April 06, 2023
SIU recreation professions students, alumni will connect at April 14 symposium
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The 2023 John Allen Symposium, will bring together students, alumni, guest presenters and honored guests of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Recreation Professions program for a day of learning, networking and interaction. The event takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 14, at Freeberg Hall in Camp 2 at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center, located about 8 miles south of SIU off Giant City Road. Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the symposium.
Connecting, honoring and sharing
Nearly 100 current students, along with alumni, will be participating in the free event that brings alumni from the program back to SIU to connect with, inspire and mentor current undergraduate and graduate students.
Presenters representing the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center, Camp Ondessonk, the Wheaton Park District and more will speak. In addition, about a dozen alumni will lead Alumni Connect roundtable sessions to share their experiences and advice with students. The symposium will conclude with the presentation of awards to current program students.
Members of the Student Recreation Society student organization have been instrumental in planning the event, which is organized by graduate assistants and faculty in the program. The symposium is named for the late John R. Allen, who chaired the department from 1983 until his death from cancer in 1993.
For more information, contact Tina Colson, associate lecturer, at tcolson@siu.edu.