PROGRAM SPECIALIZATIONS
The question of specializations or concentrations within the BRM was always an issue of considerable discussion and debate among faculty. The argument for developing specializations was that it would enable those students knowing what area of the field they wanted to work in, with the opportunity to gain in depth knowledge and experience through focused curricular as well as extra curricular offerings. Specializations would also enable faculty which a particular interest to work closely with a small group of dedicated students who shared that interest. Some of the challenges associated with specializations were that it was difficult for transfer students with credits from elsewhere (of whom there were a considerable number) to complete the requirements within the standard time; with such a small faculty compliment, it was difficult to dedicate a particular member to teaching specific elective courses outside the requirements of the degree, especially to a small number of students; having set requirements for a specialization caused difficulties when the faculty member responsible for a specialization was on leave or left the university; and there was always an argument to be made that it was desirable to have students take diverse electives in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a variety of aspects of the field than focus solely on one.
The three areas of specialization/concentration that tended to ebb and flow over time focused on tourism, sport, and outdoor. Dr. Alex Wright had the primary interest in tourism. He arrived at Acadia in 1979 and passed away suddenly in 1997. Alex taught in the disciplinary core, assumed the role of Acting Director on occasion, and coordinated the Masters program as well as teaching most of the graduate courses, and supervising most of the theses. This left little time to devote to the tourism specialization but he did manage to develop and deliver a number of tourism related electives. Over time, although faculty with community tourism interest and expertise did teach in the program for brief periods (Tom Hinch, Wanda George, and Tom Delamare), it was insufficient to build of sustain a strong tourism focus.
In terms of sport, the expertise resided mainly with the physical education/kinesiology faculty, none of whom really wanted the responsibility for managing a specialization. However, students with the interest were able to take a number of sport elective offerings from a variety of faculty (e.g. Austin, Bedingfield, Dodge, Markham-Starr, Ness, Pitter).
The three areas of specialization/concentration that tended to ebb and flow over time focused on tourism, sport, and outdoor. Dr. Alex Wright had the primary interest in tourism. He arrived at Acadia in 1979 and passed away suddenly in 1997. Alex taught in the disciplinary core, assumed the role of Acting Director on occasion, and coordinated the Masters program as well as teaching most of the graduate courses, and supervising most of the theses. This left little time to devote to the tourism specialization but he did manage to develop and deliver a number of tourism related electives. Over time, although faculty with community tourism interest and expertise did teach in the program for brief periods (Tom Hinch, Wanda George, and Tom Delamare), it was insufficient to build of sustain a strong tourism focus.
In terms of sport, the expertise resided mainly with the physical education/kinesiology faculty, none of whom really wanted the responsibility for managing a specialization. However, students with the interest were able to take a number of sport elective offerings from a variety of faculty (e.g. Austin, Bedingfield, Dodge, Markham-Starr, Ness, Pitter).
OUTDOOR SPECIALIZATION
The outdoor area was the most fully developed of the specializations for it included participation in a set of required academic courses, as well as a significant number of technical skill building experiences; acquiring professional certifications; and engagement with members of the professional community in a variety of practical initiatives. The outdoor specialization students developed an association through which they sought additional means to develop themselves professionally.
In 1969-70, the football coach George Hemond, taught a course in camp counselling, which had a 4 day actual camp experience as a requirement. The 4 day field work piece became known as Spring Camp. The first camp took place at Sunken Lake Boy Scout Camp. There were 40 students, little or no university owned equipment, and a three-hundred dollar budget. Students brought and prepared their own food. The focus of the course evolved into one on outdoor recreation, which was popular given that Nova Scotia is primarily a rural province. The site was moved to Camp Mockingee outside Windsor for 3 years, and then to Sherbrooke Lake Camp near New Ross. It was felt that all recreation students should have experience with camp life and be in possession of basic outdoor living skills and knowledge. The camp was coordinated by a faculty member but other faculty participated as well. Hemond was succeeded by swim coach Tom Spasoff as coordinator, and then Dave Joos followed by Glyn Bissix, and finally Jude deGuerre.
In 1974, Glyn Bissix was hired with responsibilities in the outdoor area, which he carried out until 1978 when he left Acadia to assume the role of outdoor coordinator with the provincial government. Jude deGuerre replaced him at Acadia, and assumed leadership for development of the outdoor area. By the mid 1980s, additional courses had been developed in Outdoor Education Methods, People and Parks, Camp Administration, and Adventure Outdoor Pursuits. These courses all included extensive practical experience to compliment the structured classroom learning. By the end of the 80s, Outdoor Recreation became Outdoor Recreation Administration, a 2 year Outdoor Pursuits course was added which included technical and leadership skill development in a variety of activities such as rock climbing, winter camping, and canoeing. The focus of Camp Administration was broadened to Residential Camp Administration in order to reflect the inclusion of outdoor education centres, and Concepts of Adventure replaced Adventure Outdoor Pursuits with a focus on the theoretical aspects as well as the experiential. By this time, the School had acquired an extensive inventory of outdoor equipment.
