J. Robert Rossman

J. Robert Rossman Ph.D. (1946-- ) is professor and dean emeritus at the College of Applied Science and Technology at Illinois State University. Throughout his career he has been a scholar, author, and designer of experiences as well as managing the organizations that offer them. He has also designed and staged a wide variety of experiences including balloon ascensions, university commencements, a national student academic competition, and Science and Technology Week at Illinois State University. He is coauthor of "Recreation Programming: Designing, Staging, and Managing the Delivery of Leisure Experiences" (8th ed. 2019) that has been the go to book about programming events and experiences for over thirty years in park, recreation, tourism, and sport curricula. The book is used in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries. Dr. Rossman has spoken about his unique experience design concepts around the world including Thailand, New Zealand, China, and Australia. He has consulted with the Morale Welfare and Recreation units in the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force to improve their programming practices. His work is informed by his early career front line responsibilities as an arts and crafts instructor, camp counselor, life guard, and pool manager. He also served as a supervisor and manager of the Village of Oak Park, IL Department of Recreation where he supervised and managed the deliver of leisure experiences. His most recent work "Designing Experiences" is co authored by Matthew Duerden. Rossman, J. R. & Matthew D. Duerden. (2019). Designing Experiences. (New York, NY: Columbia Business School Publishing).