Outdoor Program Management Concepts for the 90's.

College outdoor professionals are often simultaneously administrators, educators, and managers of student leaders. The manager role may be lost in the shadow of the others, yet can be the most powerful in creating a successful outdoor program. This paper reviews some relevant management principles gleaned from the business world and suggests ways to put them into practice. A quality college program must have quality training for its student instructors. Thorough training ensures that staff can be independent and do not need to be told how to do their jobs. Feedback can be used to both train and manage outdoor leaders and can be a powerful motivator. In addition to good training, student instructors must be given the tools they need to do the job well. These tools can include short printed curriculum guidelines and tips for effective teaching, course checklists of things to do, a policies and procedures manual, and a goal-setting session prior to beginning new student-developed projects. Other strategies for personnel management include creating group unity and a family atmosphere through intense group experiences, all-staff retreats, newsletters, and continuing education; offering leadership opportunities within the organization; using self-evaluation as a means of improvement; and encouraging learning of new skills. Parameters specific to running a college outdoor program include remembering that student instructors are volunteers, setting timetables to encourage student attention to deadlines, and coping with the student criticisms that come with a family atmosphere. (SV)