The Center for Sport Management Research and Education was formally approved by Texas A&M as a research center in December of 2006. The Center was designed to be a collaborative venture between the Division of Sport Management and the Department of Athletics, in conjunction with faculty in numerous other academic departments on the Texas A&M campus. The mission of the Center for Sport Management Research and Education is: To be a catalyst in bringing together interdisciplinary researchers in the study of sport management in order to create and diffuse timely and appropriate actionable knowledge concerning the practice and application of sport management. The Center faculty achieves its mission through the achievement of four major goals.
The mission of the ISMHP is to bring together basic and applied scientists and clinicians to work in collaboration on basic and applied research issues in sports medicine and human performance, providing local, regional, statewide, and national leadership in the generation (research) and dissemination (education) of knowledge in the broad areas of sports medicine and human performance.
The Center for Alcohol and Drug Education Studies (CADES) focuses on solving problems caused by the irresponsible use of alcohol and other drugs. The Center provides a central resource for collection and distribution of a wide range of literature related to alcohol and drug education and engages in research to identify and evaluate approaches to prevention of use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs by various segments of society. CADES coordinates efforts with state agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Education Agency and Texas Department of Health to provide a comprehensive and uniform approach to alcohol and drug education.
The center provides teaching, research and service opportunities for faculty and students both within and outside the Health and Kinesiology Department. In addition, it coordinates all basic and in-service training for the Texas DWI and Youth Alcohol Awareness Program.
The challenge before us is to develop effective tools, programs, and services that will have an impact on health disparities and provide opportunities for a better quality of life. The Center for the Study of Health Disparities (CSHD) is established to develop a research and education knowledge base related to reduction and elimination of health disparities. The CSHD contributes to the national research agenda related to health disparities and the existing as well as emerging health needs of ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged or vulnerable sub-groups of the population of all racial/ethnic identification. The work of the CSHD provides benefits to the University, the local community, and the state. The CSHD builds successful research and training programs that are well integrated into the institution, state and local agencies, and other academic institutions, and communities.
The overall goal of the CSHD is to stimulate research, education, intervention development and testing, dissemination, and evaluation in a coordinated effort in partnership with affected communities for the reduction and elimination of health disparities. This promotes an environment conducive to a wide breadth of activities aimed at promoting better health outcomes for all segments of the population. The CSHD capitalizes on the strengths of Texas A&M University, the Texas Department of Health, other academic partnerships, and the community. The CSHD has a strong focus on student development in the area of health disparities and minority health. The Center is a place where students who have a specific or general interest in minority health can develop these skills.
The mission of the Outdoor Education Institute is to communicate the value of the experiental outdoor education methodology, educate others in the use of the outdoor environment and adventure activities as tools for learning and growth through continuing education workshops, provide adventure/challenge-based programs for a variety of populations using experiential learning methods, support research activities relevant to outdoor adventure education.