Fall All Staff Training The 2010 Fall All Staff Training (FAST) was a resounding success with record number of participants (over 100!) benefiting from outstanding workshops, both didactic and experiential. This year’s FAST saw more integration between Odyssey and Physical Education, as well as a new, improved tracking system that directed student and community leaders into appropriate levels of training.

Team & Leadership Center Very Busy!If we wondered why the Team & Leadership Center

staff had some bags under their eyes by the time summer drew to a close, a quick count of their activities explained a lot. In the sixteen days between the10th and 25th of August, CTLC delivered:

32 programs112 staff days787 participants

COE in the News COE was highlighted twice at Convocation (welcoming first year students to campus), once by our own Nicky Stevens ’11, who is a Team & Leadership facilitator and Orientation leader, and then again by President Skorton, who talked about meeting the Odyssey Trippers upon their return to campus. We were also briefly mentioned in the September/October issue of Sierra, when it describes our caving classes in an article entitled “School’s Out: In these Classes, No One Ever Struggles to Stay Awake.” The same issue rated Cornell as one of the top 25 “Greenest Schools” in the country. With COE’s work on sustainability training and leadership we are responsible for at least a small part of that stellar ranking.

Fall Advisory Board Meeting The 2010 Fall COE Advisory Board Meeting, held the last weekend in September, was a big success with a strong turnout and substantive discussions. We were pleased to welcome four Board members to their first meeting: Stephen Brinkman ’86, Betty Eng ’92 (via teleconference), Jonathon Simon ’92, and Laura Dugerian ’12. It was especially rewarding to have Laura with us, our first student member of the Board.

In terms of discussions our focus was on Odyssey successes, student mental health, metrics, budget, staffing stress, and student leadership. A more full account is forthcoming.

Pioneers’ Reunion The same weekend of the Board Meeting the “Pioneers” generation held their third reunion, here in Ithaca. Hosted by John and Jean Rowley and COE, the reunion was attended by about two dozen pioneering leaders and their families. Besides lots and lots of storytelling and laughs, the Pioneers mountain biked Hammond Hill, canoed Beebe Lake, Tyroleaned across the Fall Creek Gorge, ascended high into trees on Mt. Pleasant, and climbed the new Quadzilla , as well as zipped and giant swinged the Tower at the Hoffman Challenge Course. Energized by their amazing enthusiasm, we hope to use the Pioneers as a model to better connect with other eras of COE alumni.

Budget Challenges As we discussed at the Board Meeting, Athletics and Physical Education (A&PE) has developed a new “Indirect Cost Allocation” budget model. With this model, COE will be assessed for the services we use and cost A&PE, with the fees being incrementally assessed over 5 years, until we are charged the full 100% of what they view our cost is. This year the “bill” is $28,600; in five years it will be $143,000. The result is that our net appropriation will actually be negative, and we will be paying

A&PE $7,000, rather than receiving $164,000 as we did when I first came to COE a decade ago. It is unclear how deeply other A&PE units have been affected, but we’ve been told that all operational (but not administrative) units will be hit with this cost re-allocation. Andy Noel and Larry Quant, the Athletic Director and A&PE Business Manager have verbally told us there will be additional funding from A&PE to make up for some of the new fees, which is great. Unfortunately, the only thing that is definite, and that we have in writing is the huge cut, so we are most nervous. We are looking to address this issue, as well as an overall budget plan with the help of an Advisory Board sub-committee. Anyone interested in assisting in this critical area is encouraged to contact David Bessey, Chair of the Budget Sub-Committee, at david.bessey@prudential.com or Todd Miner at tm49@cornell.edu.

Fall Enrollments Enrollments in PE, our core area, continue to be very healthy. As of late September we were up over 5% over our strong 2009 numbers. This is likely due once again due to record numbers of Odyssey Trippers, smart course selection by the Outdoor Programs team, and good marketing. We have some work to do to increase the number of fall Team and Leadership Center programs, so our marketing team is switching gears and now will be focused on getting groups to benefit from TLC.

Tree Climbing InstituteCOE’s Tree Climbing Institute continues to move

forward and to make the news. Please take a moment to review the two enclosed articles, one from the Cornell Sun and the other from the Cornell Chronicle. Mark Holton and his crew are presently planning our first tree climbing class in California (the previous trip was a recon) for late Spring 2011.

