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.
Our Future
- Plans are moving forward to build a new indoor climbing wall.
- There is budding interest from academic departments to convert the Outdoor Adventure Leadership minor into a cross-department major, involving academic departments such as Applied Physiology, Heath and Clinical Sciences; Communications; Psychology; and Environmental Sciences.