RST Newsletter Spring 2025 | College of Applied Health Sciences

Remembering pioneering scholar Jack Kelly

May 22, 2025 | Laura Payne, Mike Raycraft, Kim Shinew and Monika Stodolska

*Jack Kelly, a professor in the Department of Leisure Studies at Illinois for many years, died on Feb. 10, 2025, at the age of 94 (University archives)*

Jack Kelly, a professor in the Department of Leisure Studies at Illinois for many years, died on Feb. 10, 2025, at the age of 94. Faculty members of the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism collaborated to write this remembrance of Kelly.

Professor Emeritus Jack Kelly was a trailblazer in the field of Leisure Studies and was instrumental in establishing the field of Leisure Studies. Kelly anticipated many societal issues and trends in the 1970s and early 1980s that advanced knowledge of healthy aging, the study of work and leisure, socialization and leisure and family leisure.

“We as a field owe Jack a great deal,” said retired RST faculty member Kim Shinew, who joined Kelly at the University of Illinois in 1993. “He catapulted us forward by making our research more relevant, and he increased our visibility to others outside the field.” Dr. Kelly’s research laid the theoretical foundations of the field through seminal works such as Leisure; Sociology of Leisure; Freedom to Be: A New Sociology of Leisure; and Leisure Identities and Interactions.

Kelly was one of the first leisure scholars to recognize that research advances were not keeping pace with societal trends and issues. He pushed the field to address the sociological and psychological aspects of leisure, which offered important advancements in leisure research and contributed to the development of professional best practices. A dynamic teacher, Kelly emphasized the connections between research and professional practice.

“I was fortunate to be a student in Dr. Kelly’s final LEIS 501 course in the early 1990s,” said RST faculty member Michael Raycraft. “He made it clear that an appreciation of leisure theory was critical for practitioners as it guided informed decisions and was the basis for effective RST programming. That was heavy stuff for a kid fresh out of business school. I am grateful to have learned from one of the best!”

Kelly’s pioneering research and dynamic teaching are stellar accomplishments in their own rite, but even more impressive since higher education was his second career.

Kelly grew up in Chicago and studied philosophy at Monmouth College and then earned an M.A. in Theology from Yale University to pursue a career as a congregational minister. Newly married to his beloved wife Ruth, the couple moved to rural Montana where Kelly served in two parishes that were so far apart, he flew his Cessna airplane back and forth between church services. In the 1960s, he decided to change careers and earned both master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Oregon.

Kelly spent most of his career at Illinois as a professor in the Department of Leisure Studies and the Institute for Human Development. He was also the Director of the Gerontology and Aging Studies program. “He enjoyed mentoring young faculty and encouraging them to conduct creative and meaningful research,” Shinew said. “Over coffee on campus or dinner at his home, Jack stressed the importance of research to advance the field.”

Faculty member Monika Stodolska remembers meeting Kelly when she joined the faculty in 1999. “He mentored me in the first course I taught at UIUC. Jack taught Theories and Concepts of Leisure for a long time, and I began teaching the course when he retired from our faculty. I still use some of the classic texts that Jack put on the reading list. His legacy lives on.”

Jack’s life exemplified his knowledge of the importance of leisure throughout the lifespan. He practiced what he preached.

Kim Shinew

Retired RST faculty member

After retiring, Kelly remained active doing research, teaching and publishing journal articles and books. He returned to Illinois in 2001 for one semester to teach a graduate course on Sociology of Leisure and connect with faculty and students.

Faculty member Laura Payne recalled her first meeting with Dr. Kelly when she joined the department in 2001.

“Jack was so welcoming and tried to connect with me,” Payne said. “We got together and discussed our shared interests in trends and issues, especially about health and aging, and I learned a lot from our thought-provoking conversations.”

A prolific writer, Kelly authored 11 books, many of which were considered seminal, including the classic conceptual and theoretical texts already mentioned, and widely read books such as Leisure, Activity and Aging, Recreation Business, and Recreation Trends and Markets in the 21st Century, whom he co-authored with Dr. Rodney Warnick, a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts.

Kelly had a wide range of leisure interests. He enjoyed the arts, tennis, singing, reading, flying and the outdoors. After he retired, he and Ruth spent time at their homes on Beaver Island, Michigan and on Jekyll Island, Georgia where they enjoyed bicycling, tennis and other outdoor pursuits.

