College’s Outdoor Programs Accredited by Association for Experiential Education
Wyoming Catholic College is happy to announce that it has “met the accreditation standards of The Association for Experiential Education (AEE), a global community of experiential educators and practitioners with the shared goal of enriching lives through Experiential Education.”
This recognition is a welcome milestone in the College’s efforts to join a robust experiential education with a traditional Great Books program. “Accreditation by AEE means that our Experiential Leadership and Catholic Outdoor Renewal programs have been recognized for excellence,” said President Glenn Arbery, “and our whole team is to be congratulated. What we do in the outdoors complements and heightens what we do in the classroom with the Great Books–and that’s what our integrated curriculum is all about.”
Dr. Tom Zimmer, Wyoming Catholic College’s Assistant Professor of Leadership and Outdoor Education and head of its outdoor programs, reflected on the accomplishment: “This is incredibly exciting news,” he said. “There are so many to thank for the successful completion of this three-year process and we are very proud to be recognized by the Association. AEE is the highest gold standard for outdoor programs (including such flagship organizations as NOLS and Outward Bound), and their approval is a sign of the great work being done by our students and instructors.”
This accreditation is effective for a 3-year term (through June, 2020) and is evidence of our outdoor programs’ compliance with the Association’s standards, including dedication to the Association’s philosophical, educational, ethical, environmental, and cultural tenets; maintaining appropriate risk management plans, licenses, certificates, permits, and insurance; employing qualified staff and conducting on-going in-service education; conducting all activities currently listed in promotional materials appropriately; and working only with those individuals identified as appropriate for the program.
