Texas State University was the first and one of only two centers of excellence in the nation currently recognized by the World Leisure Organization
Jacquelyn D. Childs || August 29, 2025
Faculty and students from the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas State University (TXST) attended the 18th World Leisure Congress hosted by the World Leisure Organization (WLO) in Breda, Netherlands, this week where a signing ceremony officially designated the university as a World Leisure Center of Excellence (WLCE).
After submitting their application in August 2024, WLO made the announcement that TXST would join the WLCE network back in May of this year, making it the first university in the United States to be officially accepted. With the more recent addition of North Carolina State University, TXST remains one of only two centers of excellence in the U.S.
“Recognition as a WLCE is an incredibly prestigious honor,” said AnnMarie Gunn, the Graduate Representative for TXST’s WLCE Committee. “These institutions are the pillars of the WLO, which has consultive status with the United Nations, meaning that we now have the opportunity to influence the study and practice of recreation and leisure on a global basis. Additionally, we are now formally connected to similarly rigorous institutions whose faculty will serve as invaluable partners as we advance our fields together.”
While it just became official, according to the faculty and students who coordinated the admission process, the relationship between TXST and the WLO isn’t new.
“I was approached during the World Leisure Congress in 2023 and encouraged to apply for this designation,” said Dr. Jo An Zimmermann, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) and Co-Director of TXST’s World Leisure Center of Excellence. “I have been active in this organization for almost 20 years, and I was finally able to get some of our students to a congress session that year. It was due to the quality of the work done by our students that it was suggested we apply. For me, it’s a validation of the hard work put in by our faculty to create a world-class master’s program.”
The network collaborates globally to promote research and education opportunities in the fields of play, recreation, arts, culture, sports, festivals, health and wellness, travel, and tourism.
“Being invited to become a World Leisure Center of Excellence helps to establish the reputation of Texas State University as a global leader in Recreation and Leisure teaching and research,” said Dr. Anthony Deringer, Associate Professor, HHP. “It will also provide a conduit for students from around the world to connect with Texas State as potential students.”
According to the WLO website, WLCE is a prestigious international network committed to advancing graduate and post-graduate education and research in the fields of play, recreation, arts, culture, sports, festivals, health and wellness, travel, and tourism – all with a global perspective. This network offers numerous opportunities for its members.
“This will have a huge impact,” she said. “We are already making connections for research opportunities for our faculty as well as discussion as to how we might initiate both student and faculty exchanges. This designation also encourages us to formalize the working connections that we have with professionals across the state of Texas and provide further professional development opportunities for them.”