Can’t We All Get Along? Collaboration Between Outdoor Campus Recreation Programs and Their Academic Counterparts

Collaboration between outdoor campus recreation programs and their academic counterparts in college institutions is an important aspect of efficiency and student success. Little is known about how or if these programs collaborate, even though they are well-positioned to benefit from such efforts. This study asked 31 different college campus recreation and academic programs (paired from the same institution) across the United States about the nature of their relationship to better understand how these programs might collaborate. Staff and faculty responses showed that most of the campus recreation/academic relationships were perceived as positive and demonstrated collaborative efforts, however, most of the perceptions of the relationship by staff/faculty were not aligned (both did not view the relationship as positive, neutral, etc.). This study highlights the benefits and barriers of collaboration between campus recreation and their academic counterpart on college campuses, and provides some ideas of how programs might begin collaborative efforts.