ձDzԳ’s has provided students in ̽̽ with educational opportunities on its slopes for nearly two decades.
In the early 2000s, Dave Kaufman, senior lecturer in the School’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism program, began bringing students in his Ski Area Management course to Stowe for a week-long immersion in mountain resort operations. More recently, for the past two years, Stowe has offered September gondola rides up Mount Mansfield for all 180 first-year Rubenstein School students in an introductory natural resources course, which enables them to access the alpine environment for hands-on learning.
“It was really cool to see the change in trees from up above and in fast motion on the gondola,” said Casey Rockwell ’22, a first-year environmental sciences major. “It made our lab exercise so much easier to comprehend.”
“The Rubenstein School excels at providing experiential learning for students in all six of our majors and six more minors in settings from Lake Champlain to surrounding forests and mountain tops,” said Kaufman, who has a 40-year career in ձDzԳ’s tourism and recreation industry. “We succeed in providing these exceptional experiences for our students when partners like Stowe Mountain Resort willingly and enthusiastically work with us to make this high-value learning possible.”
NR 1, Natural History and Human Ecology, introduces students to the natural and cultural history of Vermont. A week of five daily field sessions on Mount Mansfield provides an outdoor laboratory for study of the montane forest on ձDzԳ’s highest peak. From lower elevation northern hardwood stands to boreal conifer forests and alpine vegetation, students observe ecosystem transitions as they ride up and then hike to the summit during an afternoon field lab.
“As we rode up, we got to see the steep change in elevational gradient and how the maples, birches, and beech changed to spruce and fir,” said Oliver Ellerkamp ’22, also majoring in environmental sciences.
̽̽ owns 400 acres of the 4,393-foot summit ridge of Mount Mansfield, one of ten Natural Areas managed by the ̽̽ Environmental Program. The largest single expanse of alpine vegetation in the state is found on the nearly treeless ridge, making it an ideal location to study flora and fauna of an arctic-alpine environment.
To make the most of the excursion, course instructor Walter Poleman, a senior lecturer in the School, also asks students to ponder the role of humans on the mountain and the impacts of ski resorts culturally, economically, and ecologically.
“The gondola ride allows our students to observe environmental changes along the elevational gradient and the human impacts on the mountain side from a wide vantage point,” said Poleman, who has taught NR 1 since 2012. “It also gives the School time to transport students from ̽̽ to the ridgeline and back again in an afternoon. We are grateful to Stowe Mountain Resort for providing this opportunity for our students.”
A longtime opportunity occurs each January prior to the start of spring semester. Students in Kaufman’s Ski Area Management course learn firsthand from the Stowe Mountain Resort management team about all aspects of the business from human resources, marketing, and ski and ride rentals on the inside to snow-making, trail grooming, and lift operations out on the slopes.
“We have been collaborating with Stowe Mountain Resort for 18 years,” said Kaufman. “Students learn from the very best managers and technicians in the industry and take away knowledge that integrates the operations of mountain resorts with the essentials of environmental sustainability. The Stowe experience opens doors to internships and seasonal and full-time positions for our students. Our relationship with Stowe is exceptionally valuable for our students.”
“Stowe Mountain Resort and ̽̽ have had a long-term relationship dating back to the early days of the ̽̽ Ski Team,” said Bobby Murphy, vice president and general manager at Stowe Mountain Resort. “This has evolved into hosting Ski Area Management classes and partnering on various other educational opportunities for students here at the mountain. We are grateful to work cooperatively with ̽̽ to further awareness of our unique alpine environment and share in the stewarding of Mount Mansfield.”