Former professor and Department Chair, Mark Havitz, and PhD Candidate and Lecturer, Jaylyn Leighton, were honoured with prestigious awards at the 2021 Canadian Canadian Congress on Leisure Research (CCLR)
Professor Mark Havitz recieves the 2021 Leisure Scholar Award
This award “recognises the significant and unique contributions to the field of leisure studies by a Canadian leisure researcher and requires a distinguished record of scholarship, service, and mentorship”.
In a message to their members following the conference, the President of CALS wrote:
“This year’s recipient of the 2021 Leisure Scholar Award is Dr. Mark Havitz. This award also recognises the significant and unique contributions to the field of leisure studies by a Canadian leisure researcher and requires a distinguished record of scholarship, service, and mentorship. Mark has generated and/or influenced new concepts and ideas, provided new insights, advanced innovative perspectives and approaches to research, and ultimately, had a significant impact on the way in which leisure is understood and plays out in the lives of Canadians. As Mark’s nominators wrote: ‘It is difficult to put into words the profound impact Mark has had on the field of Leisure Studies. For many of us, Mark embodies what it means to be a professor. Mark is a thoughtful, humble, and brilliant scholar. If I were to ask 10 different scholars to describe Mark’s contribution, there would be 10 vastly different accounts’. “
Mark Havitz was a member of our department from 1992, when he was an Associate Professor, until March 2019 when he retired. During his time in our department, he taught numerous undergraduate courses from Introduction to Leisure Services Management (REC 101) and Introduction to Tourism (REC 280), to Financing Recreation and Leisure Services (REC 316) and Statistical Techniques Applied to Leisure Studies (REC 371). He also taught many graduate courses, supervised 19 Undergraduate Honours Theses, and sat on 47 Master’s Thesis Committees. Additionally, he held the role of Associate Chair, Graduate Studies and Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies during his time in our department.
Being awarded the CALS 2021 Leisure Scholar Award is well deserved, indeed. Congratulations, Mark.
PhD Candidate and Lecturer, Jaylyn Leighton, is one of four scholars awarded the 2021 Bryan Smale Award for Outstanding Contributions to CALS
This year, Jaylyn was on the planning committee for the conference and played a pivotal role in shifting the conference from an in-person format (which is typically hosted by one University) to working with individuals from multiple universities to create a unique virtual conference.
In a message to their members, the CALS President wrote:
“In 2020 the CALS Board of Directors created the Bryan Smale Award for Outstanding Contributions to CALS, and with part of this announcement, Bryan was named the inaugural winner. In the second year of this award, the Board could think of no better scholar, rather scholars to give this award to. In only its second year of being awarded, Shin, Felice, Simon, and Jaylyn are being named as this year’s recipients. The shift of CCLR to an online format was defined by compassion, care, and commitment. This collective group of scholars has gone and above what is expected for service work to the profession. In a typical year CCLR is hosted by one institution with many hands to help out the organizing committee. From other colleagues, to administrative assistants, to a cohort of graduate students. This committee had none of those resources; yet was still able to organize, coordinate, and plan for this phenomenal and inspirational gathering … and gave up much to their personal and professional lives to do so.”
Thank you for representing our department, Jaylyn. Congratulations on your award.
The Canadian Congress on Leisure Research (CCLR) is a triennial conference co-hosted by the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies (CALS)