Monika Stodolska

Monika Stodolska serves as Professor and Charles K. Brightbill and Allen V. Sapora Professor in Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also directs graduate studies. She maintains cross-appointments as Professor with the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Center for Global Studies, and European Union Center.

Her research examines leisure systems in extreme sociopolitical contexts including forced migration, totalitarian regimes, and humanitarian crises. Key investigations address trauma coping mechanisms among Ukrainian war refugees, leisure restrictions under North Korean authoritarianism, family quality of life in transnational Korean households, and pandemic disruptions to community events like the Illinois Marathon. Her work bridges leisure studies with migration psychology, political science, and public health.

Analysis of her 2025 publications reveals consistent focus on marginalized populations navigating systemic crises through leisure frameworks. Geographically spanning Eastern Europe, East Asia, and the Americas, her research demonstrates leisure's dual role as both protective factor and risk enhancer across conflict zones, refugee settlements, and pandemic-affected communities.

As Director of Graduate Studies, Stodolska oversees academic training in recreation and tourism while advancing interdisciplinary research through global studies centers. Her endowed professorship signifies institutional recognition of scholarly impact, though specific advising details and grant funding remain unreported in source materials.