The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies

Growth and change continues within RCLS. The Department has moved to the Belk Annex this last summer with faculty, staff and students adjusting to the three building we now occupy in the Annex area. The Belk building is now being remodeled and both RCLS and Health Education and Promotion plan to move into the fully renovated building in early to mid 2008.

New staff and faculty have joined the Department this fall. Janet Funderburk is a new faculty member in Recreational Therapy and Wendy Hughes joins us and teaches in the core professional program. Sarah Burnett-Wolle joins us as an Instructor for the year teaching core classes and Recreational Therapy courses. Through the next academic year we will be searching for a RT faculty member to join us in the Fall of 2007. To assist with the expanding mission and scope of the Department, we are pleased to have Ms. Eileen McInerney join the Department and provide office management, along with budget and personnel administration. Also, she will assist in managing RT internship contracts for the RT program. Departmental student numbers continue to grow as well with over 200 students in the two majors and 30 graduate students enrolled this fall.

In cooperation with the RCLS Alumni Society and the ECU Alumni Association, the Department has begun to publish the RCLS alumni newsletter again. If you are a RCLS alum and your mailing address is current, you should receive the newsletter in October or November. We are pleased to restart RCLS newsletter and continue a fine tradition of communication between the Department and Alumni (see RCLS Website). For your information, the next meeting of the Alumni Association and Board is 10:30 am, February 12, 2007 at River Park North, 1000 Mumford Rd. in Greenville.

RCLS faculty members and students have received awards this fall and include these recognitions:

April Whichard Evans, a second year graduate student was selected as a Future Scholar by SPRE and will be honored at the National Recreation and Park Association annual conference in Seattle.

At the 2006 Annual Conference of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) held in September 2006, two professors from East Carolina University’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies received prestigious awards.

Dr. Janet A. Funderburk was awarded a Certificate of Recognition in appreciation of meritorious service to the profession related to her efforts in coordinating the Higher Education Institute for Recreational Therapy educators.

Additionally, Dr. Susan McGhee was awarded a 2006 Presidential Award in appreciation for her support of the profession of Recreational Therapy. Here in the state, Dr. McGhee received the North Carolina Recreational Therapy Association Presidential Award in appreciation of her contributions to the Association in 2005-2006.

Drs David Loy and Richard Williams were the co-editors of the Abstracts from the 2006 American Therapeutic Recreation Association Research Institute. This publication was distributed at the 2006 ATRA annual conference.

We congratulate each of these individuals.

If you are in town, stop by our new facilities or drop us a note at our new address: RCLS, Belk Annex 1, ECU, Greenville, NC 27858. Phone: 252 328 4640.

Joseph Fridgen
RCLS Department Chair