In addition to receiving a service award at the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s annual event, the assistant professor of sport and event management hosted a preconference workshop and presented an educational session.
Assistant Professor Cara McFadden and her frequent collaborator, Don Stenta, were presented the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s Annual Service Award at the organization’s February conference.
McFadden, assistant professor of sport and event management, and Stenta, a lecturer and director of student life recreational sports at the Ohio State University, were recognized for their vision and exemplary leadership as co-editors of the “Student Leadership Development through Recreation and Athletics” sourcebook. The publication explores leadership concepts and pedagogical topics of interest to college leadership educators.
At the NIRSA’s 2017 annual conference, held in National Harbor, Maryland, McFadden facilitated the second annual “Women Leading Women: Pathways through the Leadership Labyrinth” session with Mila Padgett, director of campus recreation and wellness at University of South Carolina-Aiken. The preconference workshop hosted 48 women to discuss self-efficacy, stereotypes and perceptions, and human capital, examining how they influence decisions women make personally and professionally. In addition, the workshop highlighted the importance of mentorship throughout an individual’s career.
McFadden also co-presented an educational session with Craig Schmitt, director of engaged learning and outreach at the University of Florida. The presentation, titled “Ensuring a Sport Management Degree Is Worth It: A Career in Campus Recreation,” shared initial findings from the duo’s qualitative study that interviewed 10 collegiate recreation professionals about professional qualities they seek in entry-level candidates. Schmitt formerly served as an assistant professor in Elon’s Department of Sport and Event Management.
Elon alumna Abigail Dalton ’16 also attended the Maryland conference and presented her research, titled “Case Study Analysis of an Adventure Based Leadership Experience.” The sport and event management major utilized a Pecha Kucha presentation format, where presenters display 20 images for 20 seconds each. The images advance automatically keeping presentations concise and fast-paced.
While at Elon, Dalton conducted undergraduate research with McFadden and they presented their findings at the 2015 North Carolina Recreational Sports Association State Workshop and the 2015 Region II NIRSA Conference.