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By Andy Szolosi, Chair R&P Committee
In the last few years, the Research and Publications (R&P) Committee has gained momentum toward its aim of bringing research and practice together. The Literary Award continues to attract young student scholars whose research endeavors focus on applied and pragmatic issues. The Research Symposium has seen increasing growth each year in the quantity and quality of submissions. Many of these submissions have embodied collaborative efforts between both researchers and practitioners. Such efforts are essential to having a positive and lasting impact on the industry. With the gracious support of the AORE, the 2015 Research Grant represented the largest funding opportunity in the history of the grant’s existence. By design, this opportunity serves to not only contribute to the body of knowledge within our field, but also intends to offer AORE members additional evidence from which they can advocate for the kinds of experiences they so carefully engineer. With the R&P engine rolling, its full steam ahead!
A new year brings new opportunities. Although what lies ahead is not a complete certainty, the R&P Committee has worked hard to outline a path that is consistent with many of the core values of the association: education, advocacy, and innovation. The conference proceedings have long served as a record of the significant contributions made by conference presenters from both the general education sessions and the research symposium. With approval from the AORE, the R&P Committee aims to increase the visibility and accessibility of this very meaningful document. The dissemination of information shared at the annual conference offers an opportunity to extend the educational impact of the conference, as well as further brand the AORE as a leader within the industry.
This spring will mark the deadline (May 1st) to submit papers to a forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership (JOREL). The focus of that issue will revolve around the value that campus outdoor recreation programs provide students and their sponsoring higher education institutions. The R&P Committee played an instrumental role in helping to bring this topic to the forefront of one of our field’s most prominent academic journals. The following special issue will provide an opportunity, both practical and research directed, to help cement a stronger foundation on which campus outdoor recreation programs can advocate for the value they offer in serving students, communities, and the environment.
As a committee, the R&P has continuously endeavored to identify ways in which it can advance the field of outdoor recreation and education, and enhance its role within the AORE. One of the prospective areas of innovation that the R&P Committee is exploring includes the possible creation of a research collaborative. The purpose of this collaborative would be to bridge current research in the areas of outdoor recreation and education with emerging and relevant issues within our industry. By sharing best available data, expertise, and information, the proposed research collaborative would help to weave a coherent narrative of research outputs that could facilitate the sharing of information and the identification of research priorities and gaps. Such efforts have the potential to serve the broader membership of the AORE.
The current direction of the R&P committee is certainly one filled with excitement and optimism. For that, we are genuinely appreciative and indebted to the service and leadership provided by the previous committee chair, Dr. Genevieve (Gen) Marchand. As the chair of the R&P Committee, Gen provided exceptional leadership in a variety of areas central to the committee’s mission and vision. She played an integral role in fostering the scholarly exchange and discussion of topics central to outdoor recreation and education. She worked with the AORE to help clarify and refine a defined research agenda. She actively engaged our committee members and kept such members abreast on matters of significance. Dr. Marchand has without a doubt been instrumental in establishing a foundation that will allow the R&P committee to continue to build momentum and do great things!
Do Great Things! Consider submitting an abstract to this year’s AORE Research Symposium (http://www.aore.org/call-for-presenters). Deadline for abstract submissions is April 1st, 2016.
Full Steam Ahead! R&P Looks to Build on Momentum