SOEC Mission Statement: To be dedicated to providing opportunities for college and university students to interact and learn from each other by sharing all aspects of outdoor education.

WHAT IS SOEC? SOEC was created to give college students interested in outdoor education the opportunity to meet students from other schools and learn from one another. You don't have to be going into an outdoor related job to participate in the SOEC event; you can simply be interested in the outdoors or educating others. The weekend starts on Friday afternoon and wraps up on Sunday morning (April 8-10, 2005).Throughout Saturday, seminars are held with outdoor themes. Seminars are created by students from any of the schools attending the weekend (including the host school) and every year the topics change. Saturday night includes a banquet, keynote speaker, and entertainment. This year the key note speaker is being provided in conjunction with the Sig Olson Lecture series.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE SOEC EVENT?Any student who is currently enrolled in a community college, state college, or university. Post Secondary Education (PSEO) students may also participate. If your college or university has not previously attended the event, please contact us for an information packet. We would be happy to have you join us for the weekend.

WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: Ely, Minnesota has a rich and diverse variety of outdoor experiences that draw tens of thousands of visitors to the area each year. Three popular points of interest are the Dorothy Molter Museum, Ely-Winton History Museum, and the International Wolf Center. On Friday, April 8, 2005, the Dorothy Molter Museum will open its doors with free admission to all SOEC participants. The Ely-Winton History Museum, located on the college campus, will open its doors for a reduced admission fee of $1.00/person. Both museums will be open from 1 PM to 5 PM on April 8. The International Wolf Center will be open during its regular hours on Sunday, April 10, 2005, with free admission to SOEC particiapnts. Make sure your travel plans allow time to visit all three of these fantastic educational exhibits.

2005 THEME: This year's SOEC theme revolves around what unites all SOEC participants together - being outdoors. The official theme: "Let's Take it Outside: Adventures in Outdoor Education". We invite those who will be participating in the 2005 event, and also interested in creating a seminar, to consider creating a seminar that can be presented outdoors. Vermilion Community College is located on the edge of Ely, with a hiking trail system directly behind the school. Additional hiking trails exist within ten minutes of the campus. Outward Bound, located 20 minutes outside of Ely, has given SOEC permission to utilize their facilities for seminars. Ely is famous for its metamorphic "greenstone" and the entire area is well-know for it's mining era. Let the Planning Committee know what you are interested in doing for a seminar and we can help you locate outdoor features to utilize in your presentation. We can arrange special visits prior to the weekend so you can familarize yourself with available points of interest (two weeks prior notice required for special visits).

SPONSORS: The SOEC event does not receive any special funding or grants. Monies received from participant registration fees and private and business donations fund the event. If you are a private individual or business who would like to make a monetary or a material goods donation, please Contact Us.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You will need to have Acrobat Reader to download and read the Welcome, Participant, and Presenter forms on your own computer. Get Acrobat Reader here. The form can be downloaded, filled out on your computer and printed off. You may also choose to print out the form and fill it in by hand.