CMU first school in Michigan to offer recreation and event management major


Central Michigan University has announced the addition of a new major following the consolidation of two previously existing areas of study.

Commercial Recreation and Facilities Management and Community Leisure Services Administration will merge to create Michigan’s first major in recreation and event management.

The new major will incorporate courses from both curriculums, as well as add additional courses to fulfill the major, including recreation and diverse populations, meeting and convention planning and special event administration.

At this time, there are no new costs associated with the REM major, as existing faculty will absorb the additional coursework.

“This major has more of an event focus,” said assistant professor of recreation Tim Otteman. “Students will still choose an emphasis for their major, but this major is a more acceptable title in the industry.”

The new major will be housed in the College of Education and Human Services and the recreation, parks and leisure services administration departments.

“We are excited to launch this new degree,” Dean of the College of Education and Human Services Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson said in a news release. “The faculty thoughtfully examined career trends and listened to community and student needs to craft a meaningful degree option for our undergraduates.”

The decision to create the major followed recommendations from the recreation department’s practitioner-based advisory boards, which reveal a 44-percent increase in recreation and event careers by the year 2020.

“The benefit of the new major is threefold,” Otteman said. “It responds to the needs of the profession by providing a credential created specifically for our industry, providing an academic foundation best suited for current and future jobs in the field, and it puts CMU at the forefront of the preparation of recreation and event students not only in the state of Michigan, but nationwide.”

According to Bob Frost, recreation department chair, the municipal and commercial recreation industry has been through dramatic changes in the last 10 years. This major is expected to transition well with the needs of shifting professional competencies.

Otteman said the REM major will be officially available for the 2013-14 academic year, but he anticipates switching over current majors as soon as next week.

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