May 19, 2026 | Carla Santos The 2026 Sapora Symposium once again brought the RST community together in a powerful way—connecting students, alumni and industry leaders through meaningful engagement and shared learning. Centered on this year’s theme, the power of community, the Symposium explored how civic engagement, marketing, and social and digital innovation shape professional […]
Category: Recreation, Sport, and Tourism
Alessio Norrito joins RST as a postdoctoral researcher
April 30, 2026 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo Norrito is preparing students to see sport not just as an industry, but as a powerful force for social good. The Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is pleased to welcome Alessio Norrito as a postdoctoral research associate. Norrito brings with him an […]
What two RST students gleaned from internships abroad
May 15, 2026 | Ethan Simmons These Recreation, Sport and Tourism undergraduates landed summer internships abroad. Here’s what they learned Every year, students studying Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign venture across the United States for professional internships. Some even find work outside of the country. The College of Applied Health […]
Spring 2026: Message from RST Department Head Carla Santos
May 13, 2026 | Carla Santos Our alumni play a vital role in sustaining the strength of our community Hello alumni and friends of the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, As the spring semester comes to an end, I am pleased to share the latest edition of the Recreation, Sport and Tourism newsletter with […]
An online RST master’s degree affirmed Haupert’s career in the arts
May 16, 2026 | Ethan Simmons A “theater kid through and through,” Haupert (RST ‘21) helps realize the artistic dreams of her community as Palatine Park District’s first-ever cultural arts manager. From an early age, Laney Haupert dreamed of working in the theater—not acting on stage, but managing her favorite productions behind the scenes. But […]
In RST event management course, preparation is the main event
May 15, 2026 | Ethan Simmons In this capstone course, recreation, sport and tourism undergrads plan events from start to finish. The class has created several community highlights Tournaments for pickleball, spike ball and wheelchair basketball, a “yappy” hour at a local brewery with dogs invited, a fairy tale ball at a local library: Each […]
Prepared for the unexpected: How Bedford Park and RST built a living laboratory for safety
May 15, 2026 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo A sponsored partnership serves as an experiential learning opportunity for Recreation, Sport and Tourism students On any given weekend, the parking lots around the Wintrust Sports Complex fill with minivans and team buses, their passengers streaming through the doors with duffel bags and folding chairs in tow. Inside, basketballs […]
Full circle: Illinois alumni reunite through friendship and the U.S. Open
May 15, 2026 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo These three RST graduates “always knew” they’d be working together again someday More than a decade after their time together at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, three alumni from the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism have found themselves reunited in a place far removed from campus, yet deeply […]
RST student brings equity-focused research to national science policy advocacy workshop
April 28, 2026 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo Malaika Bigirindavyi learns valuable lessons on how the government funds research For Malaika Bigirindavyi, science has never existed in a vacuum. It lives in communities, in policy decisions and in the lived experiences of the people her research aims to center. That belief guided her to the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy in Science […]
News Bureau: Nature videography replicates the mental health benefits of outdoor activities
April 15, 2026 | Sharita Forrest A study on nature-based videography took this Recreation, Sport and Tourism doctoral student to parks and forest preserves in Florida New research led by a scholar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests that watching and creating videography of scenic locations cultivates nature-based mindfulness — conveying the same cognitive […]