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Simpson Marks 30 Years With Academic Journal

March 26, 2015

Dr. Warren Simpson of the ASU kinesiology faculty is marking two major career milestones this year, each representing his continuing efforts to promote the various aspects of the nebulous “coaching-athletics-recreation” career field and to provide expanded learning opportunities for professionals and his students.



Director of ASU’s master’s degree program in coaching, sport, recreation and fitness administration (CSRFA) since 2008, Simpson has enjoyed a varied career that has also included stints as a college coach, counselor, academic department head, dean of student life and athletic director at institutions like Kutztown University, Westmar College, Texas A&M, Penn State and Hardin-Simmons. He has also directed a city recreation program in Woodway, has his own sports psychology consulting practice, and co-owns the ConnTex International Sport Agency. Each of those jobs falls at least partially within the “coaching-athletics-recreation” profession, illustrating just how diverse an industry it is. 

In March, Simpson published the 30th edition of Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual (ARCAA), an industry journal he established in 1986. 

“I created the journal because back in the 1980s, the different areas of our profession were overly specialized,” Simpson said. “If you wanted information or to see research in a particular field, you had to join specific associations to access the journals for that area of interest. At one point, I think I was a member of nine different associations so I could get the material I wanted to read. So, I wanted to see if there was a way to come up with a journal that was multi-dimensional and could appeal to a more diverse audience.” 

“Sometimes I try to match our graduate students with books in their areas of interest and guide them through writing book reviews.”

Dr. Warren Simpson

“I talked to the company that had previously published a book I had co-written to see if they would be interested in publishing a journal,” he continued. “They were willing to give it a shot, so we started slowly promoting it and solicited material from people throughout all aspects of our profession. Since we weren’t affiliated with any particular association, anyone could get the journal.” 

A second milestone will come in November, when Simpson will publish the fifth edition of Applied Recreational Research and Programming Annual (ARRPA), another industry journal he founded in 2011. While a few of his ASU students have been published in his older journal, almost a third of the students who have gone through the CSRFA program since it began in 2008 have been published in this one. 

“The journals, especially the newer ARRPA, are a great way for graduate students to learn how to get published,” Simpson said. “Rather than just featuring straight research, the journals also offer opportunities for the exchange of ideas about new programs, as well as book reviews written by professionals and students. We are really trying to get more people in our profession to publish.”

“In addition to research submissions, I get 20 to 30 books a year to review,” he added. “Sometimes I try to match our graduate students with books in their areas of interest and guide them through writing book reviews.”

And, Simpson and his students are not the only ASU connection to the journals. ASU kinesiology faculty members Dr. Allyn Byars and Dr. Veronica Snow are associate editors while Drs. Jordan Daniel, Adam Parker and Steven Snowden are editorial board members, along with Sherry Ann Miller of the athletic training faculty.

Each issue of both journals contains 12 to14 articles and six to eight book reviews. About 200 copies of each are distributed worldwide every year to university and agency libraries, as well as to individual buyers that include coaches, educators, recreation program coordinators, resort and camp directors, and others. 

“Some colleges use the journals as textbooks, but they are also meant for anyone with an interest in recreation and sport,” Simpson said. “They are designed for multiple levels of readership, not just professionals writing for their colleagues to read.” 

Since the journals are not affiliated with any particular professional association, they cannot be accessed online—only purchased in hard copy form through American Press.

Through efforts like Simpson’s journals, additional publishing opportunities, and a new hybrid online/on-campus degree option, the CSRFA program has continued to grow and now includes about 80 graduate students. More information on the program is available on the Department of Kinesiology’s website.