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Scholarship of Engagement Award

Paige Viren’s passion for travel and meeting people is part of her DNA. If you spend a few minutes with her, this fact becomes apparent. She has traveled to six continents and hopes to add another stamp to her passport with a visit to Antarctica on her bucket list.
“I am always eager to share my experiences with others to help them appreciate the many amazing people and places out there, especially my Southern home in eastern North Carolina,” said Viren. “I want others to be excited about adventures even in their own backyard.”
Viren extends this passion to the classroom and community. She believes that the best way to learn is by doing, so she teaches students the significance of developing community partnerships and how they benefit rural communities in eastern North Carolina.
And this work has earned her the 2016 ECU Scholarship of Engagement Award.
Viren’s scholarship focus is on the development of sustainable community-based tourism. Applying previous experience as a travel agent, Viren’s efforts to support economic development, protect and enhance natural and cultural resources in towns along the Roanoke River began in 2010.
Meeting with town officials and community members, Viren helped bring together key stakeholders from the Roanoke Rivers Mayors Association participating towns – Hamilton, Jamesville, Windsor, Scotland Neck, Hobgood, Bear Grass, Halifax, Weldon, Williamston, Hassell, Plymouth and Oak City.  An inventory of assets was developed and studies were conducted to survey business opportunities. In the past five years, new businesses including a museum, an ice cream store and campsites have been created in these municipalities
“Dr. Viren plays an important role in developing a mutual relationship that benefits the community, her engaged research and her students,” said Dr. Matt Mahar, chair of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies.
“Community members with whom she works have indicated that Dr. Viren makes it easier for all constituents to see that working together can elevate them to places they could not attain on their own.”
Viren and her students crafted marketing plans and supported grants to secure funding for a handicap accessible kayak launch and boat access in Windsor. The latest project is the construction of two treehouses and a “treeZebo,” or observation deck connected by an elevated walkway on the banks of the Cashie River, which are intended to provide additional accommodations in Windsor.
“A sense of place is important to sustainable tourism,” said Viren. “That connection to the river offers people a sense of belonging. The more people are connected to rural areas the more likely they are to protect them.
Accepting the invitation to serve on the leadership team for eastern North Carolina’s Land of Water initiative, Viren provides expertise in sustainable tourism and coastal ecosystems to their mission of stimulating economic growth of the Inner and Outer Banks.
Viren also collaborated with Pitt, Pamlico, Craven and Carteret counties to develop master plans with strategies to increase recreational access in these communities.
“Her work has and can continue to have a significant impact on the economy of eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Glen Gilbert, dean of the College of Health and Human Performance. “She is a reflection of a faculty member who inspires students by combining her many teaching, research and outreach talents.”
Viren joined the ECU faculty in 2008 and has served as an affiliate faculty with the Center for Sustainable Tourism. She received her bachelor’s degree in recreation and leisure studies and a master’s in leisure and tourism studies from Bowling Green State University, and a doctorate in park recreation and tourism resources from Michigan State University.

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