Joel Meier Receives Paul K. Petzoldt Award
Educator, scholar, and avid outdoorsman, Joel Meier, M.S., Re.D,, Professor Emeritus in the HPER Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies Department, is this year's winner of the Paul K. Petzoldt award from the Wilderness Education Association (WEA).
“Dr. Joel Meier has been a passionate leader for outdoor recreation for decades. His research and instruction in risk and outdoor experiences is of the highest quality and cited by industry leaders and scholars. He is a pioneer who clearly represents the spirit of Paul Petzoldt,” said David Compton, chair of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies in the School of HPER.
Each year the WEA recognizes and acknowledges outstanding achievements in outdoor leadership with the Paul K. Petzoldt Award. The WEA was founded in 1977 by Paul Petzoldt, Frank Lupton, Robert Christie and Charles Gregory as a means to train outdoor leaders to safely lead and teach the public about appropriate use of wilderness areas. The WEA is comprised of over 40 organizational affiliates - primarily colleges and universities - that help to promote this mission.
Prof. Meier's career highlights:
- Former Associate Dean and Professor Emeritus, School of Forestry, University of Montana
- Former Chair and Professor, Department of Recreation Park and Tourism Studies, School of HPER, Indiana University
- President, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD), 1989-90
- President, American Association for Leisure and Recreation (AALR), 1978-79
- President, American Leisure Academy, 2002-03
- Recipient of AAHPERD's Luther Halsey Gulick Award; SPRE Distinguished Colleague Award; AALR J. B. Nash Scholar Award; American Leisure Academy Scholar Lecturer Award; Julian Smith Award of the Council on Outdoor Education
- Fulbright Scholar Appointment at the University of Otago, New Zealand
- Member, American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, and Senior Fellow, American Leisure Academy
- Member and former chair, North American Society of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport, and Dance Professionals
