Professor Elected Fellow of American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration

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Merry Moiseichik

Merry Moiseichik, University of Arkansas professor of recreation and sport management, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.

According to a letter from the academy, fellows are chosen for their leadership within the profession, involvement in other community, state, regional or national organizations and their presentations and publications. Members are expected to advance knowledge related to the administration of public parks and recreation, to encourage scholarly efforts by practitioners and educators to enhance the practice of public parks and recreation administration, and to promote broader public understanding of the importance of public parks and recreation to the public good. They are also expected to conduct research, publish scholarly papers and sponsor seminars related to the advancement of public parks and recreation administration.

Fellows are installed at an annual banquet scheduled this year in Houston in October. The Academy has 125 fellows and only 30 may be chosen from the field of higher education.

Moiseichik, who earned a doctorate in recreation and park administration from Indiana University and a law degree from the University of Arkansas, joined the faculty of the College of Education and Health Professions in 1989. She wrote Management for Park and Recreation Agencies, the best-selling book in the history of the National Recreation and Park Association.

She has worked with more than 20 cities in Arkansas and Oklahoma to develop or improve their park and recreation departments through the capstone graduate class in recreation and sport management.

She also helps to organize the annual Women's Leadership Summit co-sponsored by the college and the Fayetteville Visitors Bureau. The purpose of the conference is to inspire women working in the fields of recreation, sport, hospitality and tourism in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Texas and to help them learn leadership skills from women leaders.

Moiseichik has held several offices in professional organizations and received numerous awards for her work. She has received the Distinguished Faculty Award for service from the Arkansas Alumni Association and the National Recreation and Park Association Southwest Region Fellow Award, both for service to the university, state and nation.