Academic accreditation through creative fund raising.

Accrediting academic curricula in Recreation Management has been a priority of the National Recreation and Park Association and the American Alliance for Leisure and Recreation (NRPA/AALR) for over 20 years. To date, recreation programs at over 100 colleges and universities have been accredited, a testimony to each university and to the discipline as a whole. However, according to the Society of Park and Recreation Educators (SPRE), of the 260 recreation curricula in the country, fewer than half are accredited. Unfortunately, in some cases, the non-accredited programs meet or exceed the established NRPA/AALR guidelines, but do not pursue accreditation due to the larger financial constraints faced by their academic institutions.

Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina was one of those programs. Created in 1974, the Leisure Studies program was part of a traditional Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Department within the College of Fine and Applied Arts. By the late 1980s, the Department had matured and changed its name to Health, Leisure and Exercise Science. The Leisure Studies Program had become a major force in the Department and was poised to pursue accreditation. Unfortunately, since it was confronted with numerous and often expensive academic program accreditation requests, the University implemented a competitive policy designed to limit the number of programs that would receive funding.

Under the new procedures, accreditation application criteria included itemized costs and benefits to students in the academic major, department, college and greater university. Professional benefits could be enumerated, but specific cost/ benefit ratios of accreditation were more difficult to develop and justify. Because of the University's evaluation criterion, the Leisure Studies Program was routinely denied accreditation funding.

Critical in the rejections was the fact that students graduating from the Leisure Studies Program were highly employable, even though the program was unaccredited. Because of the competition for limited funds, programs where accreditation was a prerequisite to licensing, such as nursing and accounting, were bound to take precedence.

The faculty and students of the Leisure Studies Program at Appalachian State University were in disagreement with the University administration over the purpose and significance of accreditation. Administrators saw accreditation as a necessity for some academic programs and a frivolous expense for others. However, accreditation represents much more than a requirement for state licensing or a qualification in a position notice.

North Carolina is among the leading states in recreation education with 24 colleges and universities offering baccalaureate degree programs in various areas of Recreation Management. Among these, five universities--North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, and East Carolina University--have their programs accredited by NRPA/AALR, North Carolina State led the way in 1977, when it became the first accredited program in the nation. All of these programs took pride in meeting or exceeding national standards as part of their pursuit of academic excellence. More importantly, they benefited from the external peer review and self-improvement that are integral parts of the review process.

As students and faculty, we felt that the time had come for the Leisure Studies Program at Appalachian State University to join its sister programs across the state and be recognized as an NRPA/AALR accredited curriculum. Once we received the most recent denial, we decided to pursue an alternative course of action--we would raise our own funds.

After receiving departmental and college approval, the Office of University Advancement met with a representative from the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The result was the creation of a freestanding development account entitled the Leisure Studies Fund for Excellence. Fundraising approaches were discussed and it was determined that any in-house or alumni campaign efforts that did not conflict with existing University development campaigns would be permissible. Leisure Studies Program students and faculty began an energetic fundraising campaign in the spring of 1994. Led by an active undergraduate majors club, the

Leisure Studies Association, students embarked on a variety of successful fundraisers (see table 1). They produced and marketed t-shirts at a $300 profit. Beverage coolers, paid for by local business sponsors, yielded an overhead-free profit. Raffles, a car wash, and two yard sales produced additional revenues. One student conducted a First-Aid and CPR recertification class and donated the profits to the fund.

TABLE 1. ACCREDITATION FUNDRAISING SOURCES

Activity                      Funds Generated
T-shirt Sales                        $ 300
Beverage Cooler Sales                $ 150
Car Wash                             $ 150
Yard Sale/raffle                     $ 600
CPR Certification                    $ 100
Athletic Shoe Sales                  $  50
Faculty Beard Shaving Contest        $ 500
Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society Match   $1000
Recreation Management Alumni         $2000
Corporate Matching Funds
       250 Faculty Contributions                $ 600
LSA President's Campaign             $ 600
TOTAL                                $6300

In the spirit of the effort, two faculty members agreed to engage in a beard shaving contest. The faculty member who raised the least amount of money during the spring semester agreed to shave off his beard before final exams. One faculty member did indeed shave his renewable resource while generating $500 for the Fund.

By the end of the spring semester, the Leisure Studies Association was poised to donate $1,000 to the Fund for Excellence. Fundraisers also contacted a campus chapter of Gamma Beta Phi, a national honor society, and explained the accreditation fundraising campaign. Their board of directors agreed to match $1000 if LSA reached their goal. Eleventh-hour efforts helped them reach the goal and, thus, obtain the $1,000 matching gift. Through its gift, the honor society affirmed the value of accreditation for academic programs.

During the summer of 1994, faculty members embarked on a combined alumni survey and fundraising campaign. Supported by the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science, over 700 alumni surveys and donation requests were mailed. Of the 20% who returned surveys, 10% believed accreditation was important enough to merit financial contributions. Fueled by the knowledge that current students were working hard to raise funds, alumni responded to the appeal and donated over $2000.

Parents of recent graduates also participated in the alumni campaign. Corporations matched gifts from parents dollar for dollar, thus doubling the amount of their tax-deductible contributions. For example, First Union Bank matched a $250 personal gift with a $250 contribution. Current and retired faculty also contributed over $600 to the Fund.

During the following spring semester, the Leisure Studies Association president raised $600 in a shave the president's head campaign. LSA was awarded an Honorable Mention for Creative Fund Raising by the Appalachian State University Club Council for its combined fund raising efforts.

With over $6,000 in the Fund, we initiated the formal accreditation application process this past spring and we anticipate official accreditation by next fall. The Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science has agreed to fund the annual renewal costs. Additionally, the ongoing results of future Fund for Excellence campaign activities will more than cover the five-year renewal costs for years to come.

This creative fundraising campaign proved numerous positive results that go beyond finances. Students and alumni combined their energy and financial resources because of their belief that the accreditation process contributes to the quality of recreation education and the advancement of the profession. They further believe that their program will now receive the recognition it has earned. Through their contributions and fund raising efforts, both groups have become vested in the program's future, and will continue to be active supporters of their alma mater.

Academic administrators appreciate the commitment of students and faculty, as well as the alternative financial assistance that the newly created Fund for Excellence offers.

Finally, we hope that members of other academic curricula who wish to pursue NRPA/AALR accreditation will be able to employ some of the aforementioned techniques in their accreditation efforts, or be encouraged to devise other creative strategies. It can be done.

References

Bialeschki, D. (1992). The state of parks, recreation and leisure studies curricula. Parks and Recreation, 27(7), 72-76, 95.

Bialeschki, D. and Bedini, L. (1990). Professional preparation and development. In H. D. Sessoms (ed.), Introduction to Leisure Services in North Carolina. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt

Crompton, J.L. (1987). Doing More With Less in Parks and Recreation Management. State College, Pa.: Venture.

National Recreation and Park Association, Society of Park and Recreation Educators. (1992). SPRE Curriculum Study.

Sessoms, D. (1990). On becoming a profession: Requirements and strategies. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, (7), 28.