Penn State Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management

05/26/2026

Please help us congratulate Brian Soulé, Ph.D., PGA (’22) for being named the Assistant Dean for Innovative Lifelong Learning for Penn State College of Health and Human Development! 👏

Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere. Brian will serve as the Assistant Dean and still teach some of the core RPTM-PGA Professional Golf Management courses. The best of both worlds!

We asked Brian if there were any photos he’d like to share for this congratulatory social media post, and he sent us a photo album. Please enjoy some of Brian’s favorite memories and the people who have always supported him—his family.

Congratulations, Brian! We are thrilled for your success, and happy to still have you around.

05/20/2026

Alumni spotlight ✨

Within a year of graduating from Penn State with a degree in recreation, park, and tourism management (RPTM), Gabrielle Lamprou landed her dream job!

Working as a trip leader for the active-travel company Backroads, the ’25 alumna supports trips in the United States that consist of biking, hiking and walking, among other activities.

As a trip leader, Lamprou balances guest relations with the logistics and preparation of travel. In her new role, she expects her favorite part of the job to be traveling to new areas while sharing information about these areas with guests.

Lamprou said the opportunity with Backroads allows her to positively impact travelers and help them develop travel etiquette and a passion for exploring the world.

The variety of pathways within the RPTM major offered her ample opportunities to acquire a breadth of knowledge in numerous career fields. For her, the foundation of her RPTM experience helped her delve into the adventure recreation pathway.

“Not only do I believe the RPTM degree prepares you for similar career aspirations as mine, but it is also just a fantastic foundation for leading with honor and being a great person,” Lamprou said. “This major has influenced my being and taught me a lot about myself, how to interact with others, and lead with empathy.”

05/18/2026

Congratulations to our newest class of RPTM alumni! 🎓

05/15/2026

Congratulations to the newly-named Colby Parkinson, Ph.D.! Colby recently defended his dissertation on 3 studies that analyzed park visitor use, collectively including data from more than 1,000 visitors across 3 U.S. National Parks.

1️⃣ Grand Canyon National Park: Addressed pressures from increased visitation and decreased budgets by comparing its visitor behavior records to a random sample of visitors who carried GPS devices throughout their trip

2️⃣ Grand Teton National Park: Studied e-bikes and assistive technologies’ relationship with participation among underrepresented groups and unique behaviors in the park

3️⃣ Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve: Studied the interrelationship between visitor use and emergency management, compared with anticipated responses and preferences of visitors and gateway community members during a potential wildfire

Please help us applaud Colby’s efforts and his new title of “Dr. Parkinson”! 👏

05/15/2026

05/14/2026

What does it mean to be an engaged teenager?

Teens can be engaged with helping their communities in a meaningful way, but it might not look exactly like what adults expect. Our research indicates that even teenagers who spend time online can remain actively engaged in civic activities even though they may not be interacting with others in person ⤵️

https://theconversation.com/teens-arent-as-disengaged-as-you-may-think-what-adults-get-wrong-about-adolescents-civic-contributions-280786

05/02/2026

Emily Raneri will serve as our Student Marshal for spring 2026 commencement. While at Penn State, she served as family relations captain and dancer relations captain of Penn State THON. Congrats, Emily!

04/24/2026

An experience worthy of the 1st overall pick 🏈

This week, our students traveled to Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft! They are taking an inside look at onsite operations, working fan experience activations, and meeting with the key professionals driving the event.

This experience is supported by the College of Health and Human Development and the Virginia O'Haren Dean's Excellence Fund.

04/23/2026

According to Brevyn Kellepouris (RPTM student-athlete), Jen Emigh is a Most Valuable Professor. 🏅 Jen was honored at the Penn State Softball game on Tuesday.

Brevyn is a pitcher for Penn State Softball and a RPTM Outdoor Recreation student. Jen is an RPTM Assistant Teaching Professor and the RPTM-Athletics Liaison.

Congrats to Jen on a home run? Grand slam? Perfect game? You get the idea. 🥎

04/20/2026

04/17/2026

Check out this article by our alumna Courtney Fox!

Courtney Fox, Director of Parks and Recreation at Lansdale Borough, Pennsylvania, shared a bit about her journey to find balance in parks and recreation.

In the Parks & Recreation magazine article you can find ideas on setting boundaries, communication, resetting, sustainable involvement, and more. Flip through the article in our ezine to explore strategies to recharge outside of work: https://bit.ly/48xEmw6