“Jack’s life exemplified his knowledge of the importance of leisure throughout the lifespan. He practiced what he preached,” Shinew said.

Tags: Jack Kelly, Laura Payne, Mike Raycraft, Monika Stodolska, Moving Forward 2025, RST Newsletter Spring 2025MoniLauraMike

Ballot battles: The fight for green space funding in an age of misinformation

May 21, 2025 | Adelyn Mui

Green spaces benefit people and the environment in many ways but not all voters see it that way

*Sharon Zou says funding public green spaces are a challenge (Photo provided)*

Public green spaces—parks, forests and conservation areas—increase potential for varied recreational opportunities, improved mental and physical health and better environmental sustainability. However, funding these spaces remains a challenge.

Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism faculty members Sharon Zou and Nick Pitas are studying how communities value and pay for green spaces. Their research, initially focused on a case study of greenspace ballot initiatives (GBI) in Champaign and Cook counties, has expanded to examine voter behavior, funding mechanisms and the role misinformation and disinformation can play in these initiatives.

Zou said green spaces benefit people and the environment in many ways.

“The role of nature in human health—not just physical but also mental health,—has proved to be very important,” Zou said. “Public green space is also a place where the community gets together, so it’s also about social cohesion and community well-being. If we go more broadly, green space is important for conservation in general, to make sure nature is being protected.”

The catch: Public parks and recreational areas can be expensive for taxpayers, requiring routine maintenance, infrastructure improvements and expansion efforts. While some funding comes from government budgets, many communities turn to ballot initiatives—voter-approved measures that allocate more funds for conservation and park services.

However, not all voters see funding these spaces as worthwhile. Pitas said there’s a variety of reasons why voters might be against it.

“They could be opposed because they don’t think that the agency that receives the money is going to be doing a good job,” Pitas said. “They could be opposed because they don’t see the value in paying into common resources that benefit everybody but don’t benefit them as an individual. They may be ideologically opposed to the idea of paying taxes in general.”

Campaigns against green space initiatives often benefit groups with financial or political objectives. Real estate developers, for example, may oppose conservation efforts limiting new construction opportunities. Political organizations pushing for lower taxes may frame GBI as promoting excessive government spending, even when the long-term benefits outweigh the costs.

“One of the unfortunate things about elections in the last, you know, couple decades is that false information has become a much more important factor in determining the outcome of those elections,” Pitas said. “Everybody has a global microphone in the form of a social media account now.”

Organized groups can use disinformation—the deliberate spreading of false information—against voters, or frame information in a way that opposes GBI. For example, a group might make a claim that property taxes will increase more than they actually will, or that a park district owns more land than it actually does. Pitas and Zou are designing an experiment to test the impact of false information on people’s voter behavior.

“We have two types of inoculation,” Zou said. “One is more general—it’ll say, ‘Hey, be aware that there will be groups that are opposing these referendum initiatives, and they might spread disinformation.’ We also want to compare that with a more detailed inoculation and lay the facts about the referendum, about the public land status, and about how the natural resources management agencies are managing the land.”

By exposing voters to potential disinformation before it reaches them and consequentially debunking the falsehoods, Pitas and Zou hope their research provides them with the accurate information to make informed decisions.

One of the unfortunate things about elections in the last, you know, couple decades is that false information has become a much more important factor in determining the outcome of those elections.

Nick Pitas

RST Assistant Professor

“I always love translating my research into helpful and meaningful practices and creating an impact in the community,” Zou said.

Pitas and Zou also hope that their research can combat misinformation—the unintentional spread of false information. Pitas cited a recent successful example of this: a proposal for increased property taxes to fund maintenance and improvements on preservation properties.

In 2020, the Champaign County Forest Preserve District successfully increased property taxes to fund maintenance and improvements for existing properties. This was a turnaround from 2008 when a similar tax proposal failed, partly due to opposition from the Champaign County Farm Bureau.

Pitas said that in 2008, the Farm Bureau was concerned that the new funding would be used to purchase agricultural land for conservation, reducing farmland availability. But in 2020, the Forest Preserve District proactively engaged with the Farm Bureau and assured them that no agricultural land would be acquired or converted.

