Contact: Ralph Vernacchia, director, Center for Performance Excellence (360) 650-3514, Ralph.Vernacchia@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM - Physical education expert Don Hellison will speak on "Principles of Personal Excellence" at Western Washington University at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, in Arntzen Hall 100. 

The event is free and open to the public.

Don Hellison is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the 2009 Distinguished Lecturer in Sport Psychology at WWU's Center for Performance Excellence.  He is also the past director of Oregon's Governor's Leadership Training Program for High-Risk Youth at Portland State University, and a visiting professor at the University of Oregon, Ohio State University, Adelphi University, and Montana State University.

Hellison's extensive publishing record includes six books; his most recent was 2003's "Teaching Responsibility Through Physical Activity." Much of Hellison's work focuses on development, implementation, and evaluation of alternative physical activity program models and structures that teach life skills and values, especially for underserved youth. He has taught in these programs on a part-time basis since 1970.

Hellison's lecture will preview the Center for Performance Excellence's annual Peak Performance class, which begins Jan. 20 and runs Tuesday evenings through Feb. 17. The CPE is dedicated to enhancing the performance and quality of life for individuals seeking personal excellence.

Parking for the lecture is free in Western's "C" lots at the south end of campus. For more information about the lecture or about the annual Peak Performance class, visit CPE's events Web site at http://www.wwu.edu/cpe/events.htm or contact Ralph Vernacchia at (360) 650-3514 or Ralph.Vernacchia@wwu.edu. 

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