RPTM Kudos and Announcements 08-16-05
Congratulations Alums
Brian Esposito (’97) bespo333@aol.com is coordinating the first Par for the Cure Celebrity Classic on October 17, 2005. This golf event will be played on the PGA Tour’s TPC at The Canyons following the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas. Please visit www.parforthecure.com if you would like to tee it up with the stars, play in a live poker tournament, and win a first place prize of $10,000 or simply support UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer of Southern Nevada.
James Juran (’03) jjuran@state.pa.us was appointed as the new assistant state park manager at the Laurel Hill State Park complex.
Congratulations Students
Rehnuma Karim received an honorarium from the Kettering Foundation for her contribution to A Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy, which resulted from A National Public Scholarship Conversation.
Jillian Poznick attended the Pennsylvania Therapeutic Recreation Society’s (PTRS) 2005 Awards Luncheon held on June 9th in Grantville, where she was recognized as the William Dayton Scholarship Award Winner for 2005. Jillian was also recognized for receiving the Student Honor Award from PTRS in 2004.
Congratulations Faculty
John Dattilo delivered the keynote address “Becoming Enlightened about our Progress so Our Purpose is Clear” at the 37th Annual Therapeutic Recreation Institute, held from June 7-10th in Grantville. He also held a workshop titled “Issues in Therapeutic Recreation.”
Alan Graefe and Geoffrey Godbey co-authored “Gender and Ethnic Variations in Urban Park Preferences, Visitation, and Perceived Benefits” with Ching-hua Ho, Vinod Sasidharan, William Elmendorf and Fern K. Willits, which was published in the Journal of Leisure Research, 37(3), 2005, 281-306.
Geoffrey Godbey co-authored “Local Park Use and Personal Health Among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study” with Laura Payne, Elizabeth Orsega-Smith and Mark Roy, which was published in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 23(2), Fall 2005.
Frank Guadagnolo has been approved as a Provost’s Emeritus Faculty Teaching Scholar and has received a monetary award to teach Legal Liability in Recreation (RPTM 497I) for Fall 2005.
Patty Kleban was nominated for the Frances DiGeso Women’s Leadership Award which honors an outstanding faculty member, student or Penn State College of Health and Human Development alumnus that has demonstrated strong leadership and motivational skills with the college’s female student population.
Duarte Morais received the 2004 Charles R. Goeldner Article of Excellence Award at the 2005 Travel and Tourism Research Association Conference in New Orleans, June 12-15th, 2005. This award was presented to him for the most influential article published in the Journal of Travel Research: “Can Tourism Providers Buy Their Customers’ Loyalty? Examining the Influence of Customer-Provider Investments on Loyalty,” with M. Dorsch and Backman, S., Journal of Travel Research 42(3), 2004, 235-243.
Andy Mowen co-authored “An Examination of the Leisure Involvement-Agency Commitment Relationship” with Gerard T. Kyle, which was published in the Journal of Leisure Research, 37(3), 2005, 342-363.
New Faces and Fond Farewells
Eric Handley joined the department as the new PGM internship coordinator and instructor. He earned his master’s & bachelor’s degrees at North Carolina State University, and most recently was a golf professional in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Rosemarie Hibbler joined the department as the new academic advisor. She earned her master’s and her bachelor’s degrees at Penn State, and has worked on campus for the past ten years.
Mark Ivy joined the department as an assistant professor. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University, his master’s degree from Texas A&M University, and his doctoral degree from North Carolina State University. Mark came to us from Middle Tennessee State University where he had taught for four years.
Elaine Ebeling retired on June 30, 2005 afterbeing with the RPTM department for twentyyears. She and her husband plan to travel and spend time with their six grandchildren.
Departmental Happenings
Dr. Robert Stebbins of the University of Calgary will spend a week in residence in the department from Oct 2nd-8th. His work has primarily centered on serious leisure, volunteerism, the amateur and related topics. Geoffrey Godbey is coordinating his visit.
Brenda Adams-Weyant visited Mark Ivy and the department on July 25th. She is a former U.S. Forest Service employee and is currently a senior recreation planner at Fermata, Inc.
In The News
Margaret “Margy” Keefe was featured in an article titled “PSU swimmer takes second in FINA race,” in The Daily Collegian on July 19th. She had a second-place finish in the 5,000-meter race at the FINA World Championships in Montreal on July 17th. She is also the first Penn State swimmer to ever be selected for the world championship team-she finished eighth in the 800-meter swim at the World Championship trials in Indianapolis back in April, which qualifies her for Team USA and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Notable Quotes
“You all have such a wonderful opportunity to influence the lives of many…as you did mine. I miss you all and am proud of the program that you all are responsible for building. Thanks for all of your hard work and being such a positive influence on me through college.” - Jamie Kilmer (‘95) jamiekilmer@hotmail.com commenting on the PGM program in an email to the PGM faculty
*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