NC State Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

09/03/2026

🌿 Mark your calendars for September 24! Join us for Conversations on Nature and Health: NC Outdoor Recreation, from 8:45–10 a.m. at the Plant Sciences Building.

NC State’s new Nature & Health Collaborative will host two opportunities to convene and converse this fall through its Conversations on Nature and Health initiative. Each date will feature experts from the university and the community who will offer initial comments before a broader dialogue.

Join us for the first event in the Conversations on Nature and Health series, focused on outdoor recreation in North Carolina.

PRTM will be well represented in the conversation! Ann Savage, Tourism Extension Associate, and Professor Lincoln Larson, Co-Director of the Nature & Health Collaborative, will join the panel, with Professor Aaron Hipp, Director of the Nature & Health Collaborative, serving as moderator.

☕ Coffee and a light breakfast begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by the panel discussion at 9 a.m. The event is free and registration is encouraged.

🔗 Learn more and register: http://ncst.at/bkyo50ZIpZn

08/31/2026

🐺 Alumni Spotlight: Bree Nidds ’19

PRTSM Online alumna Bree Nidds has built an impressive career in the tourism industry — and today, she serves as chief operating officer of Discover Lehigh Valley, the official destination marketing organization for Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania.

Bree earned her online master’s degree in Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management in 2019. She credits the program with strengthening her knowledge in areas like financial management, strategic planning and organizational leadership as she advanced into leadership roles.

Learn more about Bree’s career journey, the impact of her work in the Lehigh Valley and her advice for the next generation of industry professionals:

http://ncst.at/jkmz50ZACWz

Bree Nidds '19 leveraged her master's degree from NC State to advance from a tourism industry professional to a leadership role as chief operating officer of Discover Lehigh Valley.

08/27/2026

🌿 Congratulations to Dr. Aaron Hipp on the launch of NC State's new Nature & Health Collaborative!

Led by Dr. Hipp, professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, the collaborative brings together researchers, educators, campus leaders, and community partners to explore how nature and biodiversity support human health and well-being. Housed within NC State's Global One Health Academy, the initiative will advance interdisciplinary research, education, public engagement, and campus transformation.

Among its first projects is Rocky Branch Refuge, which will transform an existing stormwater site into a biodiverse campus destination for research, learning, and wellness. The collaborative also supports Campus Nature Rx, an initiative partnering with Campus Health to connect students with the health benefits of spending time in nature.

This exciting initiative reflects the many ways PRTM faculty are helping shape healthier communities through research, collaboration, and innovative approaches to connecting people with the outdoors.

Read more about the Nature & Health Collaborative:

The Global One Health Academy is happy to announce and introduce the Nature & Health Collaborative – a campus-wide network that explores, supports, and shares how nature and the health of the natural world enhances and sustains the health and wellbeing of humans and society.

08/25/2026

Today is the day! Join us for the PRTM Seminar Series Fall kickoff as Dr. Bryan Clift discusses "The Uses of Running: An Ethnographic Exploration of Running with the Temporarily Unhoused"

Tuesday August 25, 2026
3.30-4.30PM
Jordan Hall II, Room 1214

In this talk, Dr. Clift will discuss his latest book, The Uses of Running (Routledge, 2026), an ethnographic exploration of one not-for-profit organization that uses running as a means of empowering those in temporary housing facilities.

08/21/2026

🐺 Something to howl about! 🐺

PRTM Professor Lincoln Larson will take the stage at Marbles IMAX on Tuesday, Aug. 25, for the final installment of Conservation Convos: Something to Howl About, a speaker series exploring wolf conservation alongside the IMAX documentary Lost Wolves of Yellowstone.

Dr. Larson has worked with red wolves here in North Carolina and gray wolves in Yellowstone, and he currently works with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to investigate best practices for communicating about controversial carnivore species.

Join him for an evening exploring wolves, conservation and the challenges of communicating about wildlife that can inspire both fascination and debate.

