Grand Valley Magazine - (Page 29)
OF F T H E PAT H
ROBERT
ROBINS:
an adventurous
lifetime learner
by Mary Isca Pirkola
At age 11 Robert Robins climbed to the
top of Mt. Whitney, the highest summit
in the contiguous U.S. with an elevation
of 14,505 feet. In his mid-teens, Robins
ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain,
during the annual festival of San Fermi
- for the first time. He returned about a
dozen years later to do it again.
Robins credited his father with
instilling in him a love of the outdoors
and a sense of adventure.
"My father served for 33 years in the
Navy and our family moved almost
every year to posts in California, Florida,
Texas and in Europe," said Robins,
associate professor of hospitality
and tourism management. "While
stationed in California, he was quite the
mountaineer and shared that passion
with me. As one of the many military
fathers involved with my Boy Scout
troop, we were provided access to many
things other troops didn't have, like the
base survival course."
By his late teens, Robins and his family
had visited 21 countries before his father
was reposted to bases stateside. It's no
wonder that a sense of wanderlust and
search for the next big adventure has
shaped Robins' life.
"Staying focused on studies during
my early college years was a huge
challenge," Robins said. "I dropped out
and spent the next
30 years working
in the hospitality
industry, starting
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positions at
private clubs." Along the way, he earned
top-level certifications from the Club
Managers Association of America
and earned a bachelor's degree in
business management from Northwood
University, graduating magna cum laude.
Despite his accomplishments, Robins
often felt a nagging desire to do more.
When he turned 40, Robins embarked on
what he referred to as "a 10-year,
mid-life crisis to tackle things unfinished,
or not yet started."
He earned a pilot's license and
became certified as a technical scuba
diver and instructor. He worked to
obtain a Master Mariner 100-ton
captain's license in the Merchant
Marines and drove tall ships as a relief
captain. He has made a dozen skydives,
then determined his preference for
parasailing because, "I drop pretty fast
and found that I like more air time."
While working on a master's degree
in park and recreation management
at Central Michigan University, Robins
decided to explore a career in academia.
He had already enjoyed teaching CPR,
wilderness first aid and oxygen provider
classes for the American Red Cross,
Divers Alert Network and Emergency
First Responders. An introduction to
Paul Stansbie, chair of Grand Valley's
Department of Hospitality and Tourism
Management, led to an adjunct position
in 2008, and a full-time position after
completing his degree.
"It was actually my hobbies that got
me my first position here, teaching the
Adventure Tourism class," said Robins.
Robert Robins encourages his Adventure
Tourism students to try news things, such as
snowshoeing, pictured here at the Meadows.
photos by Amanda Pitts
"Once I was hired full time I began
teaching classes in my career field of
hospitality."
The students in his courses benefit
from his encouragement to try new
things, as well as his vast experiences,
which he continues to expand. At
Grand Valley Robins earned a master's
degree in educational technology and is
currently in the Educational Specialist in
Leadership program. He intends to finish
a doctorate in educational leadership at
Eastern Michigan University.
"I'm interested in combining educational
technology with experiential learning,"
said Robins. "Students today are used to
handling compact series of information
very quickly and in multimedia formats,
and I'm able to do that with flipped and
hybrid online courses. The way students
learn has changed, so the teaching
methods must also."
One thing that hasn't changed is his
thirst for adventure, and with Robins,
one never knows what path he might
take next. In his "spare time" he is taking
photography courses and hopes to pair
that with his interest in diving to do
some underwater shooting this summer.
"It's one of those things that may
someday lead to something else,"
said Robins. "Like being on a ship
somewhere and teaching via satellite.
That would be a fun experience."
29
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine
Table of Contents
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Art of the Possible
One Book Carries Discussions Beyond Classroom
One Million Hours
Power Trio Turns Ideas Into Companies
Research
Q&A Renee Freeman
Off the Path
Sustainability
Focal Point
Arts
Alumni News
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