A contingent from the Department of Sport and Event Management shared research on a variety of topics, including outdoor educational initiatives, first-year experience, facility management, and student leadership in collegiate recreation.
Cara McFadden, an assistant professor in Elon University’s Department of Sport and Event Management, and five students enrolled in sport and event management courses at Elon led presentations on Oct. 9 at the 2015 North Carolina Recreational Sports Association (NoCRSA) State Workshop. The workshop, hosted by Elon University and Elon Campus Recreation, featured educational sessions for students and professionals in the collegiate recreation industry.
McFadden teamed with Abigail Dalton ’16, a sport and event management major, to co-present a lecture titled “Case Study Analysis of a First-Year Summer Experience.” The presentation examined the expansion of first-year programming and the implementation of initiatives exploring the realm of outdoor education. Additionally, the session highlighted Dalton’s initial research of an adventure-based leadership program at a small private university.
A group of four students enrolled in McFadden’s “Facility and Venue Management” course presented a session titled “Lessons Learned in Facility & Venue Management.” Kelsey Badmaev ’17, Harrison Raby ’17, Zachary Reuveni ’18 and Cameron Wood ’18 highlighted the lessons they have learned during class experiences related to facility management, discussing topics involving safety, risk, sustainability and universal design.
Lastly, McFadden co-presented a lecture, titled “NIRSA Leadership Commission Origins and the Release of NDSL,” with Mila Padgett, director of campus recreation and wellness at University of South Carolina-Aiken. The presentation provided an overview of commission work and the new publication of a NDSL volume focused on student leadership in collegiate recreation and athletics.
For a full listing of presentations, visit the workshop’s online program. Additionally, the workshop included a vendor expo fair, pre-conference activities, and a keynote speech from Jeff P. Stein, associate vice president and assistant professor of English at Elon University.