In short, when words like "excellence", "quality", "futuristic", "fairness" and "student-oriented" are mentioned in the context of leisure, we want it to be assumed the reference is to the Recreation Administration program.
Our strong faculty reputation is built on high-quality professors. According to the university's March 2003 external review report, the program’s faculty are “accessible, available, and committed to the students. Students mentioned a ‘family atmosphere’ between themselves and faculty in the unit.” EIU faculty/evaluation reports of Purdue University core items consistently indicate median scores over 4.5 on a scale of five.
Recreation administration is the process that mobilizes an organization's resources — human and material — to accomplish goals to benefit the leisure time of the community served. Students considering this multidisciplinary field will receive a broad-based educational experience. Click here for more information on this program.
"I am forever grateful for the Recreation Administration program at EIU because it helped expose me to the many aspects of parks and recreation - including outdoor recreation, programming, budgeting, strategic planning, adaptive recreation, and much more. In almost every recreation course I took at EIU, I had the chance to get hands-on experience in the field through projects, activities, and group work. The faculty create genuine relationships with you, help you find your path, and encourage you to succeed not only in your classes but also in the field. I am proud to be an alum of the Recreation Administration program within the KSR Department at EIU!”
Shannon Harback, Recreation Supervisor (2018 grad)"My degree from Eastern has helped me in so many ways. Not only was I prepared enough to pass my certification exam on the first time, I felt like I really knew the information. EIU taught me everything I needed to know about Therapeutic Recreation, and my professors were a huge part of that as well.”
Emma Dvorak, SeniorFIT Program Specialist (2017 grad)