RPTM Kudos and Announcements November 7, 2007
Congratulations Alumni
Wendy A. Owen ’85 (wendy.a.owen@lmco.com), Vice President, Strategic Communications Initiatives and Global Services at Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services, lectured on November 1 in the HUB Auditorium as part of the Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series sponsored by the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society. Owen’s lecture was titled “The Space Program after the Shuttle Columbia Tragedy: A Story of the Human Spirit.”
Matt Grobe ’05 (matt.grobe@nwlr.com), Recreation Manager and Miles Blundell ’04 (miles.blundell@nwlr.com), Head Golf Professional from Nemacolin Woodlands Resort visited on October 2-3 to offer company presentations and recruit students for employment opportunities.
Mike Corcoran '04 (mike_corcoran@hotmail.com), Director of Operations at Penn State All Sports Museum, visited RTPM on Ocotober 19. Mike expressed his gratitude to the faculty, saying "I couldn't have picked a better major. The faculty and courses really prepared me for the field." Mike offered his time to present to and conduct facilities tours for RPTM's Introduction to Commercial Recreation and Tourism and looks forward to continued involvement with RPTM in the future.
Congratulations Students
This semester’s RPTM 356 peer mentors continue to take on more responsibilities and leadership.
Molly Barone, Bellefonte Youth Center
Michael Brown, Millbrook Marsh
Kortney Clemons, Snow Show Youth Center
Mike Genchi, Greenberg Ice
Thomas Hunt, LateNight-PennState
Lindsay Johnson, SCASD Ferguson
Matt Kapkala, Shaver's Creek
Jeremy McLean, PSU Golf
Jill Robbins, Corl Street Elementeray
Meghan Wikler, OSHER (formally CALL) Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)
Rehnuma Karim presented a poster at the Society for the Study of Human Development's Fifth Biennial Conference on Crossing Boundaries in Human Development on October 19 based on her dissertation, "Learning to live: A qualitative inquiry on the lives of the female victims of acid attack."
Congratulations Faculty
Dr. Christine Buzinde has been appointed a member of the faculty of Penn State’s Graduate School.
Dr. Duarte Morais and Dr. Deborah Kerstetter, along with alumnus Dr. Chung-Hsien Lin '04 (lcs123@ms21.hinet.net), Feng-Chia University, and Dr. Jing-Shoiung Hou, National Formosa University, had an article, "Examining the role of cognitive and affective image in predicting choice across natural, developed and theme-park destinations" published in the Journal of Travel Research, 46(2).
In the News
Students in RPTM 356 (Programming in Recreation Services) hosted a midnight Monster Broomball Tournament for about 100 Penn State students on November 2. The group of eight students planned, promoted, implemented, and evaluated the three-hour event. Read more about the tournament at the Collegian Web site.
Departmental Happenings
Mark Ivy delivered a presentation about the Australia/New Zealand study abroad experience at an RPTM departmental brown-bag lunch on October 29.
Enrollment for the RPTM undergraduate major is officially 443 for Fall 2007, representing the highest enrollment in the past six years.
Notable Quotes
It's hard to believe that this is my last year here at Penn State. I am so glad that I chose to attend school here for the PGM Program - it was probably the best decision I have made in my life. This experience has been nothing short of excellent. – Patrick Gunning, PGM Student Society President
We were visiting PSU and stopped in to see if any of our former instructors were still teaching. We’re here trying to convince our 16-year-old that Penn State would be a great place to spend four years. – Mike Litterst ’87 (mike_litterst@nps.gov) and Jennifer Smith Litterst ‘86
If you have accomplished something you would like to share with the RPTM crew, please notify me. Also, if you are aware of accomplishments or quotes by our alumni, students, or staff, please let me know so I can share the news. Thank you! – John Dattilo, Professor and Department Head jxd8@psu.edu