USF Recreation Department celebrates 20 years of accreditation
The Recreation Administration department at the University of St. Francis recently celebrated 20 years of accreditation.
Accredited by the National Recreation and Parks Association and the American Association for Leisure and Recreation, the department completed their 20-year review, which included an examination of resources on campus, faculty members, classrooms, course outlines, computers and all aspects of the recreation program.
"We are very proud of the program," said Dr. Ann Zito, chair of the recreation department, who will retire in May after 22 years of service. "Accreditation is so important because it helps us to better serve the students. We take suggestions to heart and it has allowed us to improve the curriculum."
Zito describes Illinois as one of the leading states in parks and recreation. "Because of this, our students will have many opportunities in the future," she said.
According the Lyle Hicks, the new department chair of the recreation department effective May 2005, the renewed accreditation is an indication of the continuing quality of the program since its inception in 1976. "USF is one of the very few small universities with a successful recreation administration department that has also been accredited for 20 years," said Hicks.
In fact, according to Hicks, the department will begin an extensive expansion over the next 18 months. The department will include areas of study in therapeutic recreation, public recreation administration, sport fitness management and commercial recreation, resort and hospitality management and coaching and athletic administration.
In addition, the university is looking to offer a master’s program in recreation and sports management. "There is no question about Will County’s job growth in the hospitality industry. With the USF campus master plan, the expansion of the motherhouse will bring conferencing and event space to USF, which is the perfect opportunity for commercial recreation students to gain first-hand experience," said Hicks. "Also, the expansion of the recreation center will give students the opportunity to be involved in sports management internships on campus."
The University of St. Francis is at 500 Wilcox St. in Joliet. USF serves more than 4,300 students nationwide with more than 60 areas of undergraduate study in arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. Eleven graduate programs in health care, business and education are offered.
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