Patti Freeman
Department Chair

My Background:

I joined the Leisure Service Management faculty in the fall of 1999 and teach courses in the leisure service management core, outdoor recreation specialization, and masters program.
I came to BYU from the University of Utah. I was at the University of Utah for two years and taught in their recreation core, outdoor recreation area, and the graduate program. Prior to the University of Utah, I taught at Murray State University in Murray, KY for four years.

Courses I Teach:

RMYL 223R - Backpacking
RMYL 223R - Winter Camping
RMYL 304 - Leisure in Modern Society
RMYL 422 - Organization and Leadership of Outdoor Programs
RMYL 423 - Management of Outdoor Recreation Systems
RMYL 487 - Research and Evaluation in Parks and Recreation
RMYL 611 - Philosophy and Social Psychology of Leisure

Conservation and Outdoor Leadership Training (C.O.L.T)

The focus of the Conservation and Outdoor Leadership Training (C.O.L.T) program is on outdoor leadership development and resource management.

Students live at Aspen Grove (BYU's family camp located up Provo Canyon) and participate in traditional coursework Monday through Wednesday and then participate in field experiences Thursday through Saturday. During the field experiences students participate in activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, rafting, backpacking, canoeing, and mountaineering. Students have an opportunity to live off campus and travel throughout the state of Utah and surrounding states to intensely study the outdoor recreation profession. C.O.L.T. students enroll for a block of 14 credit hours, which provides them with an exciting opportunity to complete all of their course work for their outdoor recreation specialization area in one semester.

Personal Information:

I graduated from BYU in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership in 1988 and then went to Western Illinois University to complete my master's degree. Upon graduation from Western Illinois I worked for the Rockford Park District in Rockford, Illinois as an outdoor instructor. While it was one of my favorite jobs I decided to return to school and entered Indiana University to complete my Ph.D. Upon graduating from Indiana in 1993, I took a summer and worked in Alaska and then started my career job as a professor at Murray State University in the fall of 1993. I met Eric Andersen while I was a professor at the University of Utah and we married in 1998 in the Salt Lake Temple. In November, 2002, we adopted twin boys from Ghana; they were 20 months old when we got them. Their names are Caleb Paynin and Hayden Kakra.