With this clarification, the Farm Bureau vocally and publicly supported the 2020 measure due to proactive outreach on the part of campaign volunteers, which was pivotal to the success of that ballot initiative. Campaign volunteers also solicited support from a variety of community organizations, such as Rotary clubs throughout Champaign County.

Pitas and Zou are looking to connect with any agencies who have experience with or are interested in GBI. The overarching goal is to better understand other case studies, the issues related to voter behavior, mis/disinformation and how these individual pieces fit together as a larger picture.

At the end of the day, green space benefits everybody, Pitas said.

“For you, and for me and for your people that live in the community; it benefits plants and animals that depend on that space, it protects groundwater, it protects the quality of the air that we breathe and it protects places that are rare and might not exist anywhere else,” Pitas said. “There are benefits for everybody.”

Tags: Nick Pitas, Research, RST, RST Newsletter Spring 2025, Sharon Zou

2025 Sapora Symposium: Honoring a century of legacy at Huff Hall

May 22, 2025 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Themes of visionary leadership and George Huff were briefly overshadowed by Grimace

*Lovable McDonald’s character Grimace made a surprise appearance at the 2025 Sapora Symposium (Photo by Ethan Simmons)*

The theme of the 2025 Sapora Symposium was visionary leadership, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Huff Hall and paying tribute to the legacy of George Huff. Only one thing could potentially overshadow that, and it is purple and lovable: Grimace.

The iconic McDonald’s character—who’s ostensibly a tastebud—made his appearance during one of the final Sapora panels on March 28 at the Armory. Grimace’s appearance coincided with a panel on viral marketing. Grimace became a good luck charm for the New York Mets after throwing out the first pitch at a game in June 2024, leading to a winning streak and a purple seat dedicated to him at Citi Field.

But beside the big, purple spectacle, this year’s symposium carried greater significance as it coincided with the Huff centennial, a cornerstone of Illini academics and a testament to the university’s rich sports heritage. The event celebrated not only a century of excellence in sports and recreation but also paid tribute to the enduring legacy of George Huff, the visionary coach and administrator who transformed athletics at Illinois and beyond.

The Sapora Symposium was created and developed by the alumni advisory board of the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism in honor of the Department’s founder, Dr. Allen Sapora. Sapora was a cornerstone to the education and careers of many of our alumni. In recent years, the department has hosted the likes of the Stanley Cup, Governor J.B. Pritzker, Theo Epstein, and celebrated the lives of Illini legends Lou Henson, Red Grange and Theresa Grentz.

“Sapora is one of the signature components of the RST undergraduate experience,” said Clinical Associate Professor Mike Raycraft, who created the course. “It is always exciting to recruit high profile guests and inspire students to consider classroom knowledge in the context of industry leaders and influencers.”

The spring 2025 series was presented by The Specialized Marketing Group Inc., a global sports, promotional and experiential marketing company.

“Not only is this an incredible opportunity for students to learn from and connect with some of the most influential, successful people in Recreation, Sports and Tourism, it gives those of us who are already in the industry the opportunity to speak directly to the youth that will shape the future of our business,” said TSMGI founder and CEO Jordan S. Bressler. “We are thrilled to be a part of something that allows students the unique opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge and perspective as they determine what route they may wish to take.”

“Sapora is one of the signature components of the RST undergraduate experience.”
Mike Raycraft

This year’s symposium is particularly noteworthy as it honored George Huff, a legendary figure whose influence continues to resonate within the Illinois community. As the university’s athletic director from 1901-36, Huff played a pivotal role in shaping modern college athletics. His foresight led to the construction of Memorial Stadium and the establishment of key athletic programs that set a precedent for institutions nationwide. Under his leadership, Illinois became a powerhouse in collegiate sports and his innovations in athletic administration laid the foundation for modern sports management practices.

Huff Hall has stood as a beacon of athletic excellence for a century. Originally constructed in 1925 as the Men’s New Gym, the facility was later renamed in honor of Huff to recognize his contributions to the university’s athletic legacy. Over the decades, Huff Hall has hosted countless historic moments, from a speech by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II to championship basketball games to landmark wrestling matches to dance marathons, embodying the spirit of competition and community that Huff championed throughout his career.

