Recreation directors from around the Big 12 athletic conference gathered on the West Virginia University campus and Outdoor Education Center, located in the heart of the WVU Research Forest in Bruceton Mills, Sept. 11-13 to discuss information on best practices and the future impact of demographic shifts on students and recreation operations.
Andy Darling, director of WVU Campus Recreation, presented the findings of recent research conducted at WVU that shows a positive correlation between student use of recreation facilities and their success in academics and retention. The group’s next step is to collaborate on the research project to include data from the Big 12 schools and other peer institutions.
“This was the first time that West Virginia University has hosted our colleagues, and I take pride in their compliments on the beauty of our campus, the spectacular facilities and views from the Outdoor Education Center, how polite our students were to them during their visit and how much fun they had riding the PRT,” Darling said. “We made a great impression on them and I’m sure they will share their thoughts with others from their institutions."
Read more about the Student Recreation Center and its available programs.