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According to the Small Business Administration, approximately 650,000 new small businesses are created each year in the U.S. Yet a full one-third of those do not survive more than two years. It takes a person of creativity, resourcefulness, high-energy and business savvy to be a successful entrepreneur. We found several of them. Several University of the Ozarks freshmen recently stepped out of the classroom and into canoes for a firsthand lesson on community service, teamwork, overcoming fear, and appreciating Arkansas’ natural beauty. More than 50 U of O students and a handful of faculty members spent an early September weekday floating a sixmile stretch of the Buffalo River near Tyler Bend. The students were part of the university’s Critical Inquiry (CI) program, a freshman-level course designed to help students succeed in college and in the working world. For most of the students, many of whom come from Oklahoma, Texas and southern parts of Arkansas, it was their first time in a canoe, not to mention their first experience on the scenic Buffalo River. Designated as the country’s first federally-protected river, the Buffalo flows freely over swift running rapids and quiet pools and cuts through massive limestone bluffs for its 135- mile journey through north-central Arkansas. Considered one of the most scenic rivers in the country, it sits approximately two hours north of the Ozarks campus. Glendon Jenkins, a freshman from the small south Arkansas community of Wickes, Ark., was one of those first-time canoeists. He admitted to being a little leery of the experience before the trip. But that quickly changed. “I was amazed by how beautiful it was, almost like something you would see in a movie,” Jenkins said of the scenery. “I’ve lived in Arkansas my entire life and had heard of the Buffalo River, but had no idea it was like this.” As it often does with first-time canoeists, the trip had its share of interesting moments: There were the two basketball players from the Dallas area who got into their canoe facing each other. There was a snake sighting that sent numerous students scattering and screaming. And, there were, of course, the intentional and some not-so-intentional canoe capsizings, sending their occupants into the chilly river. The group received an unexpected treat about halfway through their journey when a church group, camping on the shores of the river, entertained the canoeists with a harmoni- 10 Today, FALL/WINTER 2009
ous early-morning concert of hymns. Echoing off the towering limestone bluffs, the sounds could be heard for miles up and down the river. “To hear the singing in a venue like that was a pretty incredible experience,” said Lakaen Maddox, a sophomore education major from Clarksville. “That’s probably one of the last things you expect to hear on a float trip, and it made the trip even more memorable.” Before attending Ozarks, Kursty Boyd, a junior accounting and economics major from Coal Hill, Ark., had never been canoeing on the Buffalo River despite having spent her entire life just two hours away. Her first experience in a canoe was three years ago in her freshman CI class. “There were three of us in a canoe, and we had no idea what we were doing,” she recalled. “There were 30 canoes and we were the 29th to finish. We were so late that we missed lunch, but we had a great time. I felt a real sense of accomplishment.” Boyd now takes the canoe trip with CI classes as a peer mentor, an older student who helps the freshmen acclimate to college life at Ozarks. “It’s neat to see the experience from the other point of view and watch the freshmen learn how to steer the canoe and get through the rapids,” she said. “You see how they work together and how they overcome their fears.” Overcoming fear is one of the main components of the trip, according to Stacy Key, an instructor of mathematics who also coordinates the CI program at Ozarks. “Usually the trip to the Buffalo River is an experience that students either love or just tolerate,” he said. “Most students view it as a challenge and enjoy the outdoors and the sights that they see. We have had some students that had a fear of water or others that had not spent any time in the outdoors. Many of these students have raved about their experiences of the day and have made strides to overcome their fears and grow from this trip.” Another component of the trip is community service. The students take along trash bags and pick up trash along their journey. Over the past several years, the Ozarks contingent has collected several dozen bags of trash from along the banks of the river. “We really want to emphasize the idea of conservation and preservation of our natural resources,” said Key. “It also allows us to discuss community service and all of us doing our small part, and that’s where the picking up of trash comes in. Fortunately, the Buffalo River does not have many issues in this area, which makes even a single piece of trash even more noticeable.” And, for at least a few hours, the students know what it feels like to be completely unplugged – no televisions, no computers, no cell phones. “It’s awesome not having to check your phone every few minutes and to just relax and enjoy nature,” said Boyd. “Arkansas is a beautiful state, and I think it’s easy to forget that sometimes.” Dr. Buddy Smith, a professor of mathematics at Ozarks since 1980, first started taking his CI students on the Buffalo River nine years ago. He said it’s a trip many of them never forget. “I’ve had students tell me that they remember the trip and good times they had years later,” Smith said. “One student even remembered going on the canoe trip with me four years later, but he could not remember that I was his algebra teacher.” In his years of taking more than 250 students — most of them first-time canoeists — on the Buffalo River, Smith has developed some interesting theories. “I think students learn a little about problem-solving since they have to paddle a canoe down some rapids and not turn over,” he said. “It seems like girls adapt to a canoe faster than the guys, and I’m not sure why that is. Maybe they are lighter or just more careful.” The CI program at Ozarks has been in place for almost a decade, and it has helped the university attain retention rates above the national average for higher education. University officials believe the program, which emphasizes such experiences as the float trip, gets students more engaged with their classmates and the university. “The canoe trip to the Buffalo River serves several purposes for a student in the Critical Inquiry course,” said Key. “In addition to the outdoor experience, we want the students in CI to bond with the other students in their class, get engaged with the Ozarks community, and learn teamwork and cooperation. These are some areas that students encounter on the trip to the Buffalo River.” Today, FALL/WINTER 2009 11
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