Mission of the RLS Program

The faculty of the Recreation and Leisure Services Program  believes that individuals and society benefit from recreation activity and leisure pursuits.  Thus the mission of the recreation and Leisure Services Program is to promote enhanced quality of life through recreation, activity, leisure, and sport for the people of North Dakota and beyond. More specifically, this mission is accomplished through (1) the provision of a high quality undergraduate professional preparation program; (2) creative and scholarly activity which leads to the discovery and dissemination of professional and disciplinary knowledge; and (3) contribution of professional expertise and talents as service to the community, university, and profession. The Recreation and Leisure Services faculty works toward this mission through the preparation of students for careers in the recreation, therapeutic recreation, parks and leisure services field; developing students' theoretical bases of knowledge and analytical skills; and contributing to society through a program of research and other scholarly activity, providing leadership and technical assistance to local and regional organizations, and being actively involved in professional organizations at the state, regional and national levels. 

Recreation and Leisure Services is an exciting, people-oriented   profession which is of great importance in today's world. Job   opportunities are expected to expand rapidly as the leisure lifestyle becomes more important. The U.S. Department of Labor has predicted 497,000 new jobs nationwide in the decade ending in 2012.