California University of Pennsylvania
Eberly College of Science & Technology
Department of Earth Sciences
Parks & Recreation Management Program
What You Do in Your Free Time Is Our Business!

Welcome to Dr. Confer's Home Page!

Take A Hike! - No, Really!
see ExplorePaTrail.com to find a nearby (or far away) trail to hike
Or go to NatureRocks.org to find natural areas near you!

Dr. Confer's Classes:

As my Mom used to say "Go Out & Play!" (Click on the icons below to see where to play)

Spring Semester 2010 Important Events:

1. Class Calendar
   MLK Day - No Classes - Monday, Jan. 18, 2010
   Classes begin - Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010
   Cal U Spring Break - No Classes - Saturday, Mar. 6 - Sunday, Mar. 14, 2010
   Easter Break - Saturday, Apr. 3 to Sunday, Apr. 4, 2010 (Note: This is a change!)
   Classes end - Thursday, Apr. 29, 2010 (Note: This is a change!)
   Reading Day - No Classes - Monday, May 3, 2010
   Final Exams - Monday, May 3 to Friday, May 7, 2010

2. Watch "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"  - Rebroadcast
   On PBS, on Wednesday nights, January 27 - March 3, 2010 @ 9-11PM
   (WQED, Pittsburgh Channel 13) Click here to see my webpage on this series

3. Ohiopyle Winterfest, Ohiopyle State Park
   Come out and have some winter fun!  FREE Sledding, X-C Skiing, Snowhoeing Dog sledding Demos!!!
   Date: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 @ 11AM-4PM; Location: Sugarloaf Mountain Sledding Area, Ohiopyle State Park, PA
   Click HERE for more info (Friends of Ohiopyle website) or HERE for PA DCNR Calendar of events

4. Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks Society District 1 (PRPS) Winter Workshop/Meeting (Click HERE for the Schedule)
   Date: Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 @ 8:30AM-4:00PM; Location: Upper St. Clair Community Center at Boyce Mayview Park, Upper St. Clair, PA
   (Interested Cal U Students contact Dr. Confer or  Dr. Wickham for more Info & to Register) Click HERE to see brochure, ONLY $10 for students!

5. Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks Society (PRPS) Annual Conference
   Dates: Saturday, Mar. 20 - Wednesday, Mar. 24, 2010 @ Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion, PA (Click Here for the Schedule)
   Student scholarships - Click HERE for scholarship application, Info on the John "Jack" Jones Scholarship & the Robert Crawford Scholarship
6. Northeast Recreation Research Symposium (NERR) (Click HERE for the Schedule)
   Dates: Apr. 10-13, 2010 @ The Sagamore Resort on Lake George, Bolton Landing, NY
   Student scholarships - Click HERE for more Information

7. Cal U Eco Learning Community Earth Week Celebration!

   Cal U Eco Earth Day Activities @ Cal U Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010, Is Earth Day! Details: TBA (Stay Tuned!)

8. 15^th Annual Pike Run Youth Fishing Festival!
   Saturday, April 24, 2010 - 7:00AM-2:30PM @ California Rotary Park
   For Youth 15 yrs & under - FREE!
   Registration 7-9AM, Fishing begins @ 8:00

Teaching

• Cal U ECO Learning Community: People, Nature & Media: Exploring Human Connections to the Outdoors & Natural World
  (Fall 2008-Spring 2010)

• Classes taught: (Click to view Syllabus for each class)
  Undergraduate:

  • REC 165: Introduction to Recreation & Leisure

  • REC 362: Recreation Site Design & Management

  • REC 365: Recreation Resource Management

  • REC 374: Commercial Recreation Management

  • REC 378: Recreation Management & Leadership

  • REC 412: Program Planning & Evaluation

  • GEO 123: Introduction to CAD & GIS

  • GEO 240: Human Ecology

  • GEO 340: Historical Geography

   

Service

• Cal U Parks & Recreation Society, Faculty Advisor

• Cal U Rho Phi Lambda, the National Honorary Fraternity for Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services majors, Faculty Advisor

• Cal U Institutional Review Board (Member, Fall 2006-Present)

• Cal U FPDC Grants & Contracts Subcommittee (Member, Fall 2006-Present)

• Cal U Forum University Core Values Committee (Member, Spring 2007-Present)

• Cal U General Education Committee (Member, Fall 2008-Present)

• National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA) GIS Standards & Data Model Project for Parks, Trails & Recreation Facilities Advisory Committee & Task Force Member (Spring 2008-Present)

• National Association of Recreation Resource Planners (NARRP) 2009 National Conference Planning Committee 2009 Conference Planning Committee (Spring 2008-Present) - Cal U Earth Sciences Department, Parks & Recreation Management Program are Co-Sponsors of this year's NARRP National Conference, Pittsburgh, PA

• Northeast Recreation Research Symposium (NERR) 2009 Symposium Planning Committee Member (1995-Present)

• Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks Society (PRPS) District 1 Annual Winter Meeting Planning Committee & Local Liaison
  District 1 Annual Winter Meeting will be held here at Cal U in the Natali Student Center on Friday, February 6, 2009

• Member of the following Professional/Academic Associations/Organizations/Societies

  • Venture Outdoors

  • Pennsylvania Recreation & Parks Society (PRPS)

  • National Recreation & Parks Association (NRPA)

    • Society of Park & Recreation Educators (SPRE)

    • National Society for Park Resources (NSPR)

    • American Park & Recreation Society (APRS)

  • National Association of Recreation Resource Planners (NARRP)

  • American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD)

    • American Association for Physical Activity & Recreation (AAPAR)

      • Council for Adventure & Outdoor Education/Recreation

      • Measurement & Evaluation Council

  • International Association for Society & Natural Resources (IASNR)

  • Pennsylvania Geographical Society (PGS)

  • Association of American Geographers (AAG)

    • Recreation, Tourism & Sport Specialty Group

    • Geographic Information Systems & Science Specialty Group

    • Water Resources Specialty Group

  • Association for Outdoor Recreation & Education (AORE)

  • Association for Experiential Education (AEE)

  • NWF Campus Ecology

  • The International Ecotourism Society

Research & Scholarship

Click HERE to see my CV

Dr. John Confer
Office: EBE 265 2^nd floor, Eberly Sciences & Technology Center
California University of Pennsylvania
Fall 2010 Office Hours:
  MWF @ 2-3PM & MW @ 5:15-6:15PM
  or by appointment (E-mail for appointment)
Phone: (724) 938-4211
E-mail: confer@calu.edu
Dr. Confer's Home Page: http://workforce.calu.edu/confer/