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The first impression of a lifetime
Of all the memorable firsts that new APU Outdoor Studies
students experienced during their 2011-2012 school year on
campus, the most lasting memory probably took place off
campus. Twelve first-year students started the school year by
traveling with four faculty through the heart of Alaska, paddling
along the Yukon River.
The journey was a chance for students to immerse themselves in
Alaska and in a new way of learning. It was a shared experienced
that bonded them with fellow students and faculty. And it
was an adventure that sparked conversations inspired by the
landscape and the company.
“We could do this at the Anchorage campus, where at the end
of the day everyone goes home,” explained David McGivern,
APU’s Associate Professor of Outdoor Studies. “But when your
classroom is the Yukon River, at the end of the day, everyone
stays together. That’s what we hope we brought back– something
that lives on in every student and in every classroom.”
And it’s the kind of adventure APU faculty hope they can offer
future students as a first introduction to the APU experience.
The APU Nordic Ski Center is another unique
example of APU creating leaders – in the
weight room, on the trails, on the medal
podium, and around the world.
Passionate learning, inspired teaching
Before APU Education students become the teachers that guide
Alaska’s youth, APU professors guide them to discover their own
passions for teaching and learning.
This active learning experience is rooted in preparing teachers
to provide effective classroom instruction and interaction,
but it extends far deeper. APU offers Education students–
undergraduate, graduate and masters who are already educators
–an understanding that learning experiences don’t always come
in a classroom, and their passion for teaching can instill a desire
to learn, explore and grow in their own students.
It takes a special teacher to thrive in Alaska, a place rich with
cultures and landscapes, benefits and challenges. APU is the
place that prepares those teachers to excel.
Twelve first-year students started the
school year by traveling with four faculty
through the heart of Alaska, paddling along
the Yukon River.
Nordic knowledge, international excellence
Through sun, snow, rain and sweat, APU Nordic Ski Center
coaches have worked in all seasons to hone Alaska’s best crosscountry
skiers into the nation’s best skiers. Those lofty goals
shifted in recent years–now the team is transforming the
nation’s best skiers into the world’s best.
Earlier this winter, two APU skiers–Holly Brooks and Kikkan
Randall–led a U.S. Ski Team foursome to the first medals
for an American women’s relay team in the history of World
Cup racing. The results might have shocked the world’s racing
circuit, but it was no surprise to those who know about the
APU program. Home of current and former Olympians, APU’s
Nordic Ski Center is an internationally known training site for
elite skiers and developing Olympians.
The APU Nordic Ski Center is another unique example of
APU creating leaders – in the weight room, on the trails, on the
medal podium and around the world.