Associate Dean Bill Hendricks is retiring after 28 years at Cal Poly. A celebration will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 1 at the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture.

Hendricks joined the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences as an associate dean in August 2020 after serving as a professor and head of the Experience Industry Management Department. While in the dean’s office he oversaw college infrastructure and enrollment management. In 2016, he oversaw the transition of the Experience Industry Management Department from the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration — making it the first of its kind in California. He also played a key role in connecting industry executives with the university’s program – giving students first-hand industry experience. Hendricks earned a doctorate in philosophy, recreation, and leisure from the University of Utah, with research interests focused on visitor experiences, recreation resource management, and destination stewardship. For more than two decades, Hendricks worked cooperatively with the U.S. Forest Service and California State Parks on a variety of outdoor recreation research projects. He has also conducted research for Visit California and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. In retirement, he plans to hike often.

Please submit a video to be included in a video montage that will be presented to him after the celebration by clicking here.