College Outdoors

If your time at college was dominated by long lectures that required major doses of caffeine to keep you attentive, you weren’t in the Vermilion Community College (VCC) Outdoor Leadership program, or any of the other hands-on, get-outside, do-something-real courses of study offered at this unusual place of higher education.

Consider the Wilderness and Park Management program. Students who complete this 2-year degree program are Class B sawyers (that means they are very competent at using a chain saw) and WFRs (pronounced "woofers," stands for Wilderness First Responders, which means if you break your leg or have a heart attack on a remote expedition, they know how to care for you and get you out to more advanced medical care). They can also fight a wildfire, teach a group of scouts the basics of trail construction, and explain to campers how best to protect their food from bears. Among many other skills!

WFR students

This program has about 12-15 students each year, and they all have great jobs waiting for them after graduation. National and state parks, natural resource departments across the U.S., and non-profit land management agencies are thrilled to get workers that have practiced the skills they need on the job and also have learned the theory and science behind what they are doing.

You don't need a bluebook to test on chainsaw skills.

Students in this program spend more than half their class time in hands-on activities. The Ely area is the perfect outdoor classroom with its variety of environments including whitewater and flatwater canoeing and kayaking, hiking and biking trails, cliffs for rock climbing and mountaineering simulation, harsh winter conditions, and hunting and fishing activity. Those pursuits are often what draw students to Vermilion in the first place, and many spend their spare time doing these same activities for fun.

The Outdoor Leadership program is another that takes advantage of the plentiful and varied outdoor classrooms around Ely. These students learn the skills of canoeing, camping, climbing, backpacking, dogsledding, winter camping, snowshoeing, and more, and add the study of group leadership, safety management, and wilderness first aid. They learn to use the outdoors and recreational activities as teaching tools that can be more effective than Power Points and textbooks for some students. Although the emphasis is on outdoor education, certification for Backcountry Guide can be earned too. These graduates readily find jobs at schools like Outward Bound and NOLS, and also at camps and outfitting businesses.

Students in the Water Quality program sample and analyze lakes and streams during all seasons.

The Outdoor Recreation Therapy program adds the component of using these skills to help people recover from physical and mental health issues by participating in challenging activities that help them gain physical strength, confidence, and insight into their behavior and thought processes. Graduates from this program may work in clinical settings or at camps for populations with specific therapeutic needs.

VCC’s Law Enforcement (LE) program has long had the respect of state agencies involved in police work and criminal justice. Again, it’s the hands-on practice that helps these students become competent and find work after college. LE students who want a more outdoor-oriented career have the opportunity at VCC to pursue degrees and certificates in Wildland Law Enforcement that allow them to become conservation officers, park rangers, or wilderness emergency medicine specialists.

Future conservation officers

The Natural Resource Management program includes Water Sciences–the study of water quality assessment, monitoring, and watershed science. The technical and scientific requirements demand a bit more traditional classroom and laboratory time, but these students still spend 30-40% of their time in the field. They become proficient at using the many technological tools and computer-based models that prepare them for jobs with industry, water treatment facilities, soil and water agencies, and environmental protection operations.

Students can also learn surveying, study environmental science, and gain practical forestry and wildlife management skills. They can earn a certificate from the North American Association of Wildlife Technicians–a huge asset when applying for a good job, and not offered at many colleges.

One more program offers an array of practical, hands-on, outdoor-oriented courses. Animal Science students in the Fisheries and Wildlife Management program may track wolves with telemetry, visit the DNR fish hatchery, participate in the many wildlife surveys done in the Ely area, and work on habitat improvement projects. Many of these students will go on to get a 4-year degree, but there are also some jobs available with a 2-year degree, and VCC students have an edge over others because they’ve had so much hands-on practice.

In Fall 2017 there will be a new course of study in this department– Veterinary Technician. Like other certificate programs, this one will focus on practical experience, with on-site surgery, large animal visits, and care of lab animals. Only three Minnesota colleges offer this two-and-a-half-year course, and graduates will be in demand not just at vet clinics, but also in wildlife rehabilitation centers and zoos.

Class sizes in these specialized programs are small, and students get plenty of attention from their teachers and the professionals in the field who partner with the college programs to ensure that subject matter is up to date, and students get a working knowledge of what will be expected of them at their future work places.

"At the top of your grade" has a special meaning for Outdoor Leadership students.

Most community colleges in Minnesota are seen as an affordable way to get the first two years of basic coursework completed before heading to a four-year school. Technical colleges provide the practical vocational training for students to enter the work force after two years. Vermilion is a blend of these, offering both an academically superior general education, and the opportunity to get certifications and experience that can provide excellent job opportunities after two to three years.

The teachers at VCC really like their students and get to know them well due to the small class size and the amount of time spent doing hands-on work together. It’s rewarding to them to meet a group of first-years in their first fall semester and watch them develop their skills and do a significant amount of growing up in their years at Vermilion. Often these students become alumni who in turn help the newer students find internships and jobs. One former Outdoor Leadership student now works in outdoor education in China, and a group of students visits him annually to further their education abroad.

Many of the programs at VCC are unique or one of only a few offered in the state, and even the nation. The LE program with a focus on wildlands is one of those. Only seven programs in the U.S. provide the certification required to be a Park Ranger at the state and federal levels. Two programs in the U.S. offer the wildlife technician certification.

All the degree programs can be completed in two years, but the average student spends closer to three years at Vermilion. Some of the certifications require so many hours of course work that to obtain both the degree and the certificate takes longer than two years.

Most students who choose Vermilion are really choosing Ely as the place they want to be for the first two or three years of their college education. Many come for the specific programs offered. Another attractive feature is the housing that’s offered. Few other community colleges have any student housing.

Vermilion’s housing is not the traditional (and sometimes awful) college dorm. Apartment-style units have a central kitchen and living space and separate bedrooms. The new townhouse-style units will open fall 2017. Compared to paying rent in a larger city, these accommodations are very affordable.

Non-traditional students are part of the mix at VCC, too. Losing a job, getting out of the military, or simply desiring a career change brings older learners here. If you are one such person, or if you have family or friends ready to head to college, let them know about VCC. The campus is open for visits throughout the summer by calling the admissions office at (218) 235-2191.

Party time at Vermilion Community College