Students teach kids how to scale the climbing wall.
Leadership takes many forms: for outdoor adventure leadership (OAL) majors, it means developing the skills necessary to help others appreciate, respect, and enjoy their natural environment.
Our major is one of a handful of programs in the United States affiliated with the Wilderness Education Association (WEA). The program emphasizes outdoor program administration, team building, problem solving, adventure leadership, and natural resource management. It also incorporates the WEA's 18-point curriculum, which stresses sound judgment and decision making in outdoor adventure and ecotravel pursuits. Graduates are eligible to apply for WEA National Standards Program for Outdoor Leadership certification, which is recognized across the country for enhancing the safety standards of adventure travel and promoting environmental ethics.
The greater Ithaca area is a living lab of gorges, forests, and lakes that provide numerous opportunities to learn and test your backpacking, kayaking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, orienteering, and outdoor leadership skills. OAL students may also pursue more advanced travel and ecotourism adventures; our students have recently explored Mexico's Baja peninsula and the south island of New Zealand.
Career opportunities exist in ecotourism, outdoor education, camp management, natural resource management, environmental interpretation, youth-at-risk programs, and the adventure travel industry. As these industries flourish, the demand for skilled outdoor adventure leaders will grow. And as an Ithaca graduate, you will be at the top of the list.