Outdoor Living Skills Excursion
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 15, 2013
Students in REC 1041: Outdoor Living Skills (OLS), recently completed four-day, overnight field excursions to the Adirondack Mountains of New York State (April 4-7 & 11-14). While visiting the Lake George Wild Forest, the 17 students practiced Leave No Trace travel technique and off-trail navigation with topographic maps and baseplate compasses. They also persevered through a range of difficult weather and environmental conditions that included cold temperatures, torrential rain, freezing rain, snow, and ice. The Spring 2013 edition of OLS was taught by prof. Andrew Bentley (adventure education) and is offered yearly as the prerequisite for students interested in the adventure education fall block cohort of courses.
Students Present at Conference
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 8, 2013
Students Scott Morris and Dakota VanTine (adventure education) and prof. Nate Furman (adventure education) co-presented at the Northeast Regional Conference for the Association of Experiential Education in Beckett Corners, Massachusetts on April 7. Their presentation, entitled "The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching for Learning Transfer" was shared with a packed room of practitioners and academics from New England and the Mid-Atlantic areas. The presentation included content on major a.) ideas linked to learning transfer, b.) a framework for understanding transfer influences, c.) the results of a study on valuable transferred content from Adventure Education programs, and d.) the summary of our interpretation of how to best teach for learning transfer. A pdf of their presentation can be viewed here.
Prof. Nate Furman publishes article
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 2, 2013
Prof. Nate Furman (adventure education) recently published an article in a special issue of the journal New Dimensions for Adult and Continuing Education. His invited article, "Leveraging Experiential Learning for Transfer" appeared in a special issue of the journal entitled Learning Transfer in Adult Education. The article examines how to foster transfer for adults in continuing education and distance-learning settings by incorporating experiential and active learning elements into programs. These elements include service learning, problem-based learning, reflective learning, and others. The abstract can be found online here.
Prof. Thayer Raines Achieved the Level 3 Challenge Course Management certification
From the GMC Journal
Week of December 10, 2012
Prof. Thayer Raines (recreation) successfully completed Level 3 Challenge Course Management certification through High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vt. The Certification follows the standards of the Association of Challenge Course Technology. It requires skill competency for both high and low ropes course rescue, risk management, staff training, documentation, and facilitator Level 2 certification. Dr. Raines joins a fairly small group of approximately 300 Level 3 Managers worldwide.
Prof. Thayer Raines Leads Workshop
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 2, 2012
Prof. Thayer Raines (youth development & camp management) led a workshop on camp counseling and conflict resolution at the 91st Annual New England Conference of the American Camp Association on Saturday, March 27, 2012 in Manchester, N.H.
Parker Maish '12 Presents Workshop
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 2, 2012
Parker Maish '12 (YDCM) presented a workshop with Hutch Hutchinson on "Teambuilding: Initiatives and Activities for New Staff" at the 91st Annual Conference of the New England Section of the American Camp Association, March 30-31, in Manchester, N.H.
Elyse Carter completes 78*day semester with NOLS
From the GMC Journal
Week of March 26, 2012
GMC student Elyse Carter of Fritz Creek, Alaska recently completed a 78-day semester exploring the mountains, deserts, and coastlines of the Baja Cal. peninsula with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, NOLS is the leader in wilderness education and sets the industry standard for responsible, high-quality educational expeditions.
Bruce Saxman Presents at Annual Conference
Director of adventure programs Bruce Saxman and GreenMAP leaders Jamie Bernstein and Summer Reed presented “Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Management: A Student and Professional Perspective” at the 2011 Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Jamie also received the Undergraduate Student Literary Award for his position paper entitled “The Morality of Fixed Anchors for Rock Climbing in Wilderness Areas.”
Erik Schlimmer: Expedition to Success
From the GMC Journal
Week of November 14, 2011
Erik Schlimmer gave a presentation to the GMC community. At home among grizzly bears, mountains, and deserts, Erik successfully rode 2,750 miles from Canada to Mexico, creating the longest mountain bike route on earth. Displaying original photography and video from his two month trek, this program is a tour of American culture. Not just a slideshow, Expedition to Success discusses the six life skills Erik uses to find success. Furthermore, these skills are tied into his six mentors.
Students Gain Many Skills in Mountain Bike Class
From the GMC Journal
Week of October 24, 2011
Soil, water, and flora/fauna ecology, as well as special event assistance and service opportunities are just a few of the highlights for those enrolled in the essentials of mountain biking this fall. During labs, students ride primarily at Pine Hill Park in Rutland, but also spend time in the campus bike shop located in the basement of Dunton developing mechanical acumen.
The course’s curriculum covers land access, protection, and how community and state politics in tandem with professional organizations play a major role in the development of sustainable trail systems. The adventure education program plans to offer the course every other fall and non-majors are welcome to enroll. More
Adventure Ed Students Explore the Region’s Mountains
From the GMC Journal
Week of September 26, 2011
Every sophomore in the adventure education program will participate in either the fall or spring block course, though the course is far from your typical class. This semester, students will spend 45 days in the backcountry of the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains, and the White Mountains. So far, students have completed an 11-day rock climbing camp in the Adirondacks, and a five-day whitewater rafting section on the North Hudson River. Students participate in and learn how to facilitate rock climbing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, and backpacking, which in turn prepares them for a professional career guiding trips or running their own business.
