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Richard Mull
From the time he arrived in Bloomington as director of Intramural and Club Sports in 1972, Richard Mull has made countless contributions to the field of recreational sports and the School of HPER through his innovation, leadership, and ability to turn a good idea into a reality.
Mull taught HPER classes as an assistant professor on and off for more than 32 years and heavily influenced curricular development in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies [formerly the Department of Recreation and Park Administration]. He created and influenced the training option for recreational sports specialists that’s in place today and his textbook, Recreational Sports Management, co-written by Kathy Bayless and Lynn Jamieson, is the leading text in the field.
He was HPER’s first director of the Division of Recreational Sports, from 1974-1991, when he stepped down to oversee the creation of the Student Recreational Sports Center (SRSC) as the design and construction “user representative.”
It was Mull’s enthusiasm for integrating women’s and men’s sports and exercise opportunities in the 1970s and his passion for the Student Recreational Sports Association (SRSA) he had established that led him and a group of student leaders to conceptualize the SRSC. “The whole SRSC building was planned with women in mind and with the concept of fitness and sport for all,” says Mull. “The Student Recreational Sports Association allowed us to have a student voice in all aspects of recreational sports, which also created meaningful learning experiences for all those involved.”
He became director of the Tennis Center in 1991. When Mull was asked to also take over as director of the IU Outdoor Pool in 1994, his leadership turned debt into profit within one year.
In 1998, Mull created the Center for Student Leadership Development (CSLD) to enhance student leadership through campus extracurricular activities and involvement in student organizations. Today, CSLD houses the Council for Advancing Student Leadership (CASL), which has 18 committees, a monthly newsletter, campus leadership scholarships, a mentors program, and a speakers’ series, among other programs. It also is the umbrella organization over R100, a series of 1 credit hour, independent study leadership development courses Mull created. In 2005, more than 700 students enrolled in R100 courses, which include leadership classes for participants, coaches, mentors, and group leaders.
Mull became director of HPER Auxiliary Units in 2004, working with Dean Gallahue to develop a system of managing the school’s “nonacademic enterprises”—auxiliaries, centers, institutes, and offices. “Academics and research are the core product of our school—but you can’t get around the fact that HPER, because of its nature, has a major role in auxiliary management,” Mull says.
Among other honors and awards, he has received the Shoemaker Special Merit Award from the Division of Student Affairs (2006); a Women’s Athletic Award from the Office for Women’s Affairs (2006); the Armstrong Ambassador Award from the IU Foundation (2005); the Student Recreational Sports Association Honor Award (1996); the Dean of Students Division Annual Award (1991); and the Honor Award from the National Intramural Sports Association (1989). A tree was dedicated to Mull in 1997 for his contributions to Recreational Sports at IU.
Although he retired on January 1, 2007, Mull volunteers his time to oversee the proposed transition of CSLD to the Dean of Students Office as a division within Student Affairs.
He has arranged for a bequest that supports scholarships in HPER’s Division of Recreational Sports. “Recreational Sports at IU has allowed me to have a wonderful professional career,” he says. “My work has given me an opportunity to write a text book and leadership readings, as well as to create a number of courses. The idea of writing and giving something to your profession and university is extremely important to me. If it wasn’t for the HPER school and the university, I wouldn’t have been able to do the professional things I have.”
