1970's
Summer 1970
A steering committee appointed by the Chancellor sent a pilot group from UNC Charlotte through the North Carolina Outward Bound School.
- 15 UNC Charlotte students, faculty, and staff participated
- 2-week wilderness experience in Linville Gorge and the Great Smokies.
- Course included: Leadership opportunities while backpacking, rock climbing, and navigating the difficult terrain.
Spring 1971
University adopts Venture Outdoor Leadership, an Outward Bound-type program, as a part of the institution’s academic curriculum.
- Developed a mission that honored the Outward Bound model.
- Supported through the Division of Student Affairs.
- To support the new program, the University purchased a 27-acre wilderness tract on the Rocky River in Stanly County (this would later be donated back to the county).
Other Events
- Summer 1971 - First academic course offered, Wilderness Experience.
- Aug. 1978 - Group Initiatives Courses built on campus (now known as the Team Challenge Course).
- Began offering backpacking and rock climbing trips to any student (non-academic related).
- Added canoeing, whitewater kayaking, and biking to our offering of adventure trips.
- New full-time position added (now a total of 2 professional staff).
1980's
- 2 new positions added - Assistant Director and Graduate Assistant
- Added caving and sea kayaking to the adventure trip offerings.
- New academic courses offered: Kayaking and Orienteering.
1990's
May 1995
Accreditation - We become the 5th program in the nation and the 2nd college/ university to be accredited by the Association of Experiential Education. The 1st college to be accredited was Cornell University.
Other Events
- Fall 1990 - A High Ropes Course was built on campus (now called the High Team Challenge Course). New full-time position added (now up to 4 full-time staff).
- February 1998 - Climbing wall built in the Student Activity Center.
- New academic courses offered: Rock Climbing, Challenge Course Activities, Canoeing, Intro to Outdoor Adventures, Wilderness Trip Leading.
- Expanded our team building program to offer more "mobile" programs across campus.
- Began the student leader training program, VOLTAGE.
2000's
- Sept. 2002 - New Team Challenge Courses are built on campus to replace the 2 older courses deconstructed to make room for new campus buildings.
- New academic course offered: Challenge Course Facilitation.
- Hosted the Southeast Regional Conference of the Association of Experiential Education at the newly constructed US National Whitewater Center (now known simply as "Whitewater Center").
2010's
- Celebrated our 40th anniversary!
- Venture Bound - Added a college transition program to our adventure trip offerings called SOAR Outdoor (now Venture Bound), providing a week-long backpacking trip to help students build community and ease the transition to college.
- Updated our High Team Challenge Course to add new elements: Power Pole and Giant Ladder.
2020's
- Celebrated our 50th anniversary!
- Virtual / remote team building program created to adapt to a worldwide pandemic (COVID-19).
- Adventure Trips begin including campus-based experiences to accommodate a restriction on transportation due to the pandemic.
- Achieved accreditation with the Association for Experiential Education, affirming our commitment to quality programming using experiential methods.
- Completed facility improvements at our challenge courses including a new solar-powered composting toilet at the Team Challenge Course and new fencing for our High Team Challenge Course.
- Built a new element on the Odyssey Challenge Course we lovingly call the Alphaelement!
Our Future
Every year we see more interest from students in the Outdoor Adventure Leadership minor. In the 2024-2025 academic year, 100% of our student leaders were declared minors! We are excited to see what adventures are next.