Focus on Outdoor Education

Students in SUNY Adirondack's Outdoor Education program have opportunities to explore the Adirondacks with trained professionals.

Students in SUNY Adirondack's Outdoor Education program have opportunities to explore the Adirondacks with trained professionals.

Name change offers new opportunities

SUNY Adirondack’s popular Adventure Sports program has a new moniker — and a continued commitment to the economy and sustainability of the Adirondacks.

The college recently changed the program to Outdoor Education to better align with four-year colleges offering transfer programs.

“Beyond the name change, we were able to expand business, science and liberal arts elective models,” said Clint McCarthy, associate professor of Outdoor Education. “We also revised the concentration areas from options in our introductory courses to mandatory courses.”

Adventure Sports classes have had a lasting effect on the college’s students.

SUNY Adirondack alumnus Sean Gallagher said he chose the major because it connected with his childhood experiences as a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout, but the program gave him a richer understanding of the world around him.

“I have fond memories of so many of the courses I took. The classes that culminated in back-country trips were some of the most memorable, however, and I have fond memories of hiking, canoeing, skiing  and snowshoeing through the Adirondack wilderness,” Gallagher said. “There were plenty of incredible vistas and experiences, from watching the sunrise over a blanket of clouds on top of Stevens Mountain in Pharaoh Lake Wilderness to the relief of finally skiing out onto a packed-out snowshoe trail in the High Peaks after spending most of the day breaking trail through a foot of fresh powder.”

Gallagher has applied the lessons he learned in the wilderness to other aspects of his life.

“The memories that stand out most are of the hardships — and the lessons they taught. In scrambling up a hillside overgrown with brambles, we learned perseverance; in dealing with hypothermia on a cold morning skiing through the High Peaks, teamwork; in battling a head wind and driving rain for a whole day’s paddle on Long Lake, resilience. These experiences, while not strictly 'fun' or 'pleasant' at the time, represent nothing less than some of the most incredible and transformational moments in my life,” he said.

McCarthy is hopeful that the rebranding will give prospective students a better understanding of the depth of the program.

“The name Outdoor Education better defines what we have to offer. The curriculum changes support the outdoor experience while also broadening the range of classes students can take that support individual interests. The changes in the concentration area structure will provide a defined course schedule for students and enable them to be a more well-rounded outdoor professional,” he said.

Fast Facts

  • The 21st Congressional District of New York generates $1.5 billion annual in outdoor recreation, placing the region in the Top 20 among 435 districts.
  • Outdoor recreation is a $373 billion industry nationwide, accounting for 2% of the Gross Domestic Product.
  • Outdoor recreation supports 8 million jobs.
  • 145 million Americans participate in outdoor recreation each year.

 

MEET OUR FACULTY

SUNY Adiorndack Professor Clint McCarthy awards a student a Telemark Certification at Gore Mountain.

SUNY Adiorndack Professor Clint McCarthy awards a student a Telemark Certification at Gore Mountain.

“Our Outdoor Education program cultivates a connection with the natural world both practically and conceptually. This is something that is more important now than ever before with our ever-changing world.” — Clinton McCarty, professor of Outdoor Education

 

MEET OUR ALUMNI

SUNY Adirondack alumnus Jaime DeLong has enjoyed multiple jobs working outdoors in the Adirondacks, including serving as a whitewater rafting guide.

SUNY Adirondack alumnus Jaime DeLong has enjoyed multiple jobs working outdoors in the Adirondacks, including serving as a whitewater rafting guide.

In Spring 2007, I took a physical education class called Beginning Whitewater Rafting. I was actually close to finishing my associate degree in Liberal Arts and planned on transferring to Castleton to major in Physical Education. Through this class I found out about the Adventure Sports program, and I was hooked. It’s crazy that one physical education class changed the trajectory of not only my career path, but my whole life! After graduation, I spent many years as a whitewater rafting guide and treetop adventure guide in the summer and a ski instructor in the winter. I still manage to get out on the river a few times a year — that’s my favorite hobby!  — Jamie DeLong, manager at Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course and snow sports director at West Mountain​