New Editor-in-Chief Selected for JOREL

Bowling Green, Ky. The Western Kentucky University Research Foundation, the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and the Wilderness Education Association are pleased to announce that Dr. Andrew J. Bobilya of Montreat College will serve a one-year term as the new Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. Dr. Bobilya is the second Editor-in-Chief for the journal; Dr. Aram Attarian of North Carolina State University who served from 2008-2010 preceded him.

Dr. Bobilya currently serves as Co-Chair of the Outdoor Education Department at Montreat College. He holds a B.S. in Outdoor Education from Montreat College, a M.S. in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University at Mankato and a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Outdoor Education from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include program design, unaccompanied wilderness course component outcomes, long-term benefits of adventure program participation, and first-year college student programs. He has presented and authored papers in various publications including the JOREL. At Montreat College, he teaches courses ranging from Administration and Management of Outdoor Education to Whitewater Kayaking and Expedition Management. He also coordinates the college’s Certificate in Wilderness Leadership: Immersion Semester which is an integrated semester where students live together and utilize experiences in and outside of the classroom to develop their leadership and teaching skills. He’s experienced as an instructor, trainer, and program coordinator for various wilderness and adventure programs. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina with his wife Kirsten and daughters, Lilyanne and Anika, and enjoys spending time outside exploring as a family.

Referring to the role of JOREL, Dr. Bobilya stated, “I believe the JOREL serves a niche in our disciplines by providing an outlet where authors can submit papers in the broad areas of outdoor recreation, outdoor education, and outdoor leadership; and readers can find a blend of data-driven and conceptual papers. In addition, papers written by practitioners are encouraged for publication – making the JOREL a diverse publication.”

Dr. Bobilya also stated, “I am particularly thankful for the leadership of the Western Kentucky Research Foundation, the Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education and the Wilderness Education Association for partnering to make this journal possible and for the editorial leadership of Dr. Aram Attarian, outgoing Editor-in-Chief. The JOREL is particularly well positioned to help further the body of knowledge in these disciplines through timely manuscript review procedures and online dissemination. I am pleased to be able to serve the JOREL as its Editor-in-Chief and encourage you to consider submitting a manuscript, serving as a reviewer and sharing the journal with those who might benefit from a subscription.”
The Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership Advisory Group looks forward to working with Dr. Bobilya and wishes to thank Dr. Aram Attarian for his contributions as the journal’s Editor-in-Chief from 2008-2010.

About the Journal 

The Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership publishes quality manuscripts to disseminate the latest knowledge related to outdoor recreation, education, and leadership to help develop theory and practice. The journal seeks quantitative and/or qualitative research findings; conceptual or theoretical discussions; or program practices. Relevant topic areas (centered on outdoor recreation, outdoor education, or outdoor leadership) for the journal include, but are not limited to: outdoor recreation, adventure recreation, outdoor education, outdoor leadership, pedagogy, administration, programming, risk management, wilderness medicine, certification, participant behavior, trends, diversity, training, and outcomes.
The journal advisory group (representing AORE, WEA, and WKURF) includes: Tom Stuessy, Ph.D., Green Mountain College; Raymond Poff, Ph.D., Western Kentucky University; Eric Frauman, Ph.D., Appalachian State University; Connie Foster, MLS, Western Kentucky University; Mary Williams, B.S., Wilderness Education Association; Rachel Collins, M.S., University of Utah.

Support for The Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership

The journal, hosted at WKU, uses resources available through TopSCHOLAR® http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ a University-wide, centralized digital repository dedicated to scholarly research, creative activity and other full-text learning resources that merit enduring and archival value and permanent access. TopSCHOLAR® uses the Digital Commons platform from Berkeley Electronic Press http://www.bepress.com;  

The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) http://www.aore.org/ provides opportunities for professionals and students in the field of outdoor recreation and education to exchange information, promote the preservation and conservation of the natural environment, and address issues common to college, university, community, military, and other not-for-profit outdoor recreation and education programs.

The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) http://www.weainfo.org/ promotes the professionalism of outdoor leadership through establishment of national standards, curriculum design, implementation, advocacy, and research driven initiatives.

The Western Kentucky University Research Foundation (WKURF) is organized to support Western Kentucky University efforts to promote the development, implementation, and coordination of extramurally sponsored programs involving research, instruction, public service, and to legally protect, manage and commercialize intellectual property resulting from research, scholarship and creative activities on behalf of Western Kentucky University.