📅 Tuesday, Aug. 25
⏰ 6–7:30 p.m.
📍 Marbles IMAX, downtown Raleigh

🎟️ Learn more and purchase tickets: http://ncst.at/Kqug50ZAW45

08/19/2026

The PRTM Seminar Series is back and better than ever! 🎙️👨‍🎓 Join us next week on Tuesday, August 25th when Dr. Bryan Clift will discuss "The Uses of Running: An Ethnographic Exploration of Running with the Temporarily Unhoused". Details and information below:

Bryan Clift
Tuesday August 25, 2026
3.30-4.30PM
Jordan Hall II, Room 1214

Dr. Bryan C. Clift is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at NC State University, and an honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Bath. His work focuses on the social and cultural aspects of physical movement practices (e.g., sport, physical activity, recreation) in relation to the power dynamics at work within the cultural economy. He also specializes in qualitative research.

In this talk, Dr. Clift will discuss his latest book, The Uses of Running (Routledge, 2026), an ethnographic exploration of one not-for-profit organization that uses running as a means of empowering those in temporary housing facilities. Drawing on ethnographic methods, this book takes a critical look at how this organization fits within wider historical dynamics of urban homelessness, race, and neoliberalism in the United States. In doing so, and highlighting the experiences of both those in recovery at temporary housing facilities and volunteers, the book challenges assumptions about the social role of sport and physical activity-led interventions.

08/17/2026

🍂 Welcome (back), Wolfpack!🐺

A new semester means new classes, new experiences, and new opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact. Whether you're joining us for the first time or returning for another semester, we're excited to have you back in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management.

We hope this semester brings new challenges, meaningful connections, and memorable experiences. Here's to a great semester—we're glad you're here. 🐺❤️

08/13/2026

🗿 Who gets remembered in public spaces—and who decides?

Those are some of the questions explored through Monumental Gestures, an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together artists, researchers, designers, and community partners to reimagine how monuments, memorials, and public spaces shape our understanding of history, identity, and place.

Professor Rasul Mowatt serves as the project's Research Director, bringing his expertise in race, memory, public space, and critical leisure studies to help guide conversations about how communities engage with the past while imagining the future.

Reflecting on the role monuments can play in our lives, Dr. Mowatt writes, "A monument stands as a possible focal point for a community, a society, and a city... a possible focal point for possibilities."

Learn more about the Monumental Gestures project:
🔗 http://ncst.at/msxW50ZruVT

Read Dr. Mowatt's essay, "A Monument and You, A Monument and Me,":
🔗 http://ncst.at/Pwyp50ZruVV

Follow Monumental Gestures on Instagram 🔗: http://ncst.at/pbZs50ZruVU

Field Note No. 2 examines the Soldiers & Sailors Monument not primarily as a historic object, but as a place woven into the everyday lives of Indianapolis residents. In A Monument and You, A Monument and Me, researcher Rasul A. Mowatt reflects on the monument as a backdrop for personal memory, c

08/11/2026

Looking for a part-time position for the school year to gain some experience in athletics? NC State Athletics is currently hiring for a part-time ticketing role. Ticket operations include the following sports: football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, wrestling, and gymnastics. Students in this position will be handling customer inquiries, the distribution of event tickets, and other tasks as needed.

Job details and how to apply: http://ncst.at/KCwk50Ztqtw

08/07/2026

Could Major League Baseball be coming to Raleigh?

As discussions surrounding MLB expansion continue, NC State PRTM faculty member Dr. Mike Edwards recently shared his expertise with ABC11, discussing the opportunities and challenges associated with bringing a Major League Baseball franchise to the Triangle.

Dr. Edwards noted that the region's strong support for professional sports—demonstrated by the success of organizations like the Carolina Hurricanes—suggests that the Triangle could be an attractive market for future expansion. However, factors such as corporate partnerships, stadium financing, infrastructure, and regional growth will all play important roles in determining whether Raleigh could successfully support an MLB franchise.

As sport organizations and communities continue to evaluate the future of professional sport, conversations like these highlight the complex economic, social, and operational considerations involved in major league expansion.

Watch Dr. Edwards' full interview and learn more about the ongoing MLB expansion discussion in the ABC11 story below.

http://ncst.at/YwrJ50Zir1o