About the WKU Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration Program

The mission of the Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration Program is to provide the students in our curriculum with a well-rounded, general education in the field by creating a challenging, student-focused learning environment and opportunities to apply the skills and theories taught in the classroom through service to the campus, community, and recreation profession.

The program offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration, minors in Outdoor Experience Leadership, Tourism & Events, Nonprofit Administration, and Facility & Event Management. The program also offers a Master of Science degree in Recreation and Sport Administration with on-campus and online options.

The Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration program’s philosophy is based on the following principles:

1. Successful graduates – will provide service to their local community, service to the profession; will give back to WKU and the Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration Program; will be committed to lifelong learning; and will be advocates for the recreation profession.

2. Successful students – will be involved in and responsible for their own learning; will desire to learn through traditional and experiential methods, will be interested in service to the community and the profession; will be dedicated to WKU and the Recreation Administration Program, will come from and serve diverse backgrounds; and will recruit other students to the Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration major.

3. Successful faculty – will provide ongoing support for students, will be involved in scholarship, will provide service to the local community, WKU, and the Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit professions; will be dedicated to helping students learn; will be involved in recruiting students; and will serve a diverse student population.

The Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration program at Western Kentucky University provides professional preparation in recreational services. Graduates find employment in a wide variety of recreation careers, including: Municipal parks and recreation departments, State agencies (State Parks, Conservation, Fish and Wildlife), Federal agencies (National Parks, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), Military recreation departments (MWR), Organized camps, Youth service agencies (Scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, 4-H, etc), YMCA, University recreation, and Sport organizations.

The WKU Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration program was started in 1967 with one full-time and several part-time faculty. The first full-time faculty member was Dr Fred Kirchner. As the program developed, external accreditation offered the opportunity to evaluate the program according to national standards. WKU was one of the first 16 programs to be nationally accredited in 1980. Since that time, the program has successfully maintained its accredited status which is reviewed every five years by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions.

The Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration program has undergone many exciting changes including the hiring of several new faculty, facility renovation, and curriculum revisions. The Recreation, Park, and Nonprofit Administration program is part of the School of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport in the College of Health and Human Services.