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Camp dinner at Hog Pen Gap Peaks of Otter Cavers

Camp dinner at Hog Pen Gap, Appalachian Trail

Sharp Top, Blue Ridge Parkway

Cavers in Norman Cave, West Virginia

Program Overview

The outdoor recreation minor is designed to provide students with the leadership, technical, and facilitation skills required to lead others whether in a front county, a challenge course or into the back country. The curriculum includes classroom-based courses on philosophy and leadership ethics with technical field-based courses on canoe and kayak, backpacking, rock climbing, challenge course, and other outdoor sports.

"The outdoor recreation minor taught me critical thinking, conflict resolution, group management, how to understand different points of view, risk management, and how to have fun." Matt Murphy, ‘04 Manassas, Va. The outdoor recreation minor is offered through the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance and is ideal for students with an interest in the outdoors, teaching, or gaining leadership experience.

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Program Goals

GOAL 1:Utilize the natural resources and recreational opportunities around Lynchburg College to increase the quality of life of our students.

GOAL 2:Support the diverse curriculum of Lynchburg College by providing an academic program of leadership education in the wilderness context.

GOAL 3: Offer in-depth job training for students interested in experiential education and adventure-based education.

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Program Curriculum

Although there are a great deal of employment opportunities within the outdoor recreation field, Lynchburg College's minor in outdoor recreation provides solid experiences of leadership and wilderness training that will reinforce a variety of academic majors and career paths: "In the Outdoor Recreation minor, students are able to discover new passions and push their limits in adventure sports that they normally would not have the opportunity to take part in" Liz Nehme, ‘05 Smithfield, Va.

The outdoor recreation minor is designed to provide students with the leadership, technical, and facilitation skills required to lead others into the back country. The curriculum includes classroom based courses such as Outdoor Recreational Leadership and the Philosophy of Outdoor Experiential Education with technical field-based courses such as Backpacking and Vertical Rope Work.

The outdoor recreation minor is offered through the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance and is ideal for students with an interest in the outdoors, teaching, or gaining leadership experience.

School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
The technical and risk management training involved in the outdoor recreation minor can provide a broad perspective on wilderness programming and non-traditional sports. Majors that can be supported would include:

  • Health and movement science
  • Health promotions
  • Sport management

School of Communication and the Arts
In order to train effective wilderness leaders, the outdoor recreation minor focuses on facilitation and presentation skills. The experience that students gain facilitating groups and instructing technical skills directly benefits them in the following major:

  • Communication studies

School of Business and Economics
Team building, ethics, and leadership skills are as essential in the business world as in the wilderness environment. For that reason, the outdoor recreation minor is an exceptional complement to majors in:

  • Business administration
  • Management

School of Science
The outdoor recreation minor involves a great deal of interaction with the natural world. The technical skills of wilderness travel can benefit majors in:

  • Biology
  • Environmental science

School of Humanities and Social Sciences
The development of facilitation and interpersonal skills while in the field or on the ropes course are exceptional ways to supplement majors in:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology

School of Education and Human Development
The philosophies and theories of experiential education that are practiced in the outdoor recreation minor are quite different from traditional teacher preparation. Even if students choose not to take the minor, a number of the classes are beneficial for those preparing to be teachers and for those majoring in:

  • Human development and learning

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Careers in Outdoor Recreation

Careers in outdoor recreation can take you on spectacular adventures to some of the wildest places on earth.

Some sources of employment include:

  • College Wilderness Programs
  • Outward Bound (OB)
  • National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
  • Boy Scouts of America
  • Girl Scouts of the USA
  • National Park Service
  • Corporate Training Programs
  • Private Health and Fitness Clubs
  • Community Parks and Recreation Programs
  • Resort and Cruise Line Operations
  • YMCA

Links to Outdoor Jobs

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Outdoor Recreation Faculty:

Charlotte Guynes, Ph.D., CHES
Department Chair for Health Promotion,
Health and Physical Education,
Sport Management
guynes_c@lynchburg.edu
www.lynchburg.edu/guynes
434-544-8644

Percy Abell
Head Baseball Coach
abell@lynchburg.edu
434-544-8496
Instructor Program Courses
HPE 265 PHILOSOPHY OF OUTDOOR EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION (3)
HPE 266 OUTDOOR RECREATION LEADERSHIP (3)
HPE 129 MOUNTAIN BIKING (1)
HPE 127 BASIC BACKPACKING AND HIKING (2)

Paul Stern, M. Ed.
Coordinator, New Horizons Outdoor Adventure and Leadership Programs
434-544-8224
stern.p@lynchburg.edu
www.lynchburg.edu/newhorizons
Instructor Program Courses
HPE 108 INTRODUCTION TO ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES (1)
HPE 109 COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE MOVEMENT CHALLENGES (1)
HPE 125 ROCK CLIMBING AND VERTICAL ROPE WORK (1)
HPE 126 CHALLENGE COURSE AND ADVENTURE TRAINING (1)
HPE 128 BASIC CANOEING AND KAYAKING (2)
HPE 415 INTERNSHIP IN HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (1-12)

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For Additional Information

School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
1501 Lakeside Drive
Lynchburg, VA 24501
www.lynchburg.edu/healthsciences.xml

Admissions
800/426-8101, ext. 8300
or 434/544-8300
admissions@lynchburg.edu
www.lynchburg.edu/admissions