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A Brief History of Recreation and Park Administration
Program
 The
Recreation program was established at Arkansas Tech
University in 1965 as part of the Department of Health, Physical
Education and Recreation (HPER). The first Bachelor of Science
degrees in Recreation were conferred in 1966.
The Recreation
Program was moved out of the HPER Department in 1968 and designated
as the Department of Recreation and Park Administration.
The
Recreation and Park Administration Program was first accredited
by
the Council on Accreditation
National
Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and American Association
for Physical Activity and Recreation in 1997. The program was reaccredited in 2002 and 2007.
The Recreation and Park Administration
Program offers five areas of emphasis for students:
Park Administration, Recreation Administration, Interpretive
Naturalist, Therapeutic Recreation, and Turf Management.
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The Natural Resource emphasis prepares
students to manage large resource areas and visitor
facilities. Planning and management
aspect of land and water resources are a major
point, with private and public recreation and park systems
as targeted
employment areas.
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The Recreation Administration emphasis prepares students to work in community and agency
settings and commercial recreation
businesses. Programming and people management are the
major focal points in
this area.
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The Interpretation emphasis
prepares students for a career with various interpretive and
outdoor
education programs in private, state, and federal agencies.
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The Therapeutic Recreation emphasis prepares students for a career as a Certified Therapeutic
Recreation Specialists (CTRS)
working with special populations in clinical and
community recreation environments.
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The Turf Management emphasis
prepared students for a career in management of public
and private golf courses,
stadiums and sports
fields. Students will learn basic
techniques used in turf management as well as machinery
involved and planning
of landscape areas and
golf courses.
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