Throughout the 80’s, under the direction of Jude (deGuerre) Hirsch, the Spring camp grew larger and more advanced each year. All first year students were required to attend the week long camp, and students in the 5 upper level specialization courses formed part of the leadership team, along with a number of alumni who took vacation time each Spring to serve on the resource team. The camp was held at Sherbrooke Lake, a residential facility, owned and operated by the United Church of Canada, located in Lunenburg County, on the shores of Sherbrooke Lake. The 300 acre site offers trails, forests, wetlands, and 1000 feet of sandy waterfront. Amenities include the main lodge and dining hall with a wood stove, vaulted pine ceilings, and kitchen; rustic cabins and leader lodge accommodating up to 100 people; an outdoor amphitheatre/ campfire circle overlooking the lake; and a small chapel.
The camp program consisted of all the standard activities one might expect such technical skill development in a myriad of diverse outdoor activities such as fire building, outdoor cooking, orienteering, shelter construction, canoeing, survival, rappelling, and environmental music. There were morning rituals, meal prep and clean up, team building initiatives, low ropes course challenges, campfires, talent shows, and plenty of storytelling. Students in the first year received a solid exposure to camp life and the specialization students gained first hand experience with running all aspects of a residential camp.
The additional element that set these camps, apart from others causing such a lasting impact on participants, were the elaborate outdoor experiential themes developed by Jude, that would frame the entire experience. For example, Adventure in Middle Earth was one such theme. From the time the bus left campus, students would become engaged in an elaborate role playing exercise that would continue throughout various parts of the week long program, including making their way through the forest into the camp for more than a kilometer from the main road where the buses dropped them off. Using Middle Earth jigsaw maps, small groups encountered a series of challenges that they needed to work together to overcome in order to continue moving forward. The elaborate themes served to not only immerse students into the camp experience, but also to build cooperation and trust with fellow participants, as well as break down personal inhibitions.
Although Spring Camp was an amazing experience for those fortunate enough to have been involved in it during its hay day, it also required substantial human and fiscal resources to maintain on an annual basis. This eventually led to the need in the early 1990s, to create alternatives to Spring Camp. After exploring various options, it was decided to develop a challenge course in a wooded area north of campus. Working with Project Adventure, and with her specialization students, Jude designed a course to meet the needs of the Acadia community. Funding for the course was an issue but fortuitously, John Bassett, a Toronto area politician, media proprietor, and profession sports team owner whose daughter Avery was a student in the outdoor specialization, made a sizable donation that enabled the challenge course to be constructed.
In order to satisfy her need for designing innovative outdoor programs, previously satisfied through the creation of the innovative Spring Camp programs, Jude developed Earth Passages along with her Outdoor Specialization students. Earth Passages consisted of a series of interpretive trails designed to increase awareness of the environment and human’s relationship with it, for elementary school aged children. The self guided walks explored themes from the public school curriculum (science, social studies, language arts), with the assistance of a trail activity guide. The trails were located in the area of the challenge course.
During the early 90s, outdoor recreation had reached the peak of development as a specialization. At the same time, a focus was developing on environmentalism and resource development resulting in the creation of new elective courses in Environmentalism and Sustainable Society, Recreation Resource and Environmental Management, and Park and Open Space Development. Glyn Bissix had returned to the School in the early 80s and these courses reflected his interests. Other new courses included Issues in Outdoor Recreation, Environmental Education, Practicum in Outdoor Recreation. The original Camp Administration course evolved into Outdoor Education Centre Administration. During this period, Jude Hirsch (formerly deGuerre) worked in the USA with Project Adventure during a Sabbatical leave, and was offered a position at the University of Georgia managing a large outdoor program, which she accepted. Scott Hennigar, an Acadia Recreation Graduate whose interests were in outdoor leadership, assumed some of the outdoor recreation responsibilities as an Instructor, and by 2000, new courses were developed which included Outdoor Leadership Administration, and Challenge Course Administration. Scott eventually pursued a Master of Education degree through Acadia. Over time, the outdoor program became less theory driven and focused primarily on outdoor technical skill and leadership development. By 2005, many of the remaining outdoor focused courses had been removed from the BRM offerings, and the focus shifted to resource management, environmental education, and technical leadership, reflecting the interests of the faculty at the time.
In 1969-70, the football coach George Hemond, taught a course in camp counselling, which had a 4 day actual camp experience as a requirement. The 4 day field work piece became known as Spring Camp. The first camp took place at Sunken Lake Boy Scout Camp. There were 40 students, little or no university owned equipment, and a three-hundred dollar budget. Students brought and prepared their own food. The focus of the course evolved into one on outdoor recreation, which was popular given that Nova Scotia is primarily a rural province. The site was moved to Camp Mockingee outside Windsor for 3 years, and then to Sherbrooke Lake Camp near New Ross. It was felt that all recreation students should have experience with camp life and be in possession of basic outdoor living skills and knowledge. The camp was coordinated by a faculty member but other faculty participated as well. Hemond was succeeded by swim coach Tom Spasoff as coordinator, and then Dave Joos followed by Glyn Bissix, and finally Jude deGuerre.