Kristen Rupert and John Foote Honored COE Advisory Board Chair, Kristen Rupert ’74, and husband John Foote ’74, were honored in September as 2010 recipients of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award. The award honors alumni who have given long-term volunteer service to Cornell throughout the broad spectrum of alumni organizations. They are the youngest alumni to have ever earned the award. Kristen’s father, Jack, was similarly honored the first year the award was given. Team & Leadership Center Helps Statler Leadership Development Program

The Statler Leadership Development Program is designed for students interested in going into Hotel Operations. Students work two shifts per week in the hotel, with gradually increasing roles of responsibilities. Their roles will eventually have them supervising and managing their peers and other hotel professionals who are not students. TLC helped the students:

Build a community of support and trust•Look at skills of problem solving•Look at effective teams and team membership•

Some evaluation comments from the program:“I walked away with a different perspective on - Leadership”“The discussions afterwards really had us apply - concepts to our life which was very valuable.”“I’ve done many team building exercises but I think - this exercise was better because we talked more about the outcome of the exercise and how it relates to our personal lives.”“The group discussions and planning times were - helpful in moving the entire group through the challenge.”

RMAC Member, Dr. Flavio Gaudio, and Advisory Board Member, Dr. Jay Lemery, Publish in Journal of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine

Flavio Gaudio and Jay Lemery, with colleague David

Johnson, recently published an article about anaphylaxis in the backcountry. A result of a roundtable they led at a meeting of the Wilderness Medical Society, it was found that anaphylaxis in the wilderness was actually quite rare, however, administering emergency care could be life saving. As the article states, “In summary, the roundtable panel endorsed the field administration of epinephrine under emergency conditions by wilderness instructors who have received adequate training in the field recognition and treatment of anaphylaxis.”

Beebe Lake Canoe Proposal COE recently helped encourage another Cornell marriage with the use of one of our canoes. A young man contacted Mark Holton, Director of Outdoor Programs, this summer and asked if he could rent a canoe. Mark told him how to do so and he became crestfallen when Outfitting hours didn’t match his travel times back to Cornell. Mark asked what the big deal was, and the alumnus told him that he hoped to canoe with his girlfriend to the island in the middle of Beebe Lake, where they had first kissed, to propose to her. Of course, upon hearing this Mark was 100% into the plot.

On the big day Mark helped them get a COE canoe out on Beebe Lake and nervously watched from afar. Not to worry, the young man returned triumphant with arms in the air. The proposal to his gal, made on the spot where, in her words, “He snuck his first kiss,” was enthusiastically accepted.

SustainabilityCOE continues to lead the way in sustainability.

We have started a battery, toner, and CD recycle program in Bartels and Teagle halls. Thanks to Jim Volckhausen and to Molly Smith, our student Sustainability Coordinator, for their persistent work on this.

New Odyssey Memorial Fund Established Last year, out in Oregon, Outdoor Odyssey Guide Laura Smith, along with her family, was involved in a tragic and fatal traffic accident. Her family and friends have established the Matthew J. Smith and Laura K. Smith Memorial Fund for Outdoor Odyssey in Laura’s memory. Donations to this fund will help provide scholarships for Odyssey Trippers who otherwise might not be able to afford a trip, thus keeping alive and extending Laura’s passion for the outdoors and Odyssey. Donating to the fund in Laura’s honor, and to assist Odyssey and incoming Cornell students, is easy. Just go to https://www.giving.cornell.edu/give/ and designate your gift to the Laura Smith Fund.

Personnel

Paddling/Skiing Coordinator – We are very pleased to announce the hiring of Sarah Fox as our new Paddling/Skiing Coordinator. Sarah joins us from the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where she worked in their very well regarded Venture Program. Sarah brings over a decade of professional outdoor education work in several institutions. She is technically very competent and comes with the highest recommendations. Rob Cook, who has done an outstanding job as interim Coordinator, will continue in that role until late October when Sarah will start her duties.

Marketing Coordinator – We also are very happy to announce the filling of our half time marketing coordinator position (generously funded by Peter Guggenheimer). Patrick Shanahan, joined the team in early September and is already making a positive difference. Patrick previously served a number of roles within Athletics & Physical Education, including marketing assistant.

2010-11COE-Cornell CalendarOctober 1 Radical Reels Film Festival, IthacaOctober 9-10 COE Landscape Photography Class, IthacaOctober 9-12 Fall BreakOctober 22-24 Parents’ WeekendOct. 23 COE Fall Semester Day of ServiceOct. 28-31 Trustee Council Annual Meeting, Ithaca

December 4 COE Gear SaleDecember 4 Last Day of ClassesDecember 17 Last Day of Exams

January 4-12 COE Winter Break WFR ClassJanuary 24 First Day of Cornell ClassesJanuary 28-30 Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference, Washington, DC

February 18 Banff Mountain Film Festival, IthacaMarch 19-27 Cornell Spring BreakMay 5 COE End of Year Picnic and Award CeremonyMay 6 Slope DayMay 7 Last Day of ClassesMay 11 Start of ExamsMay 22-28 Senior WeekMay 13-15 COE Spring Advisory Board Meeting, IthacaMay Outdoor Odyssey Guide-O-Rama TrainingMay 30 CommencementJune 9-11 Reunion