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Department History

The Beginnings of the Department

The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo has evolved from being a barely recognizable program to one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious programs in Canada. The introduction of a recreation and leisure program at the university level was a long and hard process involving thorough consultation with many universities across Canada. The University of Waterloo was the one to embrace the opportunity to establish a recreation program.

The first real need for trained recreation specialists became apparent in the mid-1950s when demand for personnel far exceeded the trained people available. This gave an opportunity for the University of Western Ontario to establish an in-service training course in 1954. It soon, however, became apparent that this could not be a permanent solution. The need for technical training was still in high demand in the late 1950s. In order to allow students to experience a technical aspect of recreation, the University of Guelph introduced a two-year diploma course. These initial steps provided some growth to the area of recreation and leisure studies, but in many ways there was still great need for further development.

In the Spring of 1967, the Ontario Ministry of Education requested the University of Waterloo and the University of Ottawa to initiate a degree program in recreation. It was decided that the Department of Recreation would be formed within the jurisdiction of the School of Physical and Health Education. The Recreation Department at the University of Waterloo offered, for the first time, academic programs which prepared student to provide leadership in the leisure needs of society. The program combined knowledge of people, environment, and management into an academic package that prepared graduates for careers in a variety of public and private agencies.

The first lectures took place in the Physical Activities Complex in the Fall of 1968 with 28 students and two faculty members - the Department Chair, Roger Dion, and Professor Jack Pearse. Within the next year, Charles A. Griffith arrived as another professor and replaced Roger Dion as Chair of the department. At that time the department was in its early stages with an uncertain future and challenging roads ahead.

As the years went by, the size of the department increased. In 1970, besides the co-op option, a regular system of study was added. In the first decade of its existence, the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies had to be moved off-campus to the Phillip Street building to accommodate the growth that it experienced both in the number of students and the number of faculty members. In 1980, the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies settled into its final home in Burt Matthews Hall (BMH).

In 1972, the Department began to offer four elective areas of concentration: leisure studies, therapeutic recreation, recreation administration, and outdoor recreation and education. In 1975 a long-term relationship with Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of Business was formed and the Business Option was initiated. Several joint honours degree programs were quickly added with other disciplines across campus, highlighting the multidisciplinary approach that fits so well within recreation and leisure studies. A decade later in 1985 the areas of concentration grew to include cultural recreation, leisure and the humanities, tourism and commercial recreation, and urban and municipal recreation. Gradually in the late 1980s and early 1990s the areas of concentration evolved into three other options in parks, therapeutic recreation, and tourism. More recently, the program evolved to include two new major degrees within Recreation and Leisure Studies in the fall of 2002: one in Recreation and Business, and the other in Therapeutic Recreation. A four-year General B.A. degree was also added to assist with retaining students who fell below the honours level minimum requirements but were still excellent recreation students.

The Department has also established three graduate programs. The M.A. in Recreation and Leisure Studies was approved in 1975 and the first students were admitted in September 1976 with the first Masters graduate in 1977. The first Ph.D. program in Recreation and Leisure Studies in Canada was approved in October 1993, with the first students admitted in the fall of 1994. The University of Waterloo saw its first doctoral graduate in Recreation and Leisure Studies in 1997. The newest M.A. program in Tourism Policy and Planning was approved in 2001, with the first students admitted in September 2002 and the first graduate in 2004. More recently, a new collaborative Ph.D. program in Aging, Health and Well-being began admitting students in Fall 2006 across the three academic departments in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. A similar collaborative Ph.D. program in Work and Health began admitting students in Fall 2008.

The Museum and Archive of Games was created in 1971 as a resource for research and teaching about game use and play behaviour. As interest in the collection grew for public viewing of the artifacts, and preservation of the collection became an issue, the University sought the assistance of the Province of Ontario's ministry concerned with museums and heritage collections. Within a few months, the collection was established within the context of a professional museum. Later, further assistance was received from the National Museums of Canada. Today, the Museum maintains a collection of over five thousand objects and archival documents associated with games, and the collection continues to grow. Operations are partially supported by the Ontario Ministry of Recreation, Culture, and Tourism as well as the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. The national Department of Canadian Heritage has periodically made grants to the Museum for special purposes. Donations from industry and private citizens are used to enhance the collection and operations. In the year 2000, the Museum was renamed in honour of its founder and first curator who retired in 1995. It is now known as The Elliott Avedon Museum and Archive of Games.

The Leisure Studies Data Bank was another resource for research and teaching to enhance the learning experience of the students. Founded in 1973, the data bank obtained, stored and provided access to numerous statistical data sets related to leisure studies. In the late 1990s, the collection was primarily moved to the University of Waterloo Library for ongoing management.

Forty years have elapsed since the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies officially became part of the University of Waterloo. Since then, there have been many changes within the department which have had a deep impact not just on the development of the Recreation and Leisure Studies program at the University of Waterloo, but also on the expansion of recreation programs in Canada. In these past few years, many universities have established programs in recreation and leisure studies as part of their curriculum, but the Recreation and Leisure Studies program at the University of Waterloo still serves as a model for many universities to follow.

 

The Department began celebrating its 40th Anniversary in September 2008 with several kick-off events at Homecoming Weekend. A Distinguished Alumni Award has been created to honour UW Rec alumni (both undergraduate and graduate) for their professional/academic achievements and/or their contributions to their communities. More information about the celebration events and award criteria and process are available on our 40th Anniversary website.