Newswise — West Virginia University's Adventure WV, an orientation program that combines outdoor activities with fireside discussions about college life and community service opportunities, has captured a 2007 Lee Noel and Randi Levitz Retention Excellence Award.
The honor " given by Noel-Levitz, a higher education consulting firm " recognizes the most successful, state-of-the-art retention programs at postsecondary institutions throughout the United States and Canada. Nominees were judged on identifiable and measurable institutional outcomes, originality and creativity, use of resources and adaptability for use at other institutions.
Adventure WV program managers Greg Corio and Forrest Schwartz will accept the award Thursday (July 12) at the National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing and Retention in Orlando, Fla.
"It's an honor to receive national recognition for the work we are doing here at WVU," Corio said. "Adventure WV provides incoming freshman with opportunities to form a social network and a connection to the University and to the community before they have even started classes.
"This makes their transition to college life easier and also gives students a strong foundation to excel in their college career," he added. "This award recognizes our efforts to retain students and encourage student success."
Students who have completed Adventure WV say they have made lifelong friends and developed teamwork and leadership skills in addition to learning about outdoor opportunities " rock climbing at Coopers Rock State Forest, hiking at Blackwater Falls, backpacking at Spruce Knob National Recreation Area, whitewater rafting on the Lower New River and more " in the Mountain State.
Community service also plays an important role. Students participating in the Habitat WV program work hand-in-hand with Monongalia County Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for families in need.
The orientation program " offered through the WVU Student Recreation Center and part of the University's First-Year Experience " enables participants to earn two or three credit hours before the fall semester begins. Students keep daily journals during their trips, write goal letters outlining their expectations for themselves at WVU and submit a reflection paper at the end of the program. Along the way, trained student leaders act as guides, teaching incoming freshmen about residence hall life, academics and how to become more involved and at feel at ease at WVU.
"Adventure WV started in 2003, and it was clear to me that the program was having a positive impact on incoming freshmen," Corio said. Research shows the program is having a positive impact. Adventure WV participants recently took the Educational Benchmarking Inc. First-Year Initiative Survey, and the results show they had higher retention rates than students who didn't go through the program, he noted. In the same survey, Adventure WV was ranked first in course effectiveness among other first-year seminar courses at 49 other institutions.
For more information, visit http://adventurewv.wvu.edu/.
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