Ralph W. Smith - Author

Ralph Smith is professor emeritus and a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at The Pennsylvania State University.

Smith specializes in the areas of inclusive programming for individuals with disabilities, attitudes toward disability, and disability adjustment.

In addition to over 25 years of university teaching experience, during which he received two teaching awards, Smith has directed the internship program for the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State and also for the Department of Recreation at the University of Maryland–College Park.

He has supervised countless interns and mentored students preparing for their professional careers.

He wrote the first curriculum for an internship preparation course at Penn State that has been taught for over two decades and is still taught today.

Smith earned his PhD in recreation and leisure from Penn State University in 1984.

Smith’s MS and BA are in physical education from the University of Illinois and Western Maryland College, respectively.

He is medically retired from the U.S. Army due to combat wounds incurred while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

Internships in Recreation and Leisure Services, 6th ed. Print eBook