The faculty in the Recreation and Tourism Management Program strive to be teacher-scholars. To them, this means striving for excellence in classroom teaching by developing innovative activities, lectures, discussions and experiences that promote student mastery of important topical material. Additionally, they attempt to incorporate their research and real world experiences into the courses to heighten learning and increase mastery of course content. They also promote application of important theoretical concepts to actual situations through the use of case studies and problem-solving activities utilizing creative information and communication technologies. Evidence of faculty involvement in scholarship and professional growth include, original research, publications, grants, editorships of journals and refereed publications, refereed papers/presentations, conference presentations, technical reports, and professional consultations.

The Recreation and Tourism Management Program’s commitment to scholarship is evidenced by faculty involvement in major research grants (such as National Institutes of Health, National Forest Service), academic grants (People, Information, and Communication Technologies, CSU Information Literacy Grant), publication of articles in top peer-reviewed journals (such as Journal of Leisure Research, The Interpreter, Tourism Management), and leadership positions in professional organizations (California Society of Park and Recreation Educators, Board of Directors of Great Western Travel and Tourism Research Association, Board of Directors of Padre Dam Municipal Water District ). Furthermore, the faculty’s contributions to the Institute for Leisure Behavior include a 2007 publication which has been endorsed by an award-winning environmental organization.