Dr. Will Hobbs has taught at the college level for 17 years total and has served as Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education (WLEE) at Brevard College since Fall 2020.
Since coming to Brevard College, his motivation is to help students make connections between their academic studies and a career after college. He said, “I find it challenging work to create opportunities in and out of the classroom where students can see more for themselves in the future, whether they are pursuing a specific career or preparing for a flexible and ever-changing work landscape. I want to focus more on connecting students with movers and shakers in the outdoor industry, developing their networking skills, and sparking their imagination for what could be!” As a response to his less-than-ideal experiences as a college student, Dr. Hobbs finds value in working with students at this pivotal time in their lives. He said, “The years spent in college are powerful but not always in a positive way. I’ve found that I have a knack for influencing college folks in a positive way and that’s fun!”
With those opportunities in mind, Dr. Hobbs engages in national service and furthers academic and workforce development through several projects within the WLEE department, such as updating curriculum, and exploring strategic partnerships and addressing workforce deficiencies with BIPOC instructors. Nationally, he serves on the Executive Committee for the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), where he is currently authoring updates to a national credentialing program for outdoor leadership. As a result of his connection to WEA, Dr. Hobbs has a valuable perspective on the field, which benefits his students. He is part of a research team conducting a national census of outdoor academic programs. Brevard College student KC Collins is also a co-author on this project for presentations and several journal manuscripts.
He understands how important it is for students to graduate with professional prospects in the outdoor leadership field and he shared that, “Being a part of these conversations at the national level allows me to direct and design my classes to best prepare students for the challenges they will face in their career as well as make new connections for student opportunities.”
Dr. Hobbs’ future goals at Brevard College include instituting travel courses through international study abroad and domestic study away programs. He mentioned the international draw for the college’s Athletics and added, “I would love to be a part of developing the academic side of that.” He hopes to continue to develop strong international partnerships and collaborators to benefit Brevard College students.