About us.
Vision and Mission Statements
Vision
We aspire to be a leading organization that brings together scholars from diverse disciplines as a community that investigates and promotes the value and fundamental aspects of leisure.(adopted May 7, 2024)
Mission
TALS empowers and represents a community of educators and researchers who steward the value of leisure through advocacy, knowledge creation, and education. (adopted May 7, 2024)
Strategic Plan (2025 - Present)
The Board of Directors (BOD) undertook a strategic planning process that began in February 2024 concluding with this plan being formalized and adopted in spring 2025. This strategic plan, which follows the completion of the 2017 - 2023 strategic plan, has been developed through a comprehensive engagement process. Using an outside facilitator, the BOD undertook a day-long workshop in February 2024, followed by four focus groups targeting specific member groups affiliated with the organization (i.e., graduate students, junior faculty, teaching-focused faculty/educators, and senior faculty/researchers).
The strategic plan can be accessed here.
History
The Academy of Leisure Sciences was founded in 1980 with its central purpose as the intellectual advancement of leisure sciences.
This purpose was carried out by recognizing outstanding scholars elected as Fellows within the Academy, establishing meetings and activities to exchange ideas and advance the intellectual understanding of leisure, and to promote research and the scholarly study of leisure among individuals [Fellows] who demonstrated interest, potential, and competence. The Academy began with 30 Fellows and by 2023 included over 130 individuals who had been inducted as Fellows.
In 2011, the mission of the Academy of Leisure Sciences was expanded to include all interested individual members in addition to Fellows. This larger organization aims to bring together people from diverse backgrounds who share a mutual interest in better understanding the roles of leisure in life, including various contexts of recreation, parks, tourism, outdoor adventure, health, therapy, and sport.
All members are invited to take responsibility for the Academy’s growth and development by volunteering to serve on committees, standing for its governing offices, and otherwise helping to create the Academy’s future.
In 2018, it implemented the first annual Research and Teaching Conference and has since brought leisure teachers and researchers together each year to continue the mission of the organization.
A list of current leisure-related programs in the U.S. can be found here, intended to be a starting point for potential graduate students as they search for programs. Although this list is not all-inclusive, it will give you an idea of options that fit your interests.
For more information on the history of TALS, please visit here.