University News

RPTA's 50th Anniversary Celebration Continues

April 2, 2018

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MACOMB, IL – The 50th anniversary celebration of the Western Illinois University Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration (RPTA) continues with an upcoming professional development conference from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday, April 13 in the University Union.

The event will feature a keynote panel discussion from 8:20-9:25 a.m., which will include all of the RPTA department chairs from throughout its history. The session is open free to the public.

The balance of the conference will provide attendees with breakout sessions about the RPTA industry, as well as an information fair and a chance for students to have their resumes reviewed.

Tours of Horn Field Campus, and the opportunities it provides, will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

The conference will wrap up with a community-wide reception from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Western Illinois Museum, at 201 S. Lafayette St., in downtown Macomb. A brief program will begin at 7 p.m., and the event is open to the public.

To commemorate the department's history, six former department chairs are featured in the museum's current exhibit, "Celebrating 200 Years with 200 People," which showcases those who have made an impact on the region. Recently oral histories, collected by current RPTA students, will be part of the exhibit and will become part of the museum's permanent collection.

The chairs featured are WIU Emeriti Faculty Tony Mobley, Rick Bunch, Frank Lupton, Nick DiGrino, Dale Adkins, Dean Zoerink, and current RPTA Chair Dan Yoder. Recordings, artifacts and documents included in the exhibit serve to illustrate both their professional accomplishments along with their impact through their everyday life in the community.

The RPTA anniversary events, celebrated throughout the year, recognize the contribution of RPTA to the industries it serves, but also to local communities. The communities surrounding WIU have been instrumental in providing WIU students with opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning.

For more information about any of the events, contact WIU Assistant Professor Jeremy Robinett at JL-Robinett@wiu.edu or at (309) 298-1967, or the Western Illinois Museum at (309) 837-2750.


Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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