Hirsch Wellness Network, a local, community arts-based non-profit for people fighting cancer and learning to live their “new normal.”
Dr. Benjamin Hickerson received a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from North Carolina State University.He has experience in municipal recreation through previous employment with the Alton, Illinois Parks and Recreation Department.His research program is on the design of leisure and recreation experiences that can be modified to encourage physical activity participation and the development of social capital.Dr. Hickerson currently serves as a board member for the Academy of Leisure Sciences, National Recreation and Park Association Education Network, and Leisure Sciences. He has received teaching excellence awards at Illinois State University, North Carolina State University, and Penn State University, where he had worked since 2008.
Ms. Kimberly D. Miller received a M.S. in Recreation and Park Management, with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research interests include inclusive recreation, summer camp, volunteering, and postsecondary education, as well as the use of Photovoice to empower marginalized individuals. Ms. Miller enjoys empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families to advocate for more inclusive and welcoming communities. She also works with agencies and organizations to create systemic change in support of inclusive service delivery. Ms. Miller is currently working with the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) to evaluate a 3-year inclusive summer camp initiative. Through this initiative, six FJC summer camps across the U.S. are implementing new inclusive policies and practices designed to make their camps more welcoming of all campers. In her teaching, she believes in the power of service-learning and experiential learning in shaping students into solid, civically-minded, professionals.
Community-Engaged Scholarship in CTR
Dr. Benjamin Hickerson is a co-principal investigator on a research team that is studying the impacts of park renovations on neighboring communities in Philadelphia, PA. The project, conducted with colleagues from Penn State University, is funded by the William Penn Foundation. The research process has begun with pre-, post-, and follow-up data collection on park visitor characteristics, perceptions, experiences, and health behaviors in Fairmount Park. The funding comes from a larger planning project in the city of Philadelphia known as “Reimagining the Civic Commons,” which aims to foster civic engagement, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability in the city.
Two CTR graduate assistantswere funded through a contract established between the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department (GPRD) and CTR to work in the GPRD’sAdaptive and Inclusive Recreation. Under the direction of Dr. Leandra Bedini, graduate assistants made a major contribution to GPRD through the design of an electronic data collection process to facilitate the collection of data on ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance of the facilities and spaces, as well as programs and services provided by GPRD. This is the first ADA accessibility survey for GRPD since 2006. Based on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design and the New England ADA National Network checklist, this newly designed electronic system will allow for more manageable and efficient data analysis, as well as provide comparable data analysis in future assessments. Using this electronic assessment program, and with the assistance of a local high school student who uses a wheelchair, “real” accessibility of these areas was determined. To date, ADA assessments have been completedin 13 facilities, 6 parks, and 3 lakes. A technical report summarizing these findingsand providing recommendations for renovation was presented to GPRD administrative staff.
Dr. Judy Kinney is working with Recreation Therapists at Wake Forest Baptist Health to develop a studythat investigates the impact of a community-based neuroplasticity exercise program for individuals withParkinson’s disease. Also, she is acting Vice Chair and Treasurer of the North Carolina Board of RecreationTherapy Licensure Board which is a governor appointed position representing the higher educationfaculty in the state. In the last year there have been challenges to occupational licensure boards by theNC legislature which placed Recreation Therapy and other licensing boards in jeopardy of elimination. She coordinated a study to determine the scope and breadth of RT practice in the state. In less than fiveweeks, data were collected, analyzed, and a report of the findings were reported to the board. Thisallowed the board to develop two impact documents that were disseminated to the legislature. This included the number of weekly contacts recreational therapists had with the vulnerable citizens ofNorth Carolina, and identified their job duties and responsibilities. While no decisions have yet to be madeabout the future of licensing boards in NC, this effort has helped to educate the legislature about RecreationTherapy practice and educational programs.
The Peer Companion Program (PCP) was designed by Dr. Stuart Schleien as part of an undergraduate university course in recreation (CTR 314) to initiate peer relationships between students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. For the past 15 years, the PCP has required approximately 50-75 students per semester to spend 12-15 hours of field experience with a carefully matched participant with a disability over a 12-week period. With support from student facilitators, myriad outcomes have been observed and reported, including clarification of students’ career paths, increased understanding of course concepts, and more effective advocacy for inclusive service delivery in the community. Participants with disabilities have reported a broad range of benefits as well.