FREE Benchmarking Made Easy!
With powerful data reports, comparative information, and hard facts from PRORAGIS you’ll have what you need to demonstrate the value of parks and recreation in your community. Now PRORAGIS is more user-friendly with features like PRORAGIS Lite, and a dashboard view of real-time data.
OVERVIEW OF CONNECT
- PROFILE: Set up your personal profile with your photo and information about yourself so you can meet other members who share your interests.
- DIRECTORY: Find who is already in the community.
- GROUPS: There is variety of groups to join. Some groups are open for any member to join; while others are private for committee and leadership. Share events on the group Calendar, network with other group members through Listserv threads and Discussion Forums, use the Wiki tool, and much more!
- FORUMS: Got a burning issue? Forums can be a place to set up sounding boards for ideas, issues, and innovative ways to solve problems.
- KNOWLEDGE CENTER LIBRARY: Gain access to sample documents, articles, and other resources. Easily upload your own documents to share with other members.
- BLOGS: Follow what's happening in the official NRPA Now Blog!
Network Leadership Program
We all understand the critical nature of bringing people
together and building a sense of community. Being a Network Leader is an opportunity for you to make a difference in your Network and in NRPA. Click here to find out more information. Application forms are due July 12, 2013.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Michael Blazey
 Although California State University, Long Beach professor Michael Blazey no longer teaches on a regular basis, online course reviews from former students clearly demonstrate his passion for educating the next generation of park and recreation professionals. Now serving as CSULB’s director of academic facilities and assistant dean in the College of Liberal Arts, Blazey, who has been an NRPA member since 1974, also plays an important role for park and recreation college programs nationwide as chair of NRPA’s Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions. Here, he shares his insight on the state of park and recreation educational programs in the U.S. and challenges he sees for the future of the field.
He states, "Today’s problems are not unlike those faced by programs over the past 40 years. Periods of economic downturn and the resulting financial exigency in higher education lead administrators to consider whether programs are essential to the institutional mission. Absent an understanding of parks, recreation, tourism, and related specializations, university administrators are likely to target these programs for resource reductions at best and elimination at worst. Such occasions provide opportunities to demonstrate the value of COAPRT accreditation. A number of programs have benefited from timely accreditation visits when administrators are presented with comprehensive self-studies and external program reviews. The Council’s 2013 implementation of learning outcome standards and their assessment now results in program reviews that have the added benefit of conforming to current practices in academic administration."
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