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Graduate proposal focuses on outdoors Erik Sol teaches two SOU Outdoor Adventure Leadership students how to guide a raft down Class 4 whitewater rapids. Photo by Nathan Swanson Tuesday Dec 6, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Julie Akins for the Tidings Southern Oregon University is proposing to add a graduate program in Outdoor Adventure Leadership, which would be one of the few across the country, especially in the West. “There’s a big gap for those pursuing a graduate degree," said instructor Adam Elson, who has taught at the university for 12 years and has been instructing Outdoor Adventure Leadership for the past nine years. "One (program) is at Prescott College in Arizona, the other is in Alaska. We had to demonstrate that in our rationale to offer it. If everything goes through we’ll be one of three schools in the West to offer it and the only one in the Pacific Northwest.” The expansion plans are being considered as SOU cycles into the last year of its retrenchment steps. It will no longer be under the severe belt tightening of 2014, which required program cuts and a savings of some $13 million over three years. SOU’s Outdoor Adventure Leadership program is at full registration for undergraduates, so a master’s program was a logical next step, said Joe Mosley, SOU's public information officer. “It’s full up and we have people waiting to get in,” said Mosley. "Adding a master’s program in OAL makes sense. Next fall (2017) is when that program should launch." Elson said those involved with OAL knew that, given the popularity of the program, a graduate offering would eventually be the right move for SOU. The master's program must first be approved by the school's board of trustees. “We had it identified for awhile that there’s a gap for these students," Elson said. "There were only 10 programs that offer a master's relating to outdoor and leadership. There’s a big gap for those pursuing undergrad degrees.” He said the SOU program would be popular in part because the graduate degree proposal involves a requirement to lead an international expedition, which would be staffed by OAL faculty as well as the graduate students. “We know for a fact that this actually separates us from the others," Elson said. "We are literally setting the benchmark doing this ourselves where we take students out and do this rather than having a third party vendor doing that. Our master's program will be cutting-edge. No one else is requiring this for their students. Our students are getting the opportunity to collaborate and lead the expedition.” SOU hopes to open up the graduate program for applications this winter and notify people by spring or fall if they’ve been accepted. They plan to start with a small group of 12 students, according to Elson. Chad Thatcher, an SOU instructor who has been leading the charge for the graduate program, is optimistic it will make its way to final approval. “We have amazing support from the SOU upper administration and SOU community," he said. "The program will be filling an incredible gap in graduate programs across our state and the nation. We are highly optimistic about getting through all the approval process and anticipate accepting applications at the end of February or beginning of March.” Meanwhile, support for an “Outdoor Recreation Economy” has reached President Obama’s desk after being pushed by Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden. The Outdoor Recreation’s Economic Contributions (REC) Act would create a report detailing the number of jobs created and the amount of money people spend on the outdoor recreation economy. “Outdoor recreation produces big economic benefits throughout all parts of Oregon and is an essential piece of our way of life,” Wyden said in a release. “I’ve pushed for this report because it will give entrepreneurs in Oregon and across the country the information they must have to make the most out of these outdoor recreation opportunities that generate jobs and business growth in rural and urban areas.” That sentiment is shared by the backers of the undergraduate and graduate degree programs of OAL, who say in addition to the existing jobs in the industry, the field is ripe for people who want to create jobs. “It’s young and growing fast," said Elson. "There are jobs that exist that no one thought of five years ago. They’re discovering and creating a multitude of different opportunities for themselves." He said many of his students would not only create jobs leading expeditions but also fill needed positions with federal and other agencies that work to protect wild places across the western United States and the world. “There’s nothing but uncertainly around us, once you can embrace that and channel it to your advantage and the people around you, you’ll be more successful.” said Elson. “There has a to be a leap of faith with any major.” Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@julieakins.