Recreation Conference Planned for Nov. 9 and 10

10/31/2017 

Lynn Barnett-Morris, a scholar on children’s play at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will deliver the prestigious Metcalf Endowment Lecture at the 67th annual SUNY Cortland Recreation Conference, which takes place Thursday, Nov. 9, and Friday, Nov. 10, at the College.

Barnett-Morris, an associate professor in Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, will give the keynote address, “Off to Neverland,” from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Cortland Repertory Theater at 24 Port Watson St. in downtown Cortland. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Barnett-Morris has focused her research on the theoretical formulation of children’s play, intrinsic motivation and rewards, the effects of adult-structured play and extracurricular activities on children’s development and interests, and the play of children with special needs.

Her areas of interest also include analysis of play and its relation to development, investigation of toys and play spaces as facilitative of play, and resources in research design and statistical analysis.

She is the author of a forthcoming book, The Contribution of Play to Societies: Multiple Perspectives (UK: Inter-Disciplinary Press). She wrote the 1995 text, Research About Leisure: Past, Present, and Future Directions, 2nd ed. (Champaign, Ill.: Sagamore Publishing).

Barnett-Morris has made the University of Illinois List of Excellent Teachers from 1981 to 2014 and has been recognized by the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, National Recreation and Park Association and by the Panhellenic Association and Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs.

She has a B.S. in psychology, an M.S. in leisure studies, and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“Off to Neverland” is the theme of the two-day gathering, the nation’s oldest continuous collegiate-sponsored recreation education conference.

The theme aims to encourage people to take a journey through recreation to see the endless possibilities it has to offer with the world as our playground. As recreation professionals, we are always striving to learn more. We ask you to enlighten us on your findings, and help us open the doors of what it is we’ve yet to discover.

 “We don’t stop playing because you grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,” said conference coordinator Meagan Hirschi, a senior recreation management major from Congers, N.Y., quoting George Bernard Shaw,

Presented by the College’s Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department and students in its Special Events Planning class, the conference receives additional support for the Metcalf Keynote Address from the Metcalf Endowment Fund and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series. Sponsors also include the New York State Recreation and Park Society, Playground Medic, and the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association. The annual event hosts 200 to 400 students and professionals in the fields of recreation, parks, and leisure studies from all over New York state and the greater New England area.

The conference features a continuing education credit opportunity, a fireside chat with other professionals, internship fair, special workshops and trainings, two days of professional development sessions, with catered luncheons, live entertainment, and raffles of local goods and services.

Registration is open to the general public. The registration rate for the conference is $60 for students and $125 for professionals. Registrations will be accepted at the door both days.

For additional information and to register for the conference, visit cortland.edu/reconf.