Dear professional colleagues,
I am writing to extend to you an invitation to the 17th bi-annual Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium (OOPS), on Friday, April 13th, in Woodstock, CT.
Please join a group of student leaders, program directors, researchers, and outdoor professionals for a day of learning and sharing about the latest developments regarding outdoor orientation programs. Current research demonstrates that outdoor orientation programs are on the rise at four-year colleges in the US and Canada. We are also seeing increases at private high schools, business schools, and medical schools. The awareness of the benefits of using adventure to create community are growing. We invite all who have an interest in the orientation of students to join us on Friday, April 13th.
This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Charles Schroeder, a senior associate consultant at Noel-Levitz.  Dr. Schroeder has published more than 75 books and articles on higher education and has consulted at more than 100 institutions throughout North America.  Dr. Schroeder was also a two-time president for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). Dr. Schroeder sharing his knowledge about the role of adventure based orientation within higher education is not to be missed. 
This April's conference will take place at YMCA Camp Woodstock, located in Woodstock, CT,  in the northeast corner of Connecticut between Boston, MA and Hartford, CT . Housing is available onsite, either in heated cabins or in a camping area (which has been popular with college students). 
The Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium (OOPS) will focus on:
Staff development. Information provided on staffing models, staffing choices, and leadership development.
Improving an outdoor orientation program: Focusing on curriculum development and creating great program impact. Creative ideas for improving a program or adding to a program.
Researching outdoor orientation program: Assessment of programs and theoretical issues
The Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium is hosted by Dr. Brent Bell, Dr. David Starbuck, and Tricia Chan from the University of New Hampshire. Registration for the conference can be completed at the following link:
Cost for the conference is $100 for professionals, and $35 for students. We significantly reduce the student price because this is a great conference for student leaders. The conference price includes lunch and program materials. The OOPS group will be meeting from 8:30am-5pm.  This conference session is a pre-conference to the Association for Experiential Education’s Northeast Regional Conference. You do not have to enroll at this conference to attend OOPS, but we encourage you to consider it.
Any questions about the pre-conference should be directed to:  Dr. Brent J. Bell, bbell@unh.edu
Hope to see you at Woodstock!
Brent Bell
Associate Prof. of Outdoor Education
Dept. of Kinesiology
University of New Hampshire