Recreation Conference Planned for Nov. 12 and 13

10/20/2015 

Gary Ellis, who currently serves as vice-chair of the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, will deliver the prestigious Metcalf Endowment Lecture at this year’s 65th annual SUNY Cortland Recreation Conference, which takes place Thursday, Nov. 12, and Friday, Nov. 13, at the College.

Ellis, who is head of the Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences Department at Texas A&M University, will discuss “Experience, The Quintessential Product of Parks, Recreation and Tourism” at 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, in Corey Union Function Room. The keynote lecture is free and open to the public.

His address is an outgrowth of current research on immediate conscious experience related directly to the recreation, parks and leisure services industry. Ellis is the author of more than 90 peer-reviewed published articles. He has published software and won significant support for teaching, research and training through grants and partnerships.

	Gary Ellis

“Sixty-five Years Young: Celebrating a Lifetime of Leisure” is the theme of the two-day gathering, the nation’s oldest continuous collegiate-sponsored recreation education conference.

The theme aims to encourage participants to create a fresh outlook on recreation, and offer a rejuvenating experience in therapeutic recreation, outdoor recreation, recreation management, commercial recreation, tourism, special events planning and much more.

"We want to emphasize the importance of the past, present, and future of recreation and the timeless impact it has on us," said conference coordinator Rosemarie Tibball, a mathematics and recreation management major from Ozone Park, N.Y.

Presented by the College’s Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department and students in its Special Events Planning class, the conference receives additional support for the Metcalf Keynote Address from the Metcalf Endowment Fund and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series. The annual event hosts between 200 and 400 students and professionals in the fields of recreation, parks and leisure studies from all over New York state and the Greater New England area.

The conference features a research symposium, internship fair, professional networking social, special workshops and trainings, two days of professional development sessions, with catered luncheons, live entertainment, and raffles of local goods and services.

Registration is open to the general public. The registration rate for the conference is $50 for students and $110 for professionals. Registrations will be accepted at the door both days.

For additional information and to register for the conference, visit cortland.edu/recconf.