Eastern’s Camps and Conference Services will host 52 different camps and programs this summer and welcome some 11,000 visitors to Charleston according to a press release.

Junior high and high school students from Illinois and neighboring states will take part in a variety of programs that will enhance their academic, athletic and artistic skills.

As Eastern students leave campus at the end of the spring semester, Camps and Conference Services begins to prepare the residence halls for the many young athletes and academics that will move to campus during the summer months.

“Once our students move out of the residence halls, we begin preparing for the rooms for our special guests,” said Mark Hudson, Director of University and Housing and Dining.

Student and professional staff work through the summer, according to Dan Crews, marketing specialist for Housing and Dining.

This includes Housing and Dining staff members, resident assistants, grad students and students from the Admissions Office.

“We have a number of EIU students involved,” he said. “It takes a large number of people to coordinate the events.”

Matt Boyer, assistant director of Housing for Camps and Conferences, says that camps can be as short as a few days to as long as week-long programs. In both cases, these programs are intended to engage students with exclusive programs that strengthen their respective skills.

“Eastern has a long history of hosting great summer programs ranging from and band and art camps to Boys and Girls State and the IHSA state track championships,” he said. These programs showcase Eastern’s campus and facilities as well as provide a wide array of opportunities for pre-college students.

Many of these programs conclude with a showcase for friends, parents and other family members. This gives families the opportunity to appreciate the skills their children have garnered at Eastern as well as take in the Charleston community.

“This [the showcases] bring a lot of people to our community,” Boyer said. “While they are here it’s our opportunity to introduce them to the surroundings and offerings of Charleston. These are people who will eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, fill up their gas tanks and meet the local residents.”

“Eastern’s summer programs are a great way for the university to get additional use out of the building that wouldn’t be heavily used in the summer,” Hudson said. He added that these programs also act as a recruiting tool for athletes and academics alike.

Boyer adds, “A number of our incoming freshmen have said that they first experienced EIU when they came to Charleston to participate in a summer camp.”

Hudson concludes that these summer programs offer middle and high school students an unparalleled college experience. “For some young people this is their first visit to a college campus,” he said, “and we want to make it a very positive experience for them. One they will always remember.”

For a complete list of summer camps and special programs at Eastern, visit http://www.eiu.edu/campconf/schedule.php

The Staff of The Daily Eastern News can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]