Nate Furman

As an Professor of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism and the Director of U-EXPLORE (Utah Experiential Learning and Outdoor Recreation Education) at the University of Utah, I have the privilege of helping students work toward their professional and personal goals. I am honored to be part of a thriving program that creates, shares, and applies knowledge about Parks, Recreation, and Tourism to inspire students, inform policy, serve social needs, promote sustainability, and advocate for the health of people, communities, and the environment.

I grew up outside a small town in Northern California amidst towering redwoods and groves of apple orchards. After high school, I enrolled at California State University, Chico, where I earned a BA in Organizational Communication with a minor in Conflict Resolution. One of my most formative college experiences was working with Adventure Outings, the student outdoor recreation program. It was through this experience that I began to see what a career in recreation could look like.

I pursued a Master's degree in Recreation Administration at Chico and completed a thesis that quantitatively measured the impacts of rock climbing on the Regular Northwest Face Route of Half Dome. During this time, I also worked as an Instructor, and later as a Program Supervisor, for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Over the course of a decade, I led month-long climbing, mountaineering, hiking, and river expeditions from Patagonia to Alaska.

After leaving NOLS and pursuing a side-career as a Mountain Guide, my experiences working with a wide range of clients have only deepened my belief that outdoor recreation experiences, immersed in nature and physical exertion, are foundational to human health.  I believe that nature-based outdoor recreation fosters personal growth by promoting self-determined actions, shaping identity, cultivating positive place attachments, and inspiring environmentally responsible behaviors.

My passion for understanding the impact of outdoor education led me to enroll in the PhD program at the University of Utah. Under the guidance of Dr. Sibthorp and Dr. Paisley, I investigated student learning outcomes from NOLS courses. Upon earning my PhD, I joined Green Mountain College as faculty and later served as Program Director of the Adventure Education program. During my five years at Green Mountain College, I had the privilege of working with exceptional students and colleagues.

When an opportunity arose to return to the University of Utah, I embraced the chance to come back to my beloved Utah, surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains and the deserts of the Colorado Plateau. In my current role, I weave together my interests in outdoor recreation education, public land management, social justice, civic engagement, and pedagogy, to create meaningful learning experiences for students and support their growth as professionals and individuals.