Shaping Their Professions: Faculty Take on Big Issues

Faculty are teachers and scholars, but along with fulfilling these critical roles they are expected to spend time in service to the community. For many faculty that means serving on important committees or participating in outreach programs to the Ithaca community, and for others it means shaping the development of their field through involvement in professional associations. Here we’ll highlight what a few HSHP faculty members have been doing in their own professional organizations.

Chuck Ciccone ’75, PT

By focusing on the research supporting the practice, physical therapy professor Chuck Ciccone ’75 hopes to accomplish two things: to help physical therapists improve treatment results for patients and to build a stronger motivation for physical therapists to participate in research.

Ciccone has been on the editorial board of Physical Therapy for 12 years, serving for many years as its associate editor for reviews and abstracts. In January he assumed responsibilities as editor of "Evidence in Practice," a new journal feature. The feature is intended to help PTs learn how to access evidence that will help them make decisions about evaluating and treating patients. In each issue a clinical question is posed, and the answer is guided by the literature. Ciccone hopes that this new section of the journal will help therapists understand the link between research and their clinical practice.

Ciccone also serves on the editorial advisory group for PT Magazine, a monthly focused on issues related to physical therapy practice. He has published and presented extensively in the areas of biomechanics, physiology, pharmacology, and experimental design/analysis.

Jan Monroe, TR&LS

Associate professor of therapeutic recreation and leisure services Jan Monroe is in her third and final year as the leader of the national association that certifies therapeutic recreation personnel. As chair of the board of directors of the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification since 2000, Monroe has played an important role in establishing standards for certification and in promoting the field of therapeutic recreation to the public.

Under Monroe’s leadership, NCTRC has initiated computer mastery testing for therapeutic recreation professionals. This testing procedure uses cutting-edge technology to promote greater standardized exam security and convenience for test takers. Monroe’s work also focuses on the educational experiences of students during fieldwork assignments. She is interested in identifying the key characteristics of high-quality internship experiences so that colleges and universities can be sure their students are receiving the best possible internships.

Since taking over as chair, Monroe has traveled around the country. The work has been challenging and time-consuming but, she says, very rewarding. "I have learned so much as chair," she reports. "It is an awesome experience to be recognized as a national leader of the profession and to be involved in so many important initiatives. The biggest benefit has been interacting with some of the best minds in the field of therapeutic recreation and being instrumental in setting policy that will frame the future of the profession. It is a dream come true."

Ellen Staurowsky, Sport Studies

Professor of sport studies Ellen Staurowsky was elected to the executive committee of the Drake Group, an assembly of faculty from around the country who help shape the dialogue on intercollegiate athletic reform.

The group is working to bridge the gap between athletics and higher education. It "advocates for policies that challenge the subtle and overt ways in which college sport erodes academic experience," says Staurowsky. Working through faculty governance structures, the group facilitates consideration of policies to ensure equity among all students, athletes or not. This year the group has proposed four recommendations for faculty councils to consider, including the retirement of the term "student-athlete" from general use and the establishment of college policies that emphasize the importance of class attendance and minimize conflicts created by athletic scheduling.

Staurowsky coauthored a book, College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA’s Amateur Myth (Praeger Pub Trade, 1998), directly related to the work she does with the Drake Group, and she has written book chapters and articles in professional and popular publications on the subject of college athletes and other issues in contemporary sports.

Staurowsky, who this year received Ithaca College’s Excellence in Scholarship Award, is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Sport Management, Athletic Management, and Women’s Sport and Physical Activity and serves on the Women’s Sports Foundation Advisory Board.