CSUSB Leadership Challenge Center

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - California State University, San Bernardino Recreational and Wellness is proud to announce the addition of a Leadership Challenge Course.

Focused on providing a unique team building and leadership development program for CSUSB students, departments, organizations and the community, the on-campus Leadership Challenge Course will be state-of-the-art and unmatched in our area.

The Leadership Challenge Course will be built on utility poles and stand 50' high. The structure consists of a team elements portion that two to eight people will be able to attempt together, as well as an individual/partner portion that emphasizes support and goal setting. In addition to the high structure other challenges are built low to the ground.

Programs are designed to build and teach a person how to appropriately trust others, empower a person to develop skills necessary to be part of a healthy community as well as increase interpersonal skills, social skills, and physical abilities. The Leadership Challenge Course will provide a physically and emotionally safe environment allowing one to step outside their comfort zone and take a risk.

"I look forward to the thousands of students and community members that will take a step outside their comfort zone and have an intense and positive learning experience" said Mark Oswood, CSUSB Recreational Sports Outdoors Programs Coordinator.

Oswood will manage the course with his extensive experience as a challenge course manager. He began leading experiential education and challenge course programs in 1995 and was the founding director of the University of California, Riverside Challenge Course program in 2002.

Assembly for the Leadership Challenge Course is scheduled to begin early January 2013. CSUSB Recreational Sports will hold a Grand Opening celebration planned for February 5, 2013.

Funding for the course comes from a collaboration of Recreational Sports, the Associated Students Inc. class of 2012 gift, and the Student Success Initiative. As a result, costs for CSUSB students and campus groups to experience the Leadership Challenge Course will be kept minimal.

Challenge Works Inc. of Scotts Valley CA has been awarded the contract to assemble the course and is a leading provider of Challenge Course Services since 1997. Challenge Works Inc. is a professional vendor member of the Association of Challenge Course Technologies (ACCT). They have installed hundreds of challenge course elements, zip lines and climbing towers. In additional to installing course they have trained thousands of facilitators worldwide.

"With the addition of a challenge course to CSUSB, the students, faculty and staff will be able to learn about themselves and group cohesion in a new and exciting way. They will be granted the ability to challenge themselves in ways they never thought possible" Oswood said.

The course will be located on-campus, north of the Coussoulis Arena and east of the East Parking Structure.

For more information, contact Mark Oswood at (909) 537-3863 or moswood@csusb.edu.