The 2025 Sapora Symposium kicked off with an evening with RST alums Dee Brown and James Augustine at the Hubbard Inn, included a weekly Zoom webinar speaker series, continued with an all-day professional development event on campus and concluded with a site visit examining opportunities and impacts related to the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, Wintrust Sports Complex at the Village of Bedford Park, and MLB’s Chicago White Sox in April. In addition, it also included a pickleball fundraising event to benefit the Cunningham Children’s Home.

Raycraft and his work on the course sparked TSMGI’s involvement.

*Mike Raycraft, right, with a special guest at the Sapora Symposium (Photo by Ethan Simmons)*

“The platform that Mike has created creates so much opportunity for amazing conversations and discussions,” said Carly Eilian, vice president of public relations and communications at TSMGI, based in Deerfield, Illinois. “We love being a part of something that allows students the unique opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge and perspective as they determine what route they may wish to take.”

Eilian said the symposium gives students the opportunity to learn from some of the most influential people in the recreation, sport and tourism industries, and that it allows people in the industry a direct pipeline to the next generation.

“We hope to continue the momentum of the symposium making it a must-attend event for our industry and prospective industry members,” she said.

Beyond the academic and professional development opportunities, the symposium also served as a celebration of the Illinois spirit. Alumni, faculty and students came together to honor Huff Hall’s centennial, reflecting on its storied past and looking ahead to its future role in fostering athletic and academic excellence. As the University of Illinois celebrates the 100th anniversary of Huff Hall, the 2025 Sapora Symposium stands as a fitting tribute to a man whose impact on collegiate athletics and sports management remains unparalleled.

As a testament to that, RST has established the Huff Society Fund. Gifts to the Huff Society Fund empower students in the Recreation, Sport, and Tourism program by supporting scholarships, hands-on learning opportunities, and event costs. Your generosity helps make transformative experiences—such as guest speaker events, experiential trips, and transportation—accessible to all students.

Donations to the Huff Society Fund will also allow the department to recognize, recruit and retain top students while preparing them to become future leaders in the field. Donors to the Huff Society Fund join a passionate community of supporters dedicated to shaping the next generation of RST professionals

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

Tags: Mike Raycraft, RST Newsletter Spring 2025, Sapora Symposium

Immersive learning: RST faculty guide students out of the classroom and into the real world

May 22, 2025 | Jonathan King

RST faculty members design and lead innovative educational practicums that immerse students in experiential learning environments

*Renata Endres, right, teaches RST 185: Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (Photo provided)*

By JONATHAN KING

Renata Endres is taking her belief in an applied teaching approach on the road—on Route 66, to be precise.

“I believe the most effective way to bridge the gap between the classroom and industry application is to experience concepts firsthand outside the classroom,” said Endres, teaching assistant professor of Recreation, Sport and Tourism who teaches RST 185: Get Your Kicks on Route 66.

That is why Endres and fellow RST faculty members design and lead innovative educational practicums that immerse students in experiential learning environments.

These courses have become very popular among students, but RST faculty continue to pioneer new trails out of the classroom to foster rich educational experiences.

One example is Endres’ new Route 66 course, co-designed with Mike Raycraft, an RST clinical associate professor. In this course, students visit sites along the historic Route 66 corridor to deepen their understanding of heritage tourism; agritourism; and recreation, sport and tourism management.

“Whether pursuing careers in these fields or something entirely different, the range of firsthand experience illustrates how the development of technical skills we learn in the classroom must be coupled with soft skills to achieve professional success,” Endres said.

Agrotourism is something of a specialty for Endres, who helps students apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, such as how fluctuating crop prices may prompt farmers to adopt agritourism to diversify revenue. She additionally takes her expertise into RST 290: Experiencing Agritourism with RST faculty members Laura Payne and Nick Pitas, as well as RST 199: Recreation, Sport and Tourism Economics in Croatia.

“My most memorable part of the Route 66 experience was being able to travel along the mother road with friends, classmates, co-workers and some of my favorite professors in RST,” said Riley Joyce, a student in Endres’ course. “It was really beneficial to see how Route 66 has impacted both Illinois and St. Louis over the years in both tourism and agrotourism worlds.”

