The College of Architecture, Planning and Design is set to bring in a Disney Imagineer to campus, kicking of its 2010-11 lecture series.
Bill Hanus, director of development in the resorts division of Walt Disney World, is scheduled to speak in Forum Hall tonight at 7:30.
Mick Charney, associate professor of architecture, said Hanus will be speaking about his job as an imagineer, the term for people who use imagination and engineering to design for Walt Disney Imagineering.
He also said Hanus will talk about how he got his job at Disney, what his job entails and ways students can succeed when looking for jobs in today’s economy.
Charney said the speech is not only targeted at architecture students, but can also apply to students and professors who could use the working and teaching methods applied at Disney.
“It cuts across disciplines,” he said. “I think these lessons are kind of universal — they’re not just architectural tricks, and they’re not just devices that are pertinent only to architecture.”
Charney said bringing somebody like Hanus, who has worked for such a high-profile organization, could drum up interest across campus.
At Disney, Hanus is in charge of overseeing all development in the resort division. The division includes aspects of Disney like hotels, lodges and time shares.
Charney said he has hinted to have Hanus visit K-State for several years and is very excited for students to have the opportunity to hear him speak. Hanus was one of Charney’s students in the mid-1980s.
Charney said Hanus did not attend K-State but has involved himself with the university through K-State students interning at Walt Disney World.
Charney said being able to attend the lecture of a Disney Imagineer is a chance that is hard to come by.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “It’s not very often you get the opportunity to hear them, see them and maybe even meet one.”
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