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Freshmen in the University 100 Project Peak course go rock climbing at Great
Falls National Park to build leadership and team development skills.
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Project Peak Builds Community
By Michelle Nery
Student retention is a priority for units across the university and a new
University 100 course called Project Peak is meeting the challenge by building
a community for freshmen before they even begin their first week of classes. The
Freshman Center has offered University 100 courses for more than 10 years, but
the new Project Peak course is at the forefront of a booming national trend.
"Many schools are starting to require first-year experiences that value
building community and experiential learning," says James Harman, manager
of Adventure Programs at Hemlock Overlook Center for Outdoor Education and program
coordinator at the Freshman Center. "At Dartmouth, 90 percent of freshmen
go through the university's program, and 50 percent of Princeton freshmen go on
what's known as the Frosh Trip."
Project Peak is a two-phase, two-credit outdoor education section of University
100 that combines the regular University 100 curriculum of study skills, academic
and career advising, healthy lifestyle choices, and leadership and team development
with outdoor experiences including camping, hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking.
Harman developed and teaches the course, which expanded from two sections last
year to four this year.
The first phase of the program consists of a six-day wilderness adventure
trip held the week before the students' first semester begins. Students spend
the first day at Hemlock Overlook completing the team development course. The
remaining five days include canoeing or kayaking down the Potomac River, rock
climbing at Great Falls National Park, hiking on the Appalachian trail, camping,
and cooking on camp stoves. In the second phase, students meet every other week
during the semester to build on the foundations laid during the presemester adventure
and learn portions of the curriculum more suited to the classroom. "Even
in the classroom," says Elizabeth Patten, associate director, Freshman Center,
"there is a lot of activity and interactivity in University 100 courses,
including projects, discussions, and journaling assignments, that allow students
to reflect on their experiences."
Peer Advisors are also an integral part of the University 100 courses, serving
as teaching assistants and mentors to students. "Peer Advisors are upperclassmen
who have a solid academic background and references, and pass both group and individual
interviews," says Patten. "The advisors are trained on the resources
available to students on campus and on facilitation." Sarah A. Godlewski,
a junior, was a Peer Advisor for Project Peak last year and found that the students
were not the only ones who developed a community.
"I would not have met many of the people I know if I were not a Peer
Advisor," says Godlewski. Having just completed adjusting to college themselves,
Peer Advisors act as mentors to students. "I became close with my students,
and they felt comfortable to come to me during the semester when they were having
difficulty," she says.
"There are so many parallels between the personal challenges students
go through in their college career and what they accomplish during Project Peak,"
says Harman. "It's wonderful to see all these people - the faculty, staff,
and peer advisors - supporting the students. Students are craving that kind of
support at Mason."
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