Outdoor & Place-Based Experiences

Signature Academic Experiences support student engagement within their academic and career fields. Through framing experiences that support exploration and discovery, students will have a deeper connection to the world of possibilities for OHIO’s Bobcats.

Outdoor Programs

Collaborative outdoor programs that serve as high-impact opportunities, blending immersive trips from the New Adventures First-Year Outdoor Orientation program to Next Adventure challenge course days.

Outdoor Experiences

Next Adventure: Second-Year Outdoor Programs

Challenge Course & Zip Line Days
Looking for a way to spend time outside, build your community by getting to know other second-year students, gain leadership and communication skills, and have fun? Join SAE's Next Adventure program & spend a Saturday just off campus exploring the Ohio University Outdoor Pursuits challenge course. Start your morning off with a series of low-ropes team building initiatives to boost your community and communication skills. Take a break for lunch (pizza is provided!) before you navigate high ropes elements and step onto the new Alphine Skypark. Finish the day with a ride down the zip line - featuring easy access to the entry platform for an exciting 1,000-foot ride across the Ridges landscape, with a slow and soft landing on the other end.
This challenge course program runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Program cost: $5 - Lunch provided!
Fall 2026 Program Dates
Saturday, September 19th, 2026
Saturday, September 26th, 2026
Register: Sep 19th
Register: Sep 26th

New Adventures: First-Year Outdoor Orientation Summer Trips

Start your OHIO experience with a New Adventure!

Going to college is an adventure, so why not start it that way? Outdoor Pursuits and Signature Academic Experiences partner to offer this high-impact, community building First-Year Outdoor Orientation Program. Choose from backpacking, rock climbing, or a canoeing trip, while camping in scenic wilderness areas. Build a tight-knit community with the other incoming students adventuring alongside you. All the while, you'll gain the skills you need to succeed in your first year at OHIO.

New Adventures Orientation trips are open to all incoming first-year students. All gear, transportation, food, equipment, and instruction is provided. No previous outdoor experience is required!

2026 New Adventures Outdoor Orientation Programs
June 24 - 28, 2026	Backpacking & Whitewater Rafting: Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania
July 15 - 19, 2026	Backpacking: Grayson Highlands, Virginia
August 9 - 20, 2026	Canoeing: Boundary Waters Minnesota

Learn More & Register

Place-Based Programs

Place-Based education is anytime, anywhere learning highlighting the power of community and region to personalize students learning and engagement. From culture, ecology, history, economy, and beyond; building students sense of place & understanding.

What is place-based education?

Focuses on developing students’ sense of place and learning through exploring their surrounding environments.
Location can be within the local community (near or on campus) or site visits depending on the goals of the course: green spaces, college museums, performing arts centers, community gardens, non-profit outreach, local businesses, place-specific organizations, etc.
Approaches may include problem-based learning, outdoor and environmental education, community-based education, active learning, reflection, critical pedagogy and more.

Place-Based Events

Fall 2026 Leading for a Cause Retreats

In partnership with the The Center for Student Engagement and Leadership, we are offering two Leading for a Cause retreats each semester. These experiences are free, and each retreat has space for up to 22 students.

Take a deeper step into what it means to explore a place, as you explore the Athens, or Columbus community. On these experience you will engage with professionals across disciplines, reflect on what it means to lead for a cause, and discover what place means in community, while you consider possible futures that you might help to create

Columbus Retreat

Athens Retreat

Saturday, September 12th at 9am through Sunday, September 13th at 3pm

We will visit a variety of sites across Columbus where organizations and individuals are Leading for a Cause, including for-profits, NGOs, and municipal (city) sites. Registered students will receive information about how to prepare, will be engaged throughout the day with activities to promote critical thinking, and will complete independent reflections on their experience afterwards.

*Register by August 14st for areas of interest to influence sites; registration closes September 4th.

All expenses paid - $350 value, FREE!

Open to any year or major.

Register Here

Friday, October 2nd, 9am-7pm

We will visit local organizations in Athens that are Leading for a Cause, and conclude with dinner and information about an Athens classic - Casa Nueva! Registered students will receive information about how to prepare, will be engaged throughout the day with activities to promote critical thinking, and will complete independent reflections on their experience afterwards.

*Register by September 25th for areas of interest to influence sites; registration closes September 25th.

Lunch & dinner included; all expenses paid - $200 value, FREE!