Assistant Professor Sharon Zou is another RST faculty member whose educational innovations are bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world. Zou co-teaches an innovative community-based learning course, Place Making and Rural Tourism in China, in tandem with Wei (Windy) Zhao from the School of Architecture and Molly Briggs from the School of Art and Design. The course is supported by the university’s Transdisciplinary Global South Community-Based Learning Program Development Grant to facilitate interdisciplinary global service learning for Illinois students.

For this new interdisciplinary course, Zou and RST students joined architecture students and art and design students for a learning opportunity in rural China. In February 2025, students and faculty traveled to Xihu Village in Jiangxi Province, China, to co-design a locally rooted, sustainable tourism development plan for the people of Xihu who wanted support to strategically plan and develop a place-making and tourism initiative.

For the course, students benefited from immersion in local culture. They visited an ancestral celebration during Lunar New Year, took a scenic hike on the historical Hui Merchant Route for tea trading, toured a tea factory, visited the historical village of Chengkan, listened to a talk by an architect specialized in rural tourism development, met with a village head and representative from local rural revitalization company and took a tour to see the company’s current efforts in tourism infrastructure development.

To develop their tourism model, students met with community stakeholders to conduct asset mapping and a market analysis of the community. They asked questions such as: What do you want for your village? What are the local sources of historical and cultural pride? How can we help you preserve your cultural pride while developing a sustainable tourism plan? What infrastructure is there to support tourists? What form of economic distribution will benefit community well-being?

That feedback will help students co-design a sustainable tourism development plan for the village. RST students gained knowledge of how rural communities can leverage tourism to achieve economic, socio-cultural and environmental sustainability. Students worked directly with local stakeholders and gained valuable skills in asset mapping, competitor analysis, market analysis, community visioning, tourist experience development and destination branding.

Additionally, architecture students worked on design proposals that challenged common “revitalization” methods, and art and design students developed wayfinding plans and memory-making designs to include cultural, historical and phenomenological village features.

“We wanted to understand the desires of the community to help them design a sustainable tourism model that showcases the cultural pride and natural beauty of their village while also contributing to the community’s well-being,” Zou said. This project emphasizes an equitable partnership to provide firsthand, practical, interdisciplinary education for Illinois students and simultaneously facilitate a locally rooted vision that will preserve and share the village’s heritage.

“Our RST out-of-the-classroom experience is different from your typical study abroad program,” Zou said. “We’re going to put you to work, and ideally, it will be a transformative experience that students can leverage for their professional careers and social competencies.”

Sharon Zou and RST students joined architecture students and art and design students for a learning opportunity in rural China — *Sharon Zou, right, and RST students joined architecture students and art and design students for a learning opportunity in rural China (Photo provided)*

When Zou isn’t teaching hands-on learning in rural China, she also works with Richard Proffer from Illinois Extension and RST students to develop a sustainable tourism plan for Elmwood, Illinois, a town that is known for being the artistic origin of the famous Illinois alma mater sculpture. Beyond these two tourism practicums, Zou studies recreation and tourism consumer insights to inform sustainable funding models for public land and parks in the U.S., with a particular focus on national parks such as Indiana Dunes National Park and the greater Yellowstone ecosystem which includes private, state and federal lands.

RST experiential learning trips go beyond academics: they teach students independence, adaptability, resilience, confidence and cultural awareness. While navigating a new environment, students will learn to coexist with diverse groups, develop strong communication skills and gain invaluable social and intercultural competencies.

“Prospective students should join one of these experiential courses to gain practical, hands-on knowledge and build valuable industry connections,” Endres said. “Networking with experts in the field provides a competitive edge in their career development. And socially, these classes provide students an opportunity for a shared bonding experience that can’t be duplicated in the classroom.”

Tags: Mike Raycraft, Nick Pitas, Renata Endres, Research, RST Newsletter Spring 2025, Sharon Zou, Students

What is the role of racial segregation and park availability in physical activity?

May 22, 2025 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

Two researchers uncover dynamics that challenge the assumption that more parks lead to more activity

*Mariela Fernandez and Miki Sato uncovered complex dynamics that challenge the assumption that having more parks automatically leads to increased physical activity (Stock image)*

In cities across the United States, physical activity is often promoted as a cornerstone of public health, yet disparities in access and engagement persist. Despite the well-documented benefits of leisure-time physical activity, many communities remain physically inactive. This issue is particularly pronounced in racially segregated areas, where systemic inequalities shape health outcomes.

