Current Priorities in Campus Recreation: A Multi-Institutional Study of Strategic Plans

Abstract

Strategic planning is a proactive process of analyzing an organization to identify the organization’s values, mission, vision, goals, and objectives. Within campus recreation, research has focused on the processes of strategic planning, without examining the distinct organizational strategies of individual departments. The purpose of the study was to examine the content and structure of strategic plans within campus recreation and identify major priorities across institutions as a means to inform campus recreation practice. To achieve this aim, document analyses were conducted on campus recreation strategic plans of five large universities (public and private) across the United States for content and structure. The data were categorized by prominent strategic planning components outlined in Haines’s campus recreation assessment model, from which codes and themes emerged. A standard of excellence, service, and outcomes were identified as major priorities across institutions and strategic planning components. The results demonstrated an ineffective structure of goals and objectives, highlighting areas for improvement. Through empirical investigation, industry standards can be established to enhance quality programming in campus recreation.

Conceptual Frameworks for Evaluating Diversity and Inclusion in Collegiate Recreation

“…The management of recreation facilities and programs has an impact on numerous stakeholders including the participants and employees. While diversity and inclusion is a goal often forwarded by collegiate recreation organizations and associations (Kaltenbaugh et al, 2017;Lower-Hoppe et al, 2019;Patchett & Foster, 2015), there is still critical work needed given ongoing research findings of inequitable experiences for recreation participants (Carter-Francique, 2011;Griffith et al, 2011;Schwartz & Corkery, 2011;Smith et al, 2007) and a lack of competency among recreation staff (Anderson et al, 2018;Kaltenbaugh et al, 2017).…”

“…The importance of diversity and inclusion has been espoused in numerous ways and at numerous levels throughout the field. At the collegiate recreation department level, the valuing of diversity and inclusion has been articulated via organizational guiding principles such as missions, visions, values, and strategic plans as well as through staff trainings (Kaltenbaugh et al, 2017;Lower-Hoppe et al, 2019;Patchett & Foster, 2015).…”

If You Build it Will They Come? The Mediating Roles of Human Resource and Program Capacities

“…Campus recreation, however, is more similar to community sport organizations than varsity athletics, as campus recreation prioritizes participation over competition. They are however also different in that campus recreation departments have their own or shared facilities, employ full-time staff, and dedicate resources to strategic planning (Haines, 2010; Lower-Hoppe et al, 2019). More generally, these findings underscore the importance of facilities, human resources and programs for sport organizations that prioritize participation.…”

“…Participation has also been found to improve when there are organized and structured programs for people to engage in (e.g., registered programs) (Borgers et al, 2016). Previous research has found that campus recreation departments prioritize having a diverse range of available programming (Lower-Hoppe et al, 2019) that can include intramurals, sport clubs, drop-in sports, outdoor recreation, group fitness, aquatics, instructional programming, special events and community activities (Stier et al, 2005). Stier et al (2005) highlighted that both facilities and participation opportunities (i.e.…”

Sexual Violence Prevention Among Intercollegiate Athletes, Recreational Athletes, and Non-Athletes: Environmental Considerations for Program Interventions

“…However, recreational sport athletes demonstrate greater confidence to intervene when observing SV, which may reflect the priorities of their campus unit. Collegiate recreation departments are housed within the division of student affairs, where student development and diversity and inclusion are of primary concern (Lower-Hoppe et al, 2019). Within this environment, students may experience greater confidence to intervene on behalf of a peer.…”