Getting to Know the
Summit Series Speakers
AORE’s Summit Series, to be held on Nov. 18 and 19, focuses on the themes of
“Diversity and Inclusion in Adventure Recreation” and “Trends in Collegiate Recreation
and the Impact on Adventure Programs.” The speakers bring a wide range of experience
and expertise to address pertinent and timely issues in the field. Outdoor Insider heard
from some of them about how they got involved in outdoor pursuits.
Michael Edwards
Director of Campus
Recreation,
Georgia Institute of
Technology
Summit Series Session: From the
Director’s Lens
Michael oversees a 300,000-sq.-ft. Campus Recreation
Center, which has created national award-winning programs such as “The Unbeaten Path: Considering Global
Leadership in the Shadow of China’s Great Wall,” a
unique adventure program that connects American and
Chinese students in discussion that promotes intercultural
understanding. He is also responsible for the construction
of a Leadership Challenge Complex that includes a freestanding, multi-level challenge course and a 3,000-sq.-ft.
outdoor covered classroom. The complex brings together
real-world technology and challenge course scenarios to
create a situation where students, faculty, staff, and corporations can put theory into action. Michael was the sole
winner of the 2013 Georgia Tech Management in Action
Award.
Michael’s past experiences have been in facility and event
management, involving him in every aspect of more than
50 national and international events, including Division I
NCAA Championships, World Championships, Pan American Games, and three Olympic games. Over his 40-year
20
career, Michael has given presentations on all aspects of
programming, operations, and event management.
“Aha” career moment: As a young schoolteacher in
the ’70s, I started an outdoor course at a high school in
Syracuse, N.Y. This class was an alternative to the normal
physical education class. The curriculum was simple, and
the final was a day hike to a predetermined point on a
trail: Prepare a meal, clean up, and hike out. This was an
inner-city school, so an experience such as hiking was a
foreign concept. During the time I taught this class, I had
not one discipline problem or anyone ever miss the class.
This was unheard of in a physical education class at that
time.
Formative outdoor experience: Snorkeling in the Atlantic
Ocean off the continental shelf with two dolphins, Tina
and Lone Star. They were part of a scientific study of dolphins in the wild. I was just blown away by the fact that I
was in their environment, no land in sight, and they were
so welcoming of me and the others. We played together
for a very long time--until the sun went down. However, I
never felt in danger--until I realized it was dark and I was
in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Favorite place on Earth: Anywhere I am several thousand feet in altitude, with several feet of snow, a narrow
pathway down the side of the mountain, locked into a pair
of skis!
Best book read recently: Shift Points: Shift Your Thinking,
Change Your Life, by Dean Del Sesto
AORE Outdoor Insider | Fall 2015