A recent study by RST faculty members Mariela Fernandez and Miki Sato set out to explore how racial residential segregation impacts leisure-time physical activity—or LTPA—prevalence and how park availability influences this relationship. By focusing on Chicago—a city marked by stark racial divides—researchers uncovered complex dynamics that challenge the assumption that having more parks automatically leads to increased physical activity in all communities.

Fernandez said although Chicago has many parks, many older, larger ones were built downtown in a time where space wasn’t as constrained as it is today. These older, larger parks are located in neighborhoods near middle-income white populations and also serve tourists.

“(The Chicago) Park District didn’t meet the demand. In some cases, African Americans and Latinos did have access to park spaces, but they didn’t have the recreational amenities that were most appropriate for them,” said Fernandez. “Some (racial) groups might have more small children, but those parks might not have playgrounds, so those (parks) weren’t as relevant.”

The study aimed to answer some fundamental questions:

Is racial residential segregation associated with LTPA prevalence?
How is the availability of public parks associated with LTPA prevalence?
Does it affect the relationship between racial residential segregation and LTPA prevalence?

Fernandez and Sato sought to determine whether increasing park availability could serve as an effective strategy for encouraging physical activity in segregated communities.

Just because the space is there doesn’t necessarily mean everybody can utilize it.

Mariela Fernandez

RST associate professor

The Role of Racial Segregation in Physical Activity

The findings of the study revealed that racial residential segregation is indeed associated with lower levels of LTPA. Specifically, Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino isolation correlated negatively with LTPA prevalence. This suggests that communities with higher concentrations of these racial groups—often shaped by historical and systemic segregation policies—experience lower levels of leisure-time physical activity.

The reasons behind this trend are multifaceted, Fernandez said. Segregated neighborhoods frequently face socioeconomic disadvantages, including higher poverty rates, reduced access to recreational facilities and increased safety concerns. Additionally, cultural and structural barriers—such as limited time for exercise due to work and family responsibilities—further contribute to disparities in physical activity levels.

But sometimes the green space doesn’t include amenities that some groups want or focus on amenities that park officials believe residents want.

Of people she surveyed, Fernandez said they did want soccer fields, but they also wanted playgrounds and restrooms.

“When the city was working with the community, they couldn’t really get away from ‘Oh, you want soccer fields.’ There’s still a lot of stereotypes, I feel, that need to be undone.”

The Influence of Park Availability

The study also examined how park availability interacts with these racial disparities in physical activity. Unsurprisingly, greater access to public parks was generally associated with higher LTPA prevalence. Parks offer crucial spaces for exercise, community engagement and outdoor recreation, making them valuable assets for promoting public health. However, the study’s findings challenge the notion that simply increasing the number of parks in segregated communities is a one-size-fits-all solution.

“When some of these places were created, the highways went into neighborhoods of color or they went around them,” Fernandez said. “If you live between the highways, you’re not going to go outside and do physical activity because it’s unsafe to cross streets. And you also have the issue of pollution. Air pollution, sound pollution.”

Another finding from the study is the negative influence effect of park availability on the relationship between Hispanic isolation and LTPA prevalence. The findings indicate that while increasing park availability can enhance LTPA prevalence in communities, the benefits are diminished in areas with high levels of Hispanic or Latino isolation.

Implications for Public Health Policy

Fernandez and Sato’s findings hold significant implications for policymakers and urban planners seeking to promote physical activity in racially segregated communities.

Beyond Infrastructure: While increasing park availability is a positive step, it is not a standalone solution. Investments must also address safety concerns, programming and community engagement to ensure that parks are truly accessible and welcoming spaces.

Culturally Relevant Programs: To effectively encourage LTPA, public health initiatives should incorporate culturally relevant exercise programs that resonate with the target communities.

Addressing Structural Inequities: Efforts to reduce racial residential segregation and the socioeconomic disparities that accompany it should be a long-term priority. Economic investment in historically marginalized neighborhoods can help create environments where physical activity is more feasible and appealing.

Community Involvement: Residents must have a voice in the development and implementation of public health initiatives. By incorporating local perspectives, planners can better understand and address the specific barriers to physical activity that different communities face.

