Maria T. Allison

Maria T. Allison completed both her bachelor's and master of science degrees at the University of New Mexico. She received her PhD from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, with a specialization in Sociology of Sport. Having been raised in the Southwest, Dr. Allison spent her early professional years teaching high school and working with Navajo, Zuni, and Hispanic youth in New Mexico. This early experience led to her life-long research interest in ethnicity, intercultural relations, and the nature of cultural differences in play, sport, and leisure. Her current work focuses on the ways in which human service agencies erect institutional barriers to program access for diverse populations. Professor Allison has had her work published in more than ten countries. She is the former Chair of her Department and also served as the President of the International Committee for Sociology of Sport of the International Sociological Association. She is a former associate editor of Leisure Sciences. She regularly teaches a large introductory campus-wide course entitled "Leisure and the quality of life," graduate seminars on "Research methods" and "Social psychological perspectives on leisure," and a new seminar course entitled "Leisure, diversity, and the community