The workshop brought professionals to campus for student networking opportunities.
Steve Baker, a sales representative for Snider Recreation, speaks at the fall workshop.
Cal U students majoring in parks and recreation management learned from the pros during the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society’s District 1 Fall Workshop.
Various professionals from parks, recreation and leisure programming organizations in western Pennsylvania engaged in interactive sessions that covered outdoor fitness courses, inclusive playgrounds and playground surfacing.
“Hosting this workshop allows students the opportunity to network with professionals from the parks and recreation field and learn first-hand the trends and issues surrounding the parks and recreation profession,” said Dr. Candice Riley, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences.
One of the students taking advantage of the conference was Logan Tew, a junior and president of Cal U’s Parks and Recreation Society, which hosted the conference.
“These events help us improve our networking skills and earn internship opportunities that can potentially lead to jobs,” he said. “PRPS District 1 is very local, so this conference really opens up a lot of doors for us.”
Dr. Tom Wickham, professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, said the conference also provides a venue for students to showcase some of the off-campus projects or events they’ve helped to organize.
This semester students from his master planning course are designing and creating a comprehensive plan for the West Brownsville American Legion’s outdoor recreation facility.
Riley’s students worked with Washington County Parks and Recreation to design a disc golf course at Mingo Creek County Park.
Tew and other Cal U students also helped the Peters Township Parks and Recreation and Public Library manage and lead tours during their annual “Haunted Trail XX: Walk into the Darkness” kickoff to the Halloween season.
“We bring students to these meetings so they can meet the professionals and also to find out about more projects we can have our classes become involved with,” Wickham said.
“Everyone graduates with the same parks and rec degree, but it’s what have you done that matters. Our students are volunteering with community projects, working with young kids and doing the extra work, which sets them apart.”