About

Gary Ellis is a Professor and the Bradberry Chair in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications at Texas A&M University. He joined the faculty in 2008 and has previously served as Head of the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M, as well as a faculty member at the University of Utah from 1985 through 2008, including 12 years as department head. His academic background includes a B.S. in Recreation and Park Administration from Eastern Kentucky University, an M.S. in Recreation and Park Administration from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Texas. Dr. Ellis's research focuses on the quality of immediate, point-of-service experiences of tourists, youth, and park visitors. He has an extensive record of scientific publications, presentations, workshops, and keynote addresses centered on immediate experiences. Throughout his career, he has generated over four million dollars in funding through contracts, grants, and collaborative initiatives. He has held numerous leadership roles, including President of the Academy of Leisure Sciences, President of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, and Treasurer of the Academy of Leisure Sciences. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Leisure Sciences, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, and the World Leisure Organization. His professional service also includes roles such as Vice-Chair of the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions, and a board member of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. His contributions to the field are characterized by his focus on experiential quality in leisure, tourism, and youth development contexts.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Sociology
• Social Science
• Computer Science
• Medicine
• Epistemology
• Advertising
• Developmental psychology
• Political Science
• Geography
• Ecology
• Archaeology
• Business
• Philosophy

Selected publications

• Facilitating savouring and experience value at multinational travel destinations

  World Leisure Journal · 2026-02-17

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Experience value and its determinants

  Journal of Design Business & Society · 2025-04-01

  article

  Pine and Gilmore’s The Experience Economy has had a substantial impact on how experiences and services are planned and implemented. But empirical confirmation of mechanisms for providing valued experiences in various attractions and guest services has been limited. Our article addresses that issue. Specifically, we examined relations between dimensions of experience value and three sets of predictors: experience industry strategies (theming, multisensory embellishment and personalizing touchpoints), service performance and participant co-creation (co-design and co-actualization). Experience value dimensions included experience-value-during-use (EVDU), experience-value-in-exchange (EVIE) and experience-value-after-use (EVAU). Our intention was to evaluate techniques experience providers in tourism, hospitality and leisure industries can use to maximize experience value for visitors and customers. Six hundred sixty-nine students enrolled in a college of business at a faith-based university visited self-selected sport, art, entertainment, food service and worship venues on and near campus. After each visit, students completed an online questionnaire measuring provider performance variables (i.e. experience industry strategies and service performance), participant co-creation and the three experience value dimensions. We hypothesized that provider and participant strategies (e.g. theming, service performance and co-creation) increase EVDU (e.g. engagement, immersion and absorption), which in turn yields EVAU (proclivity to recommend) and EVIE (satisfaction and perceived value of time spent). Providers who used experience industry strategies (e.g. theming and personalization) and delivered strong service performance increased the EVDU of guests. Participant co-creation (co-design and co-actualization) also increased experience value. EVDU had significant correlations with EVIE and EVAU. Results support theory and prior untested assertions about factors promoting experience value. Results affirm the benefit of experience providers using experience economy tools and service performance. Findings also suggest benefits from facilitating co-creation. Results provide empirical support for influential propositions about experience value. Experience industry strategies, service performance and co-creation yield experience value.

  PublisherDOI

• Anticipated Impact of Experience Magnitude Scale

  PsycTESTS Dataset · 2025-01-01

  dataset1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• I felt like I was in a story: Narrative transportation as a leisure experience

  Journal of Leisure Research · 2025-01-07 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A Labeled Magnitude Scale for Evaluating Recreation Youth Program Experiences

  Journal of Park and Recreation Administration · 2025-03-20

  article1st authorCorresponding

  We created a labeled magnitude scale (LMS) for evaluating youth recreation experiences. A LMS is a questionnaire using an item response format in which linguistic amplifiers are located at empirically determined locations along the continuum to assist respondents in making decisions about where to place their ratings. Youth attending a residential camp (n=117) judged magnitudes of “not at all,” “very,” “quite,” “slightly,” “pretty,” “greatly,” and “extremely” using two modalities: hand dynamometer pressure and line drawing length. We calculated magnitudes and created an immersion LMS questionnaire by positioning the amplifiers at their respective locations along a graphic continuum, preceded by a description of immersion. Using the LMS, we evaluated immersion of 142 campers in a subsequent session in kayaking, ropes course, and archery. The LMS discriminated among immersion during the three activities and avoided halo effects, which are common to Likert-type response formats. Results suggest LMS can improve measurement of experiences.

