Running head: ASSIGNMENT 4: NEEDS ASSESSMENT

RST 410 Writing Assignment 4: Needs Assessment

Mike Braverman, Payton Lykins, and Nick Taylor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

I.
ASSIGNMENT 4: NEEDS ASSESSMENT

II. Introduction

For our project, we have been tasked with conducting a needs assessment for the
Office of Recreation and Park Resources (ORPR). The needs we will be addressing
include generating training and research initiatives that will enable full cost recovery;
expanding ORPR engagements so that ORPR fully represents RSTs stated vision for
service to recreation, sport and tourism; and enabling stronger integration of ORPR with
the teaching and research of RST.

II. Introduction to ORPR

The motto of the ORPR is Helping Build Healthy Communities. In order to

build these healthy communities, they provide a few different services. The main service
that the ORPR provides is acting as the community engagement branch for the RST
department at UIUC. A primary aspect of this service is educating leisure service
providers about the changes that are happening within the industry. The organization
offers workshops which are personally tailored to agencies needs which includes but is
not limited to Internal Customer Service, External Customer Service, Programming,
Professionalism, and Worksite Wellness.

The ORPR works hard to target leisure service providers. These providers
are the agencies that benefit most from the services that the ORPR offers. The ORPR
strategically looks at the direction of leisure agencies before deciding what services will
best fit the objectives and needs of the organization. However, given the broad industry
that is leisure services, the services that the ORPR offers are adaptable to many different
kinds of agencies throughout many industries.

III. Stakeholder Analysis

The stakeholders for the ORPR include our current partners, our potential new
partners, the citizens of Champaign-Urbana, and the student-body and staff of the
University of Illinois. As the needs assessment and future change occurs, the partnerships
with our current parks and recreation organizations must remain strong and positive. It is
important to make current stakeholders understand that they are being heard and their
needs are met while expansion is taking place.

It is important to gather feedback from new affiliated organizations in the sport

and tourism sectors in regards to operations and new partnerships. It is equally important
to conduct research throughout the community (C-U citizens and the student-body) for
wants and needs. Expanding the ORPR to fully represent RSTs stated vision goes hand
in hand with the consumers needs and it must be done right. Specific information will
include, but is not limited to, availability for gyms and ball fields, tourism stops and
nightlife attractions, and sport leagues for all ages. It is important that voices are heard
and needs are met.
ASSIGNMENT 4: NEEDS ASSESSMENT

The priority of stakeholders will fluctuate throughout the entire process depending
on the current area of focus. Overall, all stakeholders will want and get the attention they
deserve from the ORPR on a consistent basis. This will ensure that current relationships
do not falter while new relationships are formed.

IV. Assessments

a. Generate training and research initiatives that will enable full cost recovery
i. One way to address training and research initiatives that will enable full cost
recovery, is being able to forecast how the industry is going to be changing in the
near future. More research towards industry trends and collecting data on what the
cutting edge leisure service providers are doing is what is going to help the ORPR
achieve this. This information will be gathered by extensive research of successful
leisure service providers throughout the nation. The ORPR can question these
successful agencies to determine what sort of training procedures they have been
implementing. Once the ORPR obtains this information, they will then be able to
distribute it to agencies and enable full cost recovery.

b. Expand ORPR engagements so that ORPR fully represents RSTs stated vision for
service to recreation, sport and tourism
i. One aspect in which ORPR could better fully represent RSTs stated vision for
service to recreation, sport and tourism is by continuing to further research into
what exactly the latest data suggests is the optimal lifestyle choice for a healthy
community. The mission of the department is to provide this for communities.
However, the information on the optimal way a community should be living is
changing rapidly. Gone are the days when people rely on information being
passed down by generations before them. We live in the information age where
both faulty and real truths are being put forth towards the public. The ORPR
should dedicate time to discovering scientific truth from pseudoscience and make
sure to analyze all the current information we perceive to be true about the
industry before offering it to organizations. In fulfilling this task, the ORPR will
better represent the department of RSTs vision for service to the industry.

c. Enable stronger integration of ORPR with the teaching and research of RST.
i. An aspect that could and should be taken advantage of more is using the students
of RST to better integrate ORPR with the teaching and research of RST. For
example, all the members of our group are upperclassman and have never heard
of the ORPR before this project. If the ORPR wishes to more strongly integrate
their organization with teaching and research of RST, they must reach out to
students more effectively. One way to achieve this goal is by sending members of
the ORPR into RST classes of all levels and having them complete projects
associated with the organization. The students of RST are the future of the
industry and should be involved in the work the ORPR does. This is a great
resource the ORPR must better utilize to integrate the organization with the RST
department.
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V. SWOT Analysis

One of the major strengths that the ORPR demonstrates is its dedication to research and
reports. If you visit their website you can be taken to a tab that lists out the many reports they
have done as well research studies they have conducted. One of the main goals of the ORPR is to
teach and inform the community about parks and recreation. They achieve this goal by making
learning tools easily accessible on their website. Another strength that the ORPR demonstrates is
the ability to help in major way. One of their best accomplishments was helping over 42 agencies
with staffing, planning park lands, and developing new policies. Overall, the biggest strengths
that the ORPR demonstrates is its ability to inform the public and the ability to assist major
agencies.

ORPR has displayed strength in building relations and doing research. However, a
weakness they demonstrated is not being publicly known. The work that the ORPR demonstrates
is all done behind the scenes. In order to better their business, they must market themselves more
publicly. Although their website contains a lot of information that can be accessible to the public,
their website lacks a sense of personality and may lead to users not using it. In order to appeal to
more users, they should make corrections to their website to make it more appealing and user
friendly.

Opportunities are a good way for successful agencies to stay successful or give poor
agencies a chance to turn it around. Two major companies that the ORPR is pursuing to build
relationships with are the National Park Service, and the Chicago Blackhawks. The National
Park Service would bring national attention to the ORPR. In doing so, the ORPR would be able
to conduct more research and make more reports. To best way to picture this potential
relationship is to compare it to dominos. The first domino, being the National Park services, falls
down and passes their knowledge and studies to the ORPR. It is then passed along to all of the
agencies currently working with the ORPR.

The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the most dominant and popular hockey franchises in
America. If these two agencies were to work together, the ORPR would benefit tremendously.
The partnership would increase the publicity of the ORPR which could potentially eliminate one
of the weaknesses.

Weaknesses are hard to come by with a recreation company that facilitates the way
ORPR does. However, a weakness they possess is one they cannot entirely control. The study
and field of recreation is constantly changing. New studies are being made each and every day
that may or may not affect the results of previous studies. They may not be able to stop the ever
so changing industry, but they need to able to do their best in order to keep up with and adapt to
the status quo.
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References

Office of Recreation and Park Resources University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (n.d.).

Retrieved October 4, 2017, from http://www.orpr.illinois.edu/