In 1974, Glyn Bissix was hired with responsibilities in the outdoor area, which he carried out until 1978 when he left Acadia to assume the role of outdoor coordinator with the provincial government. Jude deGuerre replaced him at Acadia, and assumed leadership for development of the outdoor area. By the mid 1980s, additional courses had been developed in Outdoor Education Methods, People and Parks, Camp Administration, and Adventure Outdoor Pursuits. These courses all included extensive practical experience to compliment the structured classroom learning. By the end of the 80s, Outdoor Recreation became Outdoor Recreation Administration, a 2 year Outdoor Pursuits course was added which included technical and leadership skill development in a variety of activities such as rock climbing, winter camping, and canoeing. The focus of Camp Administration was broadened to Residential Camp Administration in order to reflect the inclusion of outdoor education centres, and Concepts of Adventure replaced Adventure Outdoor Pursuits with a focus on the theoretical aspects as well as the experiential. By this time, the School had acquired an extensive inventory of outdoor equipment.
Throughout the 80’s, under the direction of Jude (deGuerre) Hirsch, the Spring camp grew larger and more advanced each year. All first year students were required to attend the week long camp, and students in the 5 upper level specialization courses formed part of the leadership team, along with a number of alumni who took vacation time each Spring to serve on the resource team. The camp was held at Sherbrooke Lake, a residential facility, owned and operated by the United Church of Canada, located in Lunenburg County, on the shores of Sherbrooke Lake. The 300 acre site offers trails, forests, wetlands, and 1000 feet of sandy waterfront. Amenities include the main lodge and dining hall with a wood stove, vaulted pine ceilings, and kitchen; rustic cabins and leader lodge accommodating up to 100 people; an outdoor amphitheatre/ campfire circle overlooking the lake; and a small chapel.
The camp program consisted of all the standard activities one might expect such technical skill development in a myriad of diverse outdoor activities such as fire building, outdoor cooking, orienteering, shelter construction, canoeing, survival, rappelling, and environmental music. There were morning rituals, meal prep and clean up, team building initiatives, low ropes course challenges, campfires, talent shows, and plenty of storytelling. Students in the first year received a solid exposure to camp life and the specialization students gained first hand experience with running all aspects of a residential camp.
The additional element that set these camps, apart from others causing such a lasting impact on participants, were the elaborate outdoor experiential themes developed by Jude, that would frame the entire experience. For example, Adventure in Middle Earth was one such theme. From the time the bus left campus, students would become engaged in an elaborate role playing exercise that would continue throughout various parts of the week long program, including making their way through the forest into the camp for more than a kilometer from the main road where the buses dropped them off. Using Middle Earth jigsaw maps, small groups encountered a series of challenges that they needed to work together to overcome in order to continue moving forward. The elaborate themes served to not only immerse students into the camp experience, but also to build cooperation and trust with fellow participants, as well as break down personal inhibitions.
Although Spring Camp was an amazing experience for those fortunate enough to have been involved in it during its hay day, it also required substantial human and fiscal resources to maintain on an annual basis. This eventually led to the need in the early 1990s, to create alternatives to Spring Camp. After exploring various options, it was decided to develop a challenge course in a wooded area north of campus. Working with Project Adventure, and with her specialization students, Jude designed a course to meet the needs of the Acadia community. Funding for the course was an issue but fortuitously, John Bassett, a Toronto area politician, media proprietor, and profession sports team owner whose daughter Avery was a student in the outdoor specialization, made a sizable donation that enabled the challenge course to be constructed.
In order to satisfy her need for designing innovative outdoor programs, previously satisfied through the creation of the innovative Spring Camp programs, Jude developed Earth Passages along with her Outdoor Specialization students. Earth Passages consisted of a series of interpretive trails designed to increase awareness of the environment and human’s relationship with it, for elementary school aged children. The self guided walks explored themes from the public school curriculum (science, social studies, language arts), with the assistance of a trail activity guide. The trails were located in the area of the challenge course.
During the early 90s, outdoor recreation had reached the peak of development as a specialization. At the same time, a focus was developing on environmentalism and resource development resulting in the creation of new elective courses in Environmentalism and Sustainable Society, Recreation Resource and Environmental Management, and Park and Open Space Development. Glyn Bissix had returned to the School in the early 80s and these courses reflected his interests. Other new courses included Issues in Outdoor Recreation, Environmental Education, Practicum in Outdoor Recreation. The original Camp Administration course evolved into Outdoor Education Centre Administration. During this period, Jude Hirsch (formerly deGuerre) worked in the USA with Project Adventure during a Sabbatical leave, and was offered a position at the University of Georgia managing a large outdoor program, which she accepted. Scott Hennigar, an Acadia Recreation Graduate whose interests were in outdoor leadership, assumed some of the outdoor recreation responsibilities as an Instructor, and by 2000, new courses were developed which included Outdoor Leadership Administration, and Challenge Course Administration. Scott eventually pursued a Master of Education degree through Acadia. Over time, the outdoor program became less theory driven and focused primarily on outdoor technical skill and leadership development. By 2005, many of the remaining outdoor focused courses had been removed from the BRM offerings, and the focus shifted to resource management, environmental education, and technical leadership, reflecting the interests of the faculty at the time.