  PublisherDOI

• Sparks and Developmental Outcomes in Out-of-School Time Programs: Emipirical Evidence and Theory Development

  Journal of Youth Development · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access

  We examined relations among select components of the 4-H Thriving Model, focusing on youth sparks and four presumed determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and dosage. Based on our results and results of previous studies, we propose a formal theory of youth program sparks. Three hundred fifty-six Texas 4-H youth from a variety of 4-H programs state-wide completed a questionnaire measuring sparks, program quality, developmental relationships, situational engagement, and 4-H program dosage. We measured two indicators of thriving: growth mindset and hopeful purpose. Sixty-eight percent of study participants reported being female, 28% reported being male, 1% reported being nonbinary/third gender, and .28% indicated being transgender. School grade levels ranged from sixth grade (n = 4) to “graduated from high school” (n=21). We found significant linear relations between sparks and three determinants: program quality, developmental relationships, and situational engagement. The relation between sparks and dosage was curvilinear. We found significant linear relations between sparks and thriving. Combined with results of previous studies, we propose a theory of youth program sparks. Using Zetterberg’s (1965) framework for theory construction, we propose scientific (Aristotelian) definitions of key concepts and propositions about relations among those concepts. The theory provides a basis for future research that can inform youth development policy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Enhancing Youth Learning Outcomes of Travel Programs through Storytelling

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  We conducted two studies to evaluate strategies that Extension educators may use to enrich youth travel program experiences. Study 1 evaluated the effects of telling stories about attractions before site visits on youth experiences and learning outcomes on site. Seventeen youth in a 4-H program designed to promote cultural understanding visited eight attractions in Costa Rica. The evening before visiting three sites, youth were told a fictional or cross-fictional story about the sites. The stories elicited imaginary travel to the site (narrative transportation). After visiting the sites, the youth reported the extent to which they felt like they were in a story (narrative re-visitation) while on-site. They also reported their anticipated impact of learning experiences on one of the program’s learning outcomes. Narrative transportation significantly increased narrative re-visitation. Both factors significantly increased the anticipated impact on learning outcomes. In Study 2, 35 4-H youth visited 12 agricultural sites in the Western U.S. and Canada. Three experimental conditions were created by an Extension educator: vastness emphasized via educator comments, vastness not emphasized, and baseline. The two treatment conditions produced greater awe than baseline. The relation between awe and anticipated impact on learning outcomes was significant.

  PublisherDOI

• Theming, Service Performance, and Downstream Effects of Subjective Leisure Experiences

  7 Experiences Summit ... of the Experience Research Society. · 2024-01-18

  articleOpen access

  We examined determinants (i.e.,theming and service performance) and results (proclivity to recommend, enjoyment, perceived value of time spent) of structured leisure experiences. Structured leisure experiences were measured in terms of intensity of engagement (focus on unfolding narrative), absorption (focus on sensory stimuli), and immersion (focus on performance) during participation. Experience measures (n=310) reported by 168 young adults upon exiting a variety of leisure, recreation, and hospitality venues supported the research hypotheses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• On-Campus Leisure Experiences and Student Sense of Connectedness

  Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice · 2024-03-04 · 2 citations

  article

  Models of retention emphasize the importance of students developing a sense of connectedness to their university. We tested relations between students’ anticipated effects of on-campus leisure experiences on connectedness and experience type (performance, spectator/story, or sensory focus), provider service performance, prevalence of deep experience during participation, and experience value-after-use (value of time spent, proclivity to recommend, meaningfulness, and memorability). We collected on-campus leisure activity experience measures ( N = 5,931) from 886 students. After participating in each experience, students reported the impact they anticipated that experience would have on their connectedness to the university. Students also reported the experience type, prevalence of deep subjective experience during participation, service performance by staff, and experience value-after-use. Results supported all hypotheses. Students who participated were more likely to return the following academic year than the general student body.

  PublisherDOI

• Youth Sparks via 4-H: Relations with Program Quality, Dosage, and Involvement

  Journal of Human Sciences and Extension · 2024-04-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Using a statewide sample of participants in 4-H programs, we tested associations among youth sparks, program quality, program dosage, and four types of involvement (breadth of participation in out-of-school-time beyond 4-H, scope of learning strategies, degree of specialization, and cumulative program immersion). Participants were 180 Texas 4-H alumni who graduated from high school in 2013 and 2014 and had two or more years of involvement in Texas 4-H programs. Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire based on a database of former Texas 4-H members. Twelve hypotheses were tested, linking program quality to sparks through indirect and direct relations. Eleven of the twelve hypotheses were supported. Program quality had a strong direct relation to sparks (b = .41). Direct relations between sparks and the facets of immersion were also found (b = .31 for the degree of specialization in one of Texas 4-H’s program areas and b = .27 for cumulative program immersion). Indirect associations were also significant. Dosage (years in Texas 4-H) was not significantly related to sparks.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jingxian Jiang

  Nanjing Medical University

  28 shared

• Andrew Lacanienta

  California Polytechnic State University

  24 shared

• Darlene Locke

  23 shared

• Allen S. Taggart

  University of Idaho

  16 shared

• Patti A. Freeman

  Brigham Young University

  16 shared

• Montza Williams

  Clemson University

  13 shared

• Peter Witt

  University of Wuppertal

  13 shared

• Toby Lepley

  Texas A&M University

  11 shared

Education

• B.S., Recreation and Park Administration

  Eastern Kentucky University

• M.S., Recreation and Park Administration

  University of Kentucky

• Ph.D., Higher Education Administration

  University of North Texas

Awards & honors

• Fellow in the Academy of Leisure Sciences
• Fellow in the American Academy for Park and Recreation Admin…
• Fellow in the World Leisure Organization