Mission, Vision, Values & Student Learning Outcomes

Mission Statement

Engagement, Participation and Leadership

To engage students in learning through quality instruction and collaborative communication

To foster student success in academic and professional leadership
To provide opportunities for faculty to be industry leaders through scholarly activity and service
To advance a dynamic curriculum that meets the needs and trends of the profession
To be recognized as a program of study that is recognized for producing outstanding recreational professionals
To develop partnerships among faculty, alumni, and the community that provide the foundation for advancing the knowledge of the profession

To provide quality instruction that meets the demands of a dynamic changing profession

To provide courses that meet the needs of a diverse student population
To continue to deliver a cutting edge curriculum that leads to successful student outcomes
To foster growth and a sense of community in student leadership within the department, college and university and community
To develop teamwork, collaboration and a spirit of collegiality among faculty and students
To commit to excellence in serving the community through the development of partnerships with alums and other community based programs and services
To provide and support opportunities for faculty to engage in scholarly activity that will foster growth and development in academic leadership in the profession

Completion of a professional portfolio which consists of a resume, cover letter, personal awards/honors and a culmination of all major assignments and academic work that is relevant to the recreation industry. The portfolio is graded based on completeness as well as usefulness in obtaining a job based on the materials provided.

Students are required to write a capstone paper defining their personal philosophy of recreation, leisure and play. Faculty review and rank order the top papers for a departmental award. Faculty base their decisions on the student’s ability to write and effectively communicate their personal philosophy and future focus in the recreation industry.
Therapeutic Recreation (TR) students are required to complete and verbally present a project/paper that defines the profession of Therapeutic Recreation and practice perspectives based on a policy and procedure manual.
Students are expected, during their internship, to provide feedback to a faculty supervisor in the form of bi-weekly reports, a mid-term and final evaluation and other special reports.

All students who declare Therapeutic Recreation as a certificate, either in conjunction with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or a stand alone certificate, will be eligible to sit for both the state and/national certification exams at the completion of their academic programs. An annual review of all TR students (in REC 451 the capstone TR course) is conducted to determine who are eligible to graduate via the certificate program checklist and verification form. Industry standards and requirements are continually monitored to assure the curriculum is up to date and meets the standard qualifications for students to be eligible to sit for both exams.

At the end of their internships, all students are evaluated by their site supervisors assessing their competencies of knowledge based on the Recreation and Leisure Studies curriculum. Site supervisors fill out an evaluation and send it in to the internship supervisor with the student’s final performance evaluation. Overall scores of competency are reviewed annually by the Department Chair and reported in the annual Accreditation report for the Department. Areas of concern are identified and faculty, at the annual fall retreat, discuss and determine changes and modifications to the curriculum to enhance student competencies.