“Miki and I will definitely have to do some outreach to folks in urban planning, public health officials and park officials,” Fernandez said.

The overall goal, Fernandez and Sato say, is improving physical health and health outcomes, but simply building more parks will not be enough to close the gap, the researchers say.

“Just because the space is there doesn’t necessarily mean everybody can utilize it,” Fernandez said.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu

Tags: Mariela Fernandez, Miki Sato, Moving Forward 2025, Recreation Sports and Tourism, RST Newsletter Spring 2025

Remembering pioneering scholar Jack Kelly

May 21, 2025 | Laura Payne, Mike Raycraft, Kim Shinew and Monika Stodolska

Kelly’s pioneering research and dynamic teaching are stellar accomplishments in their own rite, but even more impressive since higher education was his second career.

Faculty member Laura Payne recalled her first meeting with Dr. Kelly when she joined the department in 2001.

“Jack’s life exemplified his knowledge of the importance of leisure throughout the lifespan. He practiced what he preached,” Shinew said.

Tags: Jack Kelly, John Kelly, RST Newsletter Spring 2025

2025 Sapora Symposium: Honoring a century of legacy at Huff Hall

May 21, 2025 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

George Huff was the theme, but Grimace stole the show

The spring 2025 series was presented by The Specialized Marketing Group Inc., a global sports, promotional and experiential marketing company.

Raycraft and his work on the course sparked TSMGI’s involvement.

*Grimace interacting with his fans (Photo by Ethan Simmons)*

“We hope to continue the momentum of the symposium making it a must-attend event for our industry and prospective industry members,” she said.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

Tags: Mike Raycraft, RST Newsletter Spring 2025, Sapora Symposium

The role of racial segregation and park availability in physical activity

May 22, 2025 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo

RST researchers set out to explore how racial residential segregation impacts leisure-time physical activity prevalence and how park availability influences this relationship

The study aimed to answer some fundamental questions:

Is racial residential segregation associated with LTPA prevalence?
How is the availability of public parks associated with LTPA prevalence?
Does it affect the relationship between racial residential segregation and LTPA prevalence?

Fernandez and Sato sought to determine whether increasing park availability could serve as an effective strategy for encouraging physical activity in segregated communities.

The Role of Racial Segregation in Physical Activity

(The Chicago) Park District didn’t meet the demand. In some cases, African Americans and Latinos did have access to park spaces, but they didn’t have the recreational amenities that were most appropriate for them.”

Mariela Fernandez

Associate Professor, RST

But sometimes the green space doesn’t include amenities that some groups want or focus on amenities that park officials believe residents want.

Of people she surveyed, Fernandez said they did want soccer fields, but they also wanted playgrounds and restrooms.

“When the city was working with the community, they couldn’t really get away from ‘Oh, you want soccer fields.’ There’s still a lot of stereotypes, I feel, that need to be undone.”

The Influence of Park Availability

Implications for Public Health Policy

Fernandez and Sato’s findings hold significant implications for policymakers and urban planners seeking to promote physical activity in racially segregated communities.

Culturally Relevant Programs: To effectively encourage LTPA, public health initiatives should incorporate culturally relevant exercise programs that resonate with the target communities.

“Miki and I will definitely have to do some outreach to folks in urban planning, public health officials and park officials,” Fernandez said.

The overall goal, Fernandez and Sato say, is improving physical health and health outcomes, but simply building more parks will not be enough to close the gap, the researchers say.

“Just because the space is there doesn’t necessarily mean everybody can utilize it,” Fernandez said.

Editor’s note:

To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.

Tags: Mariela Fernandez, Miki Sato, Research, RST, RST Newsletter Spring 2025

A new fellowship for a groundbreaking leisure researcher

May 23, 2025 | Ethan Simmons

*RST Associate Professor Liza Berdychevsky has been named a TALS Fellow for her continued contributions to leisure sciences.*

As a graduate student, Liza Berdychevsky didn’t expect much fanfare when she first visited a Leisure Research Symposium as a “future scholar,” on behalf of The Academy of Leisure Sciences (TALS). In 2008, she was completing her master’s program and searching for a university to complete her doctorate.

Yet when she began to meet the academy’s cadre of experienced leisure scientists, Berdychevsky felt seen, welcomed and valued, “almost like a celebrity,” she said.

