LOCALadk Magazine

Winter 2016 LOCALadk Magazine 36 the Japanese Alps, sea kayaking in Iceland, and whitewater packrafting the Nepal Himalayas. The rigorous academic content and high level of adventure sport skill application is made possible by the highly experi- enced and widely respected faculty. Courses within the major are taught by professional guides and full-time faculty who have decades of experience teaching and guiding in remote locations around the planet. Although the primary classroom remains the Adirondack region, faculty-led courses and ex- peditions take place throughout the United States and inter- nationally. Recent faculty-led courses include expeditions in Kyrgyzstan (see accompanying article), the United Kingdom, Nepal, Morocco, Tanzania, Mexico and Canada. Program alumni primarily work in the broad field of outdoor recreation. The outdoor recreation economy provides jobs for 6.1 million Americans, including many graduates of Expedi- tionary Studies. Career possibilities include opportunities in adventure tourism, outdoor education, state parks and na- tional parks. Though career paths in this field are rarely linear, gradu- ates of the program join an outdoor recreation economy "which grew approximately 5 percent annually between 2005 and 2011 – this during an economic recession when many sectors contracted" - Outdoor Industry Association: http://tinyurl.com/gscgtq8). Program founder Dr. Soroka retired in 2015 but remains an active presence in the program. He and his wife, Cerise Ober- man, recently established an endowment to provide direct financial support to Expeditionary Studies students' capstone expeditions. The first scholarships from this endowment were awarded to students last year, resulting in expeditions to sea kayak around the north coast of Scotland, ski traverse a na- tional park in the Japanese Alps, conduct botanical research in the mountains of South Africa and rock climb in the high country of Yosemite National Park. After twelve years of classes and hundreds of students, the Expeditionary Studies program continues to celebrate its lo- cation in the incomparable Adirondacks of upstate New York. For more information: www.plattsburgh.edu/exp or contact the current department chair, Associate Professor Jerry Isaak at jerry.isaak@plattsburgh.edu or 518-564-5292. Aaron Stone

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