I have worked with the MU Conference Office at the University of Missouri for over thirty years and could not reach the numbers of therapists, educators, students, and people with disabilities in Missouri and in the United States. The Midwest Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation will celebrate it’s 35th Annual Symposium in 2006 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This model of cooperation between the MU Conference Office, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and Project LIFE has been a tremendous success over the past thirty years in delivering quality contiuning education. I know that there is no way I could have developed the Midwest Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation into what it has become today.
Associate Professor, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and Coordinator of the
Midwest Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation
Our programs involve work with hundreds of high school students and journalism teachers around the state of Missouri and our summer program includes out of state people. Without the planning of your office and hands-on work with our programs, it would be impossible for my assistant and I to prepare and carry out our workshops. Whether it’s mass mailings or preparing work contracts, the MU Conference Office completes the task and is always willing to customize its work to meet our needs. You’ve reached many young journalists and educators for us and I’m very pleased with your work.
Assistant Journalism Professor, University of Missouri
The Conference Planning office serves as our liaison with the University and all the available facilities on campus. We have a small staff and being able to put our logistical issues and needs in the hands of a more than capable planner has made our lives so much easier and allows us to concentrate on student recruitment and fundraising. When we are actually on campus, it is imperative to have someone who knows the facilities and can trouble-shoot if the need arises. It has been a pleasure to work with them through the years and know that we can count on their enthusiasm and support for MBW.”
Executive Director, The CENTER for Education & Private Enterprise
MU’s Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership (GICL) is recognized world wide as the preeminent provider of executive education for agricultural cooperatives. Our partnership with MU’s Conference Office is a key factor in this success. GICL benefits from the wealth of first hand experience the Conference Office gains through involvement in numerous events of many different types held in a variety of settings. This is a specialized knowledge that only comes with full time event planning – and available to GICL only through our partnership. Their detailed knowledge regarding event planning, property selection and contract negotiation makes it possible for GICL to focus exclusively on program content with full confidence that event logistics will be outstanding. Even though it is an understatement to stay that logistics for GICL is not an easy task.
The Conference Office assists GICL with two programs. Each GICL program has its own nuances and requires a different set of skills from the conference staff. The Conference Staff understands the importance of our clientele and provides valuable suggestions and assistance in going beyond their expectations. Somehow, the Conference Office also manages to negotiate favorable dates and lodging rates at five star properties within our limited budget.
Assistant Director, GICL Programs
Back in 2001, when members of the Hispanic and Latin American Faculty & Staff Association (HLAFSA) decided to address the issue of immigration of Latinos in Missouri and how that important demographic change was impacting the state, they went to the MU Conference Office looking for advice and support to bring together academics, state and local government officers, social service professionals, volunteers, community leaders and advocates, in a unique conference format. Their professionalism and creativity were instrumental in making the now annual three-day Cambio de Colores - Latinos in Missouri conference an unqualified success and a state institution, relieving faculty and staff of most of the work on logistics and public relations. I just cannot imagine pulling this annual event together without their support.
Coordinator, Cambio Center