Furman's Research Cited in Harvard Business Review
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 26, 2011
Research by Prof. Nate Furman (adventure education) was cited by John Gans, Executive Director of National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), as part of Gans’ Harvard Business Review article titled "Expedition Leadership in the Wild." The article, "Long-Term Impacts Attributed to Participation in Adventure Education: Preliminary Findings from NOLS" on which Gans relies was written by Furman and three colleagues who found that NOLS program graduates gained critical leadership skills including effective handling of difficult circumstances, the ability to work as a member of a team, and strategic planning.
Faculty Colloquium Series: Nate Furman & Bruce Saxman
Bruce Saxman and Nate Furman examined the role of mentorship in higher education through the lens of working with students in the field as part of their faculty colloquium on February 23, 2011. Combining ideas drawn from contemporary literature and research with personal observations and practices, Bruce and Nate provided a broad overview of what effective mentorship looks like with lessons learned from the field.
The title of their presentation was “Mentoring Strategies in Outdoor Programs and Beyond.”
Higgs '10 Promotes the Outdoors
at National Summit
In the summer of 2010 Nate Higgs '10 served as a representative of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) at the first "Outdoor Nation" summit hosted in New York City. The summit's charge was to establish an outdoor agenda promoting stewardship, increased outdoor recreation opportunities and policy creation. Student representatives were hand-selected by a committee from a national pool of applicants.
Stuessy Earns WEA Service Award
From the GMC Journal
Week of April 6, 2010
Prof. Tom Stuessy (adventure education) has garnered this year’s Dr. Frank Lupton Service Award from the Wilderness Education Association (WEA) for securing a National Office at Indiana University and re-establishing the association’s place in the outdoor industry. Dr. Lupton was a founding member of the WEA. Tom was recognized at the national conference in Estes Park, Col.
Furman Garners AMGA Scholarship
From the GMC Journal
Week of March 29, 2010
Prof. Nate Furman (adventure education) received a full tuition scholarship from the American Mountain Guides Association and Mammut Sports Group to attend the five day AMGA Rock Guide Examination in Red Rocks National Conservation Area in Nevada this April. The AMGA represents the United States in the International Federation of Mountain Guides Unions. Mammut Sports Group is a Swiss climbing and ski equipment company whose U.S. distribution is centered in Shelburne, Vt. The examination may result in the highest level of internationally recognized rock climbing guide certification.
Saxman Interviewed for Sports Magazine
From the GMC Journal
Week of March 29, 2010
Bruce Saxman, GMC's Director of Adventure Programming, was interviewed in Vermont Sports Magazine for a story titled “Get Out and Get Paid: Some Cool Gigs for Vermonters Who Want to be Active Outdoors.” “Everyday is different, but you’re almost always outside doing something fun,” Bruce says in the story. “And when it’s time to do the paperwork, you need a rest anyway.”
Furman Presents at Research Symposium
From the GMC Journal
Week of March 15, 2010
Prof. Nate Furman (adventure education) presented at the research symposium for the 2010 National Conference for Outdoor Leadership in Estes Park, Col., February 20. His presentation, “The Effects of a Treatment Curriculum on the Learning Transfer of Prosocial Behavior in Adventure Education,” discussed how students develop prosocial skills during adventure education courses and use them post-course. In the process of conducting the research project, Nate developed a theoretically-grounded treatment curriculum to target the transfer of an educational variable.
GMC Alums Recruit at Job Fair
The Vermont Outdoor Job Fair in Withey Lobby February 23 drew students interested in learning more about career and internship opportunities in the outdoor education and recreation field. This year's fair also featured a host of alums who came back to campus to recruit for their employers. The list included: Amanda Kelley ’05 (Frost Valley YMCA, NY); Brian Bevacqua ’10 (Still River Outfitters, Mass.); Chris Ricker '09 (Vermont Youth Conservation Corps); Lee Robinson '09 (Vermont Adaptive Sports); Jason Drake (Camp Kieve Wavus Education, Inc., Maine)
Burke '07 to Attend 2010 Paralympic Experience
From the GMC Journal
Week of February 1, 2010
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, has announced that Maggie Burke ‘07, a program coordinator for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, is one of six coaches and program leaders selected to attend the 2010 Paralympic Experience Vancouver from March 10-17 in Vancouver, Canada. Maggie is a graduate of GMC's adventure education program.
"This experience is an honor," said Burke, who is the program coordinator for Vermont Adaptive at Sugarbush Resort. "To have the opportunity to travel to Vancouver and see the Paralympics first hand, meet some of the athletes and be a part of a global event for athletes who are disabled will be something I will remember and cherish forever."
