Stuart Cottrell

Associate Professor, CSU

Dr. Stuart (Stu) Cottrell is an associate professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at CSU and coordinator of the undergraduate concentration in global tourism. At CSU, he teaches courses in ecotourism, sustainable tourism development, and tourism research. Prior to coming to CSU in 2004, Stu was an assistant professor in the Department of Leisure, Tourism, and Environment at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, teaching and conducting research in sustainable tourism development. In 1999, he received a grant on behalf of Wageningen University to direct a special training program in eco/rural tourism development for the ministries of tourism in Argentina and Uruguay. During his years in Wageningen, Stu was advisor to numerous international students from all over the world. He also taught tourism-related courses for six years at Christopher Newport University, Virginia.

His research focus includes sustainable tourism development, travel and tourism behavior, visitor impact management, and decision making in travel and tourism. Present projects involve monitoring the socio-cultural impacts of sustainable tourism development in Europe's protected areas in Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Romania, Poland, and Sweden. This research program aims to reveal the connection between tourism and nature conservation practices and to contribute to the future development of Protected Area Network sites. Within Colorado as a resident fellow with the School for Global and Environmental Sustainability, Cottrell is conducting a preliminary study of the impacts of mountain pine beetle infestation on recreation and tourism. One of the highlights of Dr. Cottrell’s teaching involves the monitoring of diseased corals and volunteer based conservation projects for a non-governmental organization in the Bahamas.

Stu's passion is sailing. Early in his career, Stu was program director of the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base, a marine aquatic program with the Boy Scouts of America, in the Florida Keys. He has also run his own sailing charters as a business owner. Currently Stu is proud owner of a 50-foot classic sailboat with many new waters he looks forward to crossing in the future.