Seventeen years later, Berdychevsky—now an associate professor of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at Illinois—has been named a TALS Fellow for her continued contributions to leisure sciences.

“It’s one of the biggest honors there is in our field,” Berdychevsky said. “I certainly didn’t expect it to happen so early. I’m very grateful to my colleagues’ recognition of my work, and the fact that they felt that it’s time.”

Berdychevsky arrived at the Urbana-Champaign campus in 2013, after completing her doctorate at the University of Florida. She quickly made her mark studying risky leisure behaviors, such as sexual risk taking, violence, and delinquent practices, along with sexual leisure and positive sexuality across gender and lifespan.

Her work often focuses on vulnerable populations, including older adults facing ageist stereotypes around their sexuality, transgender people, high-risk young travelers and people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her name will join the TALS Fellows alongside a select group of scholars, including many of the same researchers she looked up to as a budding academic.

She’ll share the mantle with several of her colleagues from RST at Illinois. Previous fellows include Professor Monika Stodolska, a frequent collaborator; Professor Laura Payne, director of the Office of Recreation and Park Resources; Associate Professors Toni Liechty and Julie Son; and Professor and current RST Department Head Carla Santos.

Santos said a TALS fellowship provides “global recognition for your research,” which can lead to keynote speaking opportunities and bolster recruitment of top graduate students.

“Her work offers direction and examples that influence practices on how to advance positive sexuality, including sex as leisure in later life, and is informed by theory and empirical evidence,” Santos said. “Dr. Berdychevsky is undoubtedly pushing the boundaries of what leisure scholarship can, and should, become.”

Berdychevsky is a frequent contributor to prominent leisure, tourism, sexual health, and aging journals, including Leisure Sciences, Leisure Studies, Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Sex Research, Archives of Sexual Behavior, The Gerontologist, and Innovation in Aging. She has also published two books co-edited with University of Otago Professor Neil Carr: “Sex in Tourism: Exploring the Light and the Dark” (2021) and “Innovation and Impact of Sex as Leisure in Research and Practice (2022). Her third book, “Sex in Hospitality: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” is under contract.

“If you look at the mission of TALS, it’s an organization for scholars who are focused on the fundamental value of leisure and how we can promote it through scholarship, education, advocacy, and service,” Berdychevsky said. “They were pivotal to most of my choices throughout my career. Many of them feel like a family to me.”

Berdychevsky will accept her fellowship at the 2025 TALS Research and Teaching Conference, hosted March 5-7 in Pittsburgh.

The Academy of Leisure Sciences (TALS) was founded in 1980 by former leaders of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, including Allen Sapora, a pioneer in recreation education and research at Illinois and former RST department head.

(To learn more about Associate Professor Berdychevsky’s work, visit her faculty page here.)

Editor’s note:

To reach Ethan Simmons, email ecsimmon@illinois.edu.

Share on social

Tags: Liza Berdychevsky, RST Newsletter Spring 2025

Tag: RST Newsletter Spring 2025

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

New program helps student Veterans navigate transition to campus l…

Sapora Symposium 2026: The power of community

WCIA: Otavio Leão explains the Illini Kindergarten Cohort

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

RST Ph.D. student helps student-athletes find belonging, in and out of his research

WCIA: Otavio Leão explains the Illini Kindergarten Cohort

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

RST Ph.D. student helps student-athletes find belonging, in and out of his research

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

New program helps student Veterans navigate transition to campus l…

Sapora Symposium 2026: The power of community

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

New program helps student Veterans navigate transition to campus life

Sapora Symposium 2026: The power of community

WCIA: Otavio Leão explains the Illini Kindergarten Cohort

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

RST Ph.D. student helps student-athletes find belonging, in and out of his research

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

New program helps student Veterans navigate transition to campus l…

Sapora Symposium 2026: The power of community

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

New program helps student Veterans navigate transition to campus l…

Sapora Symposium 2026: The power of community

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

New program helps student Veterans navigate transition to campus l…

Sapora Symposium 2026: The power of community

WCIA: Otavio Leão explains the Illini Kindergarten Cohort

Georgia Malandraki’s First 100 Days

RST Ph.D. student helps student-athletes find belonging, in and out of his research

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news

Related news