Plans have been put in place for the outdoor recreation and physical education majors to be phased out and replaced with a sports recreation and wellness management major. The new major is a hybrid of the old majors, but adds new requirements, including some business courses.
According to Linda Mills Woolsey, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, outdoor recreation and physical education are two of the oldest majors offered at Houghton. After periodically evaluating all the majors, these two were put under consideration to be critically examined, due in part to their curriculum being outdated.
Both outdoor recreation and physical education are the only majors at Houghton that have not had developement since the major was initiated, according to Woolsey. Many students who declare this major seek to be employed in careers such as camp directors or physical education teachers. However, according to the data gathered by Woolsey and her team, the career outlook for those with degrees in outdoor recreation and physical education is slim. The job market for those interested in this industry is aligned more with sports and wellness management, an industry that includes jobs such as fitness instructor, professional team manager, nutritionist or dietician, and physical therapist. Creating the sports recreation and wellness management major will enable students to have more options when deciding on a career.
The new major’s collaboration with the business department will give students the opportunity to enter into a wider variety of management positions, including the traditional camp director or national park specialist. “The business department at Houghton does a very good job in setting up our students to be socially and ethically responsible,” said Woolsey. The incorporated business courses will capitalize on a student’s complete set of skills.
The decision to phase out the outdoor recreation and physical education majors was first brought to the Academic Council, which, for this particular change, included Professors Sandy Johnson, Andrea Boon, Ken Bates, and two students. After the council approved the change, it was sent to the faculty to be discussed at the first of two monthly meetings. If the faculty approve the new major, it will then be brought to the New York State Education Department to be approved. Woolsey plans to have the major available for the incoming fall class of 2019.
The old majors will be completely phased out by 2018. Woolsey encouraged those who have already declared an outdoor recreation or physical education major, “We are committed to students in the major currently and want to hire the most qualified people to help and be attentive to those students’ needs.”
Due to Professor Thomas Kettlekamp’s retirement at the end of this semester, Laura Alexeichik, who has previously taught at Houghton, will be stepping in as an adjunct professor for the department. Alexeichik has a Ph.D. in recreation with interests in intercultural studies and a dissertation on an “experiential learning environment.”
According to Woolsey, students who typically go into this field, whether with the old majors or the new hybrid, are people who want to serve. These students are not just interested in finding a job, but more so in helping and serving those in their community through things such as physical therapy or summer camp management.
Woolsey stated, “We are, at the same time, phasing out old programs and building in new ones. This is the way any thriving college should operate, practicing frequently examining all programs to meet the career needs of its students.”