RPTM Kudos and Announcements 07-11-05
Congratulations Alumni
Kurt Merrill (’93, ’96g) KMerrill@thesca.org met with faculty on April 29. He is the national director of conservation crews and risk management for the Student Conservation Association, a major source for RPTM internships.
Angela Sensenig (’04) Angela.Sensenig@ourclub.com is the member relations/private events director for Northwood Country Club, a ClubCorp property located in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Allyson Motts (’05) akm165@psu.edu served as the RPTM student marshal for the spring 2005 commencement ceremony.
Clifton Castleman (’05) Clif@coee.org is the camp director of Camp Liberty (Heritage Reservation) for the Greater Pittsburgh Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Congratulations Students
The Penn State Chapter of the Professional Convention and Management Association (PCMA) has elected the following students to its executive board for 2005-2006: Jessica Fox, president; Eric Frohman, vice president; Chris Corl, treasurer; and Phil Stout, secretary.
Julie Stafford has been selected to receive a Kligman Graduate Fellowship for 2005-2006. This prestigious award carries a stipend plus tuition.
Jillian Poznick has been awarded the Pennsylvania Therapeutic Recreation Society (PTRS) William Dayton Scholarship Award for 2005. Jillian will have the opportunity to attend the PTRS conference in June as a guest of PTRS. Additionally, she will be recognized at the Therapeutic Recreation Institute as a scholarship recipient.
Congratulations Faculty and Grad Students
Geoffrey Godbey traveled to Washington, D.C. on May 8 to participate in a two-day roundtable discussion concerning the establishment of recognition criteria for building healthy communities for older adults. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the President’s Council on Fitness and Sport, the National Council on Aging and the Environmental Protection Agency were among the groups represented at the venue.
Monty Christiansen was selected by the National Recreation and Park Association as scoping team leader for a program to restore public playgrounds in Sri Lanka that were lost or damaged from the December 26, 2004 tsunami. This past May, he directed a team of specialists that determined the location, size, equipment needs and installation of 100 new playgrounds in the devastated regions of Sri Lanka.
Garry Chick and Erwei Dong co-authored “Culture Constraints on Leisure,” which was published in Constraints to Leisure, Venture Publishing, 2005.
Deb Kerstetter served as the RPTM faculty marshal for the spring 2005 commencement ceremony.
Patty Kleban
- presented a paper on activity analysis and modification at the national Child Life Council conference in Nashville on June 11, 2005. Child Life Specialists -- many of whom have dual certification in therapeutic recreation – provide support and treatment to children in hospitals and treatment centers.
- co-presented a paper at the Therapeutic Recreation Institute in Hershey on June 8, 2005, with Karol BrooksKarol.Brooks@healthsouth.com on addressing change in the field of therapeutic recreation. Karol is the director of therapeutic recreation at HealthSouth/Nittany Valley Rehab and is an RPTM adjunct instructor.
*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