{"id":12019,"date":"2015-11-11T12:51:37","date_gmt":"2015-11-11T17:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=12019"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:08:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:08:33","slug":"celebrating-40-years-the-susan-porucznik-cole-fund-for-student-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=12019","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating 40 years: The Susan Porucznik Cole Fund for Student Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Susan<\/a>
Susan Porucznik Cole. The Susan Porucznik Cole Fund for Student Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences grants first-year students an empowering experience that prepares them for their college transition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Susan Porucznik Cole, a former challenge course coordinator at the Carolina Adventures Outdoor Education Center, was passionate about nature and the outdoors.\u00a0 Since 2009, a fund in her name has supported undergraduates in the department of exercise and sport science through Campus Recreation\u2019s Wilderness Adventures for First-Year Students (WAFFYS) program. The Susan Porucznik Cole Fund for Student Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences grants first-year students an empowering experience that prepares them for their college transition. This endowment supports four to five students in each WAFFYS program.<\/p>\n

The Illinois native was raised in a family of four children. She began her nature journey about 40 years ago with family camping. \u201cSusan always loved being outside,\u201d said her mother, Mary Beth Porucznik. \u201cThe entire family would be out there. We loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan received her undergraduate degree in social work from Western Illinois University. While there, she attended the Education Conservation Outdoor Education Expedition (ECOEE) where she visited 14 states and focused on outdoor experiences planned exclusively by students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she experienced ECOEE, it was then that she became one with the earth we share,\u201d Porucznik said. After graduating, Susan accepted a position at the Genesee Valley Outdoor Learning Center, near Baltimore, Md., to work with at-risk children. \u201cThough she completed an internship counseling victims of domestic violence, Genesee Valley was not a good fit for a 22-year-old recent graduate,\u201d Porucznik said. She then moved to Ashe County, North Carolina, to work at its 4-H Outdoor Education program.<\/p>\n

Susan soon left and followed a friend to Carrboro, where she worked at Townsend Bertram and Company. She began volunteering at Carolina Adventures and would eventually become the first full-time employee at the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a really nurturing person,\u201d said David Yeargan, expedition program manager and former co-worker and friend of Susan. \u201cShe created a family atmosphere. She really cared about the people and they cared about her.\u201d After falling in love with UNC, Susan enrolled in the university\u2019s master\u2019s program in recreation and leisure studies. She began a study of the WAFFYS program for her final research project to test the theories of a wilderness adventure program.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was fascinated by what they learned from the program and wanted to find ways to measure their experience,\u201d Yeargan said. Though WAFFYS was successful, it was not accredited by academic research until Susan\u2019s project. \u201cHer research was specific to our program,\u201d Yeargan said. \u201cIt endorsed what we had already done and, personally, was a confidence booster to know that I made a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Susan\u2019s tragic death in 2003, friends and family created the Susan Porucznik Cole Fund to honor her legacy and allow students the opportunity to experience WAFFYS. Her research became the foundation of the WAFFYS program. The three themes of her research\u2014peer development, self-confidence and decision-making skills\u2014are now the leading goals of every backpacking expedition.<\/p>\n

\"WAFFYS<\/a>
WAFFYS participants during their backpacking expedition. Photos courtesy of David Yeargan<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe try to measure more of the things that she identified as themes and use them as assessment goals,\u201d Yeargan said. Susan\u2019s research is also used to train student leaders who facilitate the expeditions. This teaches them the experience participants should receive from the trips. \u201cIt helps our leaders facilitate the trips and not get in the way of the experience,\u201d Yeargan said. \u201cThey\u2019re learning that it is not just getting from point A to point B. It is about the mistakes you make along the way and learning from those mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students who participate in WAFFYS continue to appreciate the experience long after the expedition ends. Grayson Berger \u201817, from Atlanta, Ga., believes the program was an excellent way to begin his college journey. \u201cI was able to enjoy a physically healthy activity while meeting new people who were all great,\u201d Grayson said. \u201cI was also able to center myself and make sure I knew who I was before entering a very overwhelming environment, making it a little less overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the expedition, many students noticed long-term, internal changes. Many found these changes very helpful in their day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became more comfortable and confident in my leadership positions,\u201d Grayson said.\u00a0 \u201cI learned to make important, quick, confident and effective decisions that I can follow through on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan\u2019s legacy continues to be carried through the Cole Scholarship and the entire WAFFYS program. Though she is not here physically, her work remains at the core of Carolina Adventures. \u201cI just want people to know her spirit is still here, even though we\u2019ve changed so much,\u201d Yeargan said. \u201cWe\u2019ve changed the office space, the staff is different, but I still feel her presence and her spirit here, and I think others do, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan\u2019s HEELprint is one to remember from her six years here at Carolina. Her family remains proud and keeps her love in their hearts.<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan is with us,\u201d Porucznik said. \u201cShe is the wind that blows, the stars that shine, and the bird that flies. She is missed, and loved.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Andr\u00e9 Rowe, Jr. \u201916<\/em><\/p>\n

\"40<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Susan Porucznik Cole, a former challenge course coordinator at the Carolina Adventures Outdoor Education Center, was passionate about nature and the outdoors.\u00a0 Since 2009, a fund in her name has supported undergraduates in the department of exercise and sport science through Campus Recreation\u2019s Wilderness Adventures for First-Year Students (WAFFYS) program. The Susan Porucznik Cole Fund […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foundation","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12019"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47468,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12019\/revisions\/47468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}