Professional Preparation and Manpower Demands

By
DR. TONY A. MOBLEY, Chairman
Department of Recreation and Park Administration Western Illinois University

Leisure is having tremendous impact upon the lives of Americans at the present time and will have even greater influence in the future as America moves into the post-industrial leisure age. The demands for professionally educated personnel in parks and recreation are overwhelming. This article will outline the projections of manpower supply and manpower demands through 1980. The program in Recreation and Park Administration at Western Illinois University will also be discussed.

The National Recreation and Park Association has repeatedly pointed to the rapid growth of the concept of recreation and park leadership and its development into a maturing profession. The types of positions cover a wide range of interest, skill, and responsibility. They are generally classified into the following five categories: Executives, Supervisors, Directors, Leaders, and Specialists.

Positions are being developed frequently in municipal, county, state, and federal agencies. Specialized areas are expanding and maturing to varying degrees including the recreation and park programs in community, industrial, commercial, park, church, educational, therapeutic, camp, institutional, and voluntary agencies.

The National Recreation and Park Association recently completed a study which attempts to define the current status of manpower supply in parks and recreation and to project anticipated manpower demands through 1980.

An analysis of the anticipated supply and demand ratios of full-time equivalent professional and associate professional personnel in the parks and recreation field indicates that an ever-increasing deficit may be expected in the years ahead.

Based on college and university estimates of anticipated increases in the number of graduates, the supply of new entrants into the field of parks and recreation is expected to increase to approximately 40,000 by 1980. Demand projections for this same period indicate, however, a widening of the supply/demand gap. To maintain the staus quo, projections being based on the same ratio of population growth to park and recreation personnel, there will be a need of 280,000 new personnel. To keep pace with projected annual government spending, the figure could go as high as 770,000. A more realistic estimate between these two appears to be 565,000 persons by 1980. Taking the more realistic figure, by 1980 there will be a shortage of approximately 345,000 professionals. Viewed another way, this means there will be an average of over eight positions open to each of the expected 40,000 graduates of park and recreation curricula by 1980.

More than 150 colleges and universities throughout the nation are preparing professionals to meet this demand for personnel. In 1967, Western Illinois University established a curriculum designed to give students a broad cultural background as well as specific knowledge and skills in Recreation and Park Administration. Flexibility

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within the curriculum provides opportunity to better meet the needs of students through consideration of their background and future professional goals. Included in the program are specific professional courses such as the following: Introduction to Recreation and Parks; Leadership in Recreation and Parks; Operation of Specialized Park and Recreation Facilities; History and Philosophy of Recreation and Parks; Recreation and Park Program; Professional Orientation; Administration of Parks and Recreation; Planning of Park and Recreation Areas and Facilities; Camp Counseling; Outdoor Recreation; Outdoor Education, Management of Park Resources; Therapeutic Recreation and Special Populations; Professional Laboratory Experience. Each student also follows the general education basic curriculum in the humanities, communications, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, health, and physical education.

At the present time, there are more than 125 majors in the program at Western Illinois University with a projection of 150 for 1970-71. There are seven faculty members in the Department of Recreation and Park Administration who are qualified by education and experience to teach in particular areas in Recreation and Park Administration.

In addition to classroom and office space in Western Hall, there are two unique facilities available for use. The University's Kibbe Life Science Station, which is composed of 160 acres, is located 40 miles west of the main campus on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Frank Horn Continuing Education Center and Field Campus is located three miles from campus, and it is composed of 90 acres which is used in part for outdoor education and recreation.

The student Park and Recreation Society offers additional opportuntities for students to receive leadership experiences in co-curricular, educational, professional, and social programs.

Great emphasis is placed on innovative instructional techniques and learning experiences. Utilization of instructional media such as information retrieval, telelecture, and other new audio-visual devices contribute to this effort. Noted authorities are invited to campus for lectures and special programs, and students travel to various recreation and park agencies for observation and other direct experiences.

Planning is now in progress for a graduate program which will add further depth and strength to the curriculum and provide further opportunities for much-needed graduate education. The present undergraduate curriculum is constantly being evaluated with a view toward attaining the highest quality possible.

The American people are demanding creative leisure opportunities as never before. Any field must have professional leadership in order to realize its fullest potential. This is particularly true in recreation and parks because of the breadth and diversity of this field. Many communities become frustrated in their attempts to obtain professional leadership because often none is available. It is, therefore, necessary that national organizations and state organizations such as the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Society, as well as each individual professional and layman interested in this area, enter into an extensive program of recruitment of talented individuals who are willing to prepare themselves to provide dynamic professional leadership in this challenging field.

Illinois Parks 64 March/ April 1970