Jesse
T. Dixon, ProfessorProfessor Dixon’s Web Page
Jesse
T. Dixon, Professor
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. PSFA #449, Phone 619-594-5467, email: jdixon@mail.sdsu.edu
Professor Dixon’s teaching interests include therapeutic recreation, concepts of leisure, community benefits from recreation services, accessible park planning, economics for leisure/recreation, future leisure experiences with technology, and community tourism. Currently, he teaches Challenges of Leisure, Recreation for Special Populations, Writing in Park and Recreation Settings, and supervises student internship experiences. During his career, Professor Dixon has been recognized for his teaching with a university Exceptional Merit Service Award, two university awards for Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise, seven Outstanding Faculty Awards from the College of Professional Studies, and the State Educator Award from the California Park and Recreation Society. During his career, Professor Dixon has also served as a graduate school committee member for numerous Master’s Degree students.
Students in Professor Dixon’s classes learn academic concepts including the following:
§ different definitions of leisure experience
§ the importance of leisure/recreation in different parts of the life span (Piaget)
§ the paradoxes that confuse leisure and recreation behavior with achievement and work behavior
§ authenticity in leisure and recreation experiences (Psychographics)
§ future scarcities related to leisure and recreation
§ economic perceptions of leisure and recreation
§ instrumental and terminal values for leisure/recreation
§ the use of “immersion” and “the spiral path” in creativity
§ the application of humor theories to leisure and achievement
§ leisure/recreation as a resource for balancing the quality of life.
Students also learn applied information including the following:
§ modifying leisure experience for the individual
§ marketing group and individual leisure and recreation
§ the management “value” of recreation resources for the community
§ design alternatives for playgrounds
§ “inclusive” recreation strategies for serving people with special needs
§ managing creative experiences in leisure and recreation
§ research considerations for recreation services
§ strategic community open space for affiliation
§ managing “community tourism” for profit
§ water resource management and community recreation services
§ accessible park design
§ commercial recreation management.
Professor Dixon’s national and international writing efforts total more than seventy publications, which include book chapters, research reports, journal articles, monographs, practitioner publications, magazine articles, review articles, and published conference proceedings. His publication sources include textbooks, the Journal of Industrial Technology Research Institute, Loiser & Societe, Expanding Horizons in Therapeutic Recreation, Research Into Action: Applications of Therapeutic Recreation Programming, Global Therapeutic Recreation, Annual in Therapeutic Recreation, Journal of Recreation and Leisure, Journal of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Journal of Leisure Research, Intermountain Leisure Symposium, Parent Magazine, and Impact Magazine. He has served as a reviewer for Psychiatric Services (American Psychological Association), the Journal of Leisure Research, the Journal of Leisure Sciences, the Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, Rehabilitation Literature, the Symposium on Leisure Research, the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and Rehabilitation World. Professor Dixon has successfully participated in both national and state professional certification testing processes (standardized testing and credentials
During his career, Professor Dixon has been actively involved in the San Diego community through leadership on boards, directing community camps, and conducting community surveys. Professor Dixon served as a director on the Padre Municipal Water District Board and the San Diego County Water Authority. He also served as the Board President, Vice President, and Treasurer for the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. As a board member, he has helped to manage an annual budget of approximately $40 million dollars. During his service to the board, the Santee Lakes Park and Recreation Area became a successful financial operation serving over 400, 000 visitors a year, educating visitors about recycled water and conservation, and hosting community events with 3000 to 5000 in attendance. During his service, the park added an Accessible Fishing Pier and a “Boundless Playground” to improve the park for community inclusion. The $156,000 Accessible Fishing Pier project was possible through cooperative fundraising efforts with the Santee Lion’s Club organization, local businesses, individual donors, and the Padre Dam Municipal Water District. The $132,000 Boundless Playground project was possible with cooperative fundraising by the Santee Kiwanis, Padre Municipal Water District, local businesses, and individual donors. To increase the commercial recreation activity, the park added an accessible “Spray Playground”. This feature has been so successful it is expected to pay for itself in three years. Based on the success of this park operation, the Padre Dam Municipal Water District approved an approximate six million dollar expansion of the park campground. The Santee Lakes Park and Recreation Area is one of the few parks owned by a water district that makes a profit. This park provides benefit without tax or ratepayer subsidy and contributes approximately $70,000 a year to the municipal water budget. While serving on the San Diego Water Authority, Professor Dixon was asked to chair the Administrative and Finance Committee. During his service, his committee helped to monitor a two-year budget of $1.3 billion dollars. This budget included capital improvement for emergency water storage in rural areas with consideration for public recreation, planning desalination efforts with consideration for tourism interests, and securing a reliable regional water supply for a positive quality of life in Southern California. Professor Dixon has also served as Director of Camp Del Mar, which provided therapeutic recreation for overweight children and generated research data on intervention strategies for different handicapping conditions. As a part of community outreach, Professor Dixon has conducted community surveys to determine city resident preferences for recreation programs, the accessibility of movie theatres and performing arts centers, and the evaluation documentation used by recreation therapists.
During his career, Professor Dixon has served as an Associate Dean for the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts and the Chair of the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. His service to the university has included chairing the University Student Grievance Committee and serving on the University Committee for Affirmative Action and the University Information Systems Committee. For the college, he has served on the Faculty Development Committee, the Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee, the Academic Planning and Policy Committee, and the Personnel Committee. For his department, he has chaired the Department Peer Review Committee, co-chaired the National Curriculum Accreditation Committee, and served as an External Committee Member for the Peer Review Process.