The pandemic and future directions

This final chapter contains three key lessons for general and post-Covid conscious. First, listening to the voices of those with lived experience, hearing their understandings of what leisure and health is, their terms and terminologies and their understandings and experiences of discourses as empowering or disempowering. Secondly, the use of a diverse array of models and frameworks drawn from health, leisure, social sciences, even animal sciences and beyond, can enable us to perceive the total ecologies of our communities. The authors show that when we do this it is possible to see the intersections of leisure and health in unexplored ways, offering insights that can lead to creative and novel approaches of benefit to individuals, communities and societies. Thirdly, call to action. The authors make a call for all those interested in the leisure-health nexus to engage in actions that can progress leisure-health understandings, be this research to create stronger and specific evidence bases, or lobbying governments to action on climate change. Mobilizing within our democratic systems, when and where we can, is the call.

Special Session: The University of Google? A Panel Discussion about the Disruptive Changes in Marketing Education and What Programs May Look Like in the Not-So-Distant Future: An Abstract

Amid skyrocketing costs and student debt, much has been written about the increasing skepticism of whether a traditional four-year degree is “worth it.” The general consensus among outlets such as Forbes, The WSJ, and CNBC (each citing recent polls) is that families’ attitudes toward higher education is changing, due to sharply rising costs. This change does not favor traditional college degree programs. In the midst of this transformation, branded digital marketing certificates have presented themselves as a more economical alternative. Perhaps the most worrisome of which are the recently announced “Google Career Certificates,” which are six-month programs geared to prepare workers for the digital economy. Google leadership states these new certificates are meant to be the equivalent of a four-year degree given that “college degrees are out of reach for many Americans, and you shouldn’t need a college diploma to have economic security.” The purpose of this panel session is to discuss what the traditional marketing degree program response should be to the changing perceptions of value and increased competition. The potential consequences of Google entering higher education have been further exacerbated by impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruption that many thought leaders have been talking about for years was accelerated in the span of a few months. The result was a wave of student questions and criticism of the value of online education directed against even the most renowned institutions. While pandemic-related impacts to teaching modality may not be long-term, it will likely take much longer for student sentiment to recover. Evidenced by over seventy lawsuits currently pending against colleges and universities, this confluence of factors should not be ignored. Rather, we need to view this as an opportunity for existential reflection on the most basic of marketing principles as they apply to higher education as a marketable service. As such, in this panel session, the following questions will be addressed by a diverse group of stakeholders: Will industry and prospective students/families accept these certificates as a substitute to a traditional degree? How should traditional marketing degree programs adapt or change program offerings to be more competitive/appealing? What is academia’s value proposition? How do we communicate this effectively with prospective students and their families? How do we train students on technologies many professors have never themselves used? Are there opportunities for public/private collaboration that provide technical skills, produce job-ready graduates, and lower costs? What could these look like? Student, industry, and academic representatives will discuss these questions and engage the audience in a lively conversation about the future of marketing education and the changing role of marketing academics. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Strengths-based actions to enhance wellbeing in the time of COVID-19

COVID-19 is truly an unprecedented event, forcing nearly four billion people into isolation, social distancing, and requiring people to rigorously follow public health measures such as frequent hand washing and indoor face-covering. People around the world have spent months staying home-bound, enduring significant financial, social, and emotional costs. They have been feeling anxious, irritable, afraid, and ambivalent in the wake of an invisible, pervasive, and potent pandemic. A strength focus can help us mitigate unwarranted or excessive negative emotions engendered by maintaining social distancing. This paper posits that by using our strengths, we can enhance our psychological immunity through pragmatic actions to enhance our daily wellbeing. More importantly, we can reframe and reappraise challenges to build perspective in dealing with global crises such as pandemics and disasters. Strengths expressed through pragmatic actions can boost our coping skills as well as enhance our wellbeing. Consistent with the zeitgeist of our times-equity, social justice, digital connections, the paper offers easily implemented, concrete actions using character strengths in adaptive ways to reduce the likelihood that social distancing will result in overwhelming anxiety, lack of structure or stimulation, and demoralization. © 2020, International Journal of Wellbeing Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.