Hello, bdawson-ga!
I am going to take a chance and answer this, because after extensive
searching, I do believe the school you are looking for is the "Armand
Hammer World College of the American West." You may look through the
college's website at http://www.uwc-usa.org/.
The other researchers were correct, in that the college is not a
working ranch. It does, however, require extensive wilderness
experience and community service as a part of the curriculum. Some
excerpts from the college website follow:
A Regular Day
During the school year, a typical day includes classes, community
service and wilderness training.
Long Weekends
Throughout their tenure, students participate in a number of
activities designed to broaden their experience. During long weekends,
first-year students travel throughout the Southwest learning about its
people and history. Some students backpack in nature parks while
others go on archeological digs or help build houses with Native
Americans.
Project Week
Each spring, instead of a typical spring vacation, students
participate in a variety of projects during a ten-day Project Week.
The focused nature of Project Week allows students to explore an
interest in a service, an activity or an academic discipline with a
degree of intensity impossible to achieve during the regular program.
In the past, students have designed and participated in service or
academic projects, outdoor expeditions and cultural tours. Most
projects take place locally and are low in cost, but projects have
involved trips to Los Angeles and New York City to work with the
homeless, tours of art galleries and museums in San Francisco, service
projects in Mexico’s Copper Canyon, ski tours in the Colorado Rockies
and canoeing trips in Big Bend National Park in Texas. All first year
students are required to go on a faculty supervised project. In their
second year, students may wish to join a faculty supervised trip or
plan an independent project.
During the fall semester of their first year, students participate
in both Community and Wilderness Service. They undergo intense
training enabling them to do effective Community Service projects.
They also participate in expeditions, practice searches and workshops,
giving them the basic skills necessary to participate in Wilderness
Services. At the end of their first semester, students choose to
focus on Community or Wilderness Service. Over the next three
semesters students develop their skills, instruct other students and
participate in numerous service projects.
The Community Service program works with local and regional service
agencies to provide service-learning experiences in communities - from
tiny villages to urban areas like Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Students
who specialize in Community Service learn a variety of service skills
by working with members of the surrounding communities.
The Wilderness program introduces all students to an appreciation
for the backcountry and methods of experiencing the wilderness in a
manner that least impacts it. The college is a member of the New
Mexico State Search and Rescue Network, and students who pursue
advanced training are eligible to be part of this Search and Rescue
program. The training students undergo ensures that the college is
able to respond to emergency situations. Students and faculty are
intermittently involved in searches for people lost or injured in the
wilderness.
Students learn more than technical skills through Wilderness
Service. Weekend expeditions in New Mexico’s large wilderness areas
teach them a great deal about themselves and others as they overcome
difficulties presented by working and living in small groups in the
backcountry. They learn valuable leadership skills and gain an
appreciation of the potential inherent in groups of people when they
work together toward a common goal.
To access the Wold College website, go to http://www.uwc-usa.org/,
and then click on links for Academics, Unique Aspects, etc.
I hope this is what you are looking for. Sometimes a ranch-type
atmosphere is confused with the concepts of "hands-on" community
outreach and wilderness training.
If you need further clarification, or this is not what you are
searching for, please try to define where you heard about the college,
and anything else you can provide to clear up the confusion.
Nevertheless, the college sure looks interesting!
umiat-ga
Search terms on Google
+"united world college of the american west
+"armand hammer" +student ranch |
