IU Parks and Public Lands blaze nation-wide training trail

The National Park Service and the IU Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands are working together to provide training for new park service employees. \nStephen Wolter, director of the Eppley Institute that is a part of the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, spoke of the rarity of this particular collaboration of efforts.\n"There are few, if any, other programs in the nation that allow for this level of cooperation and experience between a major university and a federal land management agency," Wolter said.\nShayne Galloway, a doctoral candidate in recreation from HPER, and Amy Lorek, a facilitator and educational designer from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, were chosen for the one-year appointments into the program after a nationwide search. They will be trained as new park service employees at two locations by visiting lecturers from Eppley.\nGalloway said his expectations for his new position are high.\n"The appointment is certainly an honor," he said. "It's an exciting project where I'll be able to teach some fundamental courses. We know what we're going do, but we don't know how it will all unfold."\nEach will spend six months at National Park Service training centers in Grand Canyon, Ariz., and Harpers Ferry, W.Va. There, they will develop and provide training programs for an estimated 900 new park service employees. These programs will cover topics ranging from the values and traditions of the park programs, national resource management, cultural and heritage resource stewardship, visitor protection in national parks and public use. \nWolter said the undertaking has many advantages.\n"We believe this program is a positive experience for both our institute and the Park service, because it gives the Park service an opportunity to enhance the education of new employees while improving training delivery and content," Wolter said. "It also provides our graduate and doctoral students with excellent field work experience."\nGalloway agreed, noting that as a future faculty member, the ability to have field work experience while constructing an academic itinerary was crucial in the development of solid university programs. \nIn addition, he has hopes for how these classes will benefit students' transcripts.\n"In a couple of years from now, perhaps the students will get credit from their universities for these courses," Galloway said.\nThis program will set course in early August under the funding of a recent $3.5 million training program that has been approved by Congress. In addition, the IU Institute received $500,000 in training funds from the Park Service earlier this year.\nEppley personnel have worked with the Park Service in recent years on a variety of training and development programs. Just last year, the Institute received the highest honor for training and excellence that can be presented by the National Park Service.\nThe Eppley Institute's mission statement reads, "Our mission is to encourage quality recreational and educational experiences for people through support of agencies and organizations that conserve, protect and manage natural and cultural resources"