West Virginia University offers its students the unique chance to take an adventure before they start their college career. Now, the Adventure WV Orientation Program is expanding to allow more students to participate in the one-of-a-kind opportunity.

These trips are peer-led, week-long excursions that prepare incoming students for life at WVU. This summer’s program will be able to accommodate 630 incoming freshman, more than any previous year.

Additionally, the Provost’s Office is subsidizing the trips, bringing the program cost to only $95 per student, and free for those eligible for the Pell Grant. Programs are now enrolling for this summer. Incoming students can register by visiting www.adventureorientation.wvu.edu/.

“I’ve been living and breathing programs like Adventure WV for over a decade, working at many different institutions,” said Marion McClure, assistant director of Adventure WV. “There have always been pockets of support, but I’ve never experienced such widespread institutional support as we have here at WVU. It’s very much a validation of over a decade of hard work. I’m thankful to WVU for recognizing the value of Adventure WV programming.”

There are various types of Adventure trips to choose from, with activities including rock climbing, backpacking, white water rafting, Habitat for Humanity home builds, the WVU Challenge Course and community service.

Some colleges have their own unique Adventure trips. These are in many ways similar to the general orientation trips, but also provide interaction with faculty members and include relevant curriculum to that college’s course of study. The Reed College of Media, one of the six specialty programs available, introduces photography and travel writing into the Adventure experience.

Not only does the program provide outdoor experience and opportunities for hands-on learning, it provides a way for students to get to know each other before beginning their tenure at WVU.

“I think the Orientation Trips are valuable experiences because they effectively address a core need of most incoming students—the need to belong,” McClure explained. “Our trips are effective at helping students feel connected to peers, upperclassman, WVU and the state of West Virginia.”

Adventure WV Orientation Trips have increased first-year retention by 5.4 percentage points on average and six-year graduation rates by 6.53 percentage points on average from 2004-2012. Now, they will do even more to help students cross the finish line by offering class credit. The Curriculum Committee and Faculty Senate approved the summer experience as eligible to fit the General Education Curriculum Objective Six, The Individual in Society.

“While every student does need to take a certain number of electives to graduate, we wanted to ensure that our programs helped students move towards graduation,” McClure said. “Achieving status as a GEC 6 fulfills a graduation requirement and helps students move towards this goal.”

Designed for beginners, the program requires no previous outdoor experience. All necessary gear is provided for students.

-WVU-

ml/02/20/15

CONTACT: Matthew Shreve, Adventure WV
304.293.5221, Matthew.Shreve@mail.wvu.edu

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