The Accorsi Family Shares a Deep Love for East Campus
Second from right, Springfield College faculty emeritus Bob Accorsi, G’80, has an authentic love and appreciation for East Campus that started more than 40 years ago.
By: Damon Markiewicz
Springfield College faculty emeritus Bob Accorsi, G’80, has an authentic love and appreciation for East Campus that started more than 40 years ago. After earning his master’s degree in the spring of 1980 from the College, he took advantage of an opportunity to be a shuttle driver for Outdoor Pursuits, also known historically as Freshman Camp. Accorsi’s experiences at East Campus have included spending time as Camp Massasoit director, Outdoor Pursuits faculty-leader, and overall ambassador for the College’s outdoor learning laboratory.
“I have been involved with many different aspects of East Campus, but it all started following grad school when I was asked to do some shuttle trips to upstate New York as part of Outdoor Pursuits,” explained Accorsi. “Before I returned as a faculty member, I was also with United Cerebral Palsy, and I approached the leadership at East Campus to do some outdoor experiences to get my athletes ready for competition. The East Campus experience helped build confidence in the athletes, and I got to witness the benefits of the East Campus challenge courses firsthand.”
In the summer of 1990, Accorsi returned home to Alden Street as a faculty member in the Department of Sport Management and Recreation (SMR). Shortly after coming back home to campus as professor Accorsi, his strong leadership skills made him a prime target to lead Camp Massasoit during the summer months at East Campus.
“I honestly didn’t know a lot about running a camp, but I knew how to manage people, so we learned how to improvise and provide the best experience for the kids,” explained Accorsi. “It was a really good experience, and that opportunity opened up more doors to stay involved in East Campus programming.”
Accorsi led Camp Massasoit for one year, and as the camp gets ready to celebrate its 90th anniversary this summer, he continues to be amazed by just how impactful the East Campus experience is for the kids participating. Accorsi is quick to note that through the leadership of Director of East Campus and Outdoor Programs Ben Taylor ’99, G’16, and Associate Director of East Campus and Outdoor Programs Angela Veatch, G’07, enrolling in Camp Massasoit is in high demand among families throughout western Massachusetts.
“Camp Massasoit is a treasure for our campus and community,” explained Accorsi. “You have a great vision from Ben and Veatch in making sure the camp stays true to its core values. For our students, it's a wonderful teaching mechanism to interact with parents, and helps college students know how to interact with children at a variety of ages. Families know their child is in a safe and protective environment, and they trust their child is going to be transformed in some way. That is something that never should be taken for granted.”
Accorsi has witnessed firsthand how being a Camp Massasoit camp counselor can positively impact a person’s life so much. There are foundational skills that are going to transfer to help individuals well after their camp experience.
“My daughter was a camp counselor, and even to this day, she talks about how the Camp Massasoit experience had such an impact on her life,” explained Accorsi. “The people she met, the counselors she met, she's still very close to many of them. It's just one of those things where it has impacted her life in more ways than she could have ever imagined. It was much more than a summer job. It was a foundational work for her career.”
As Accorsi continued to establish himself as a mainstay at East Campus, he would maintain a focus of always doing what is best for the students. At the conclusion of the academic year, first-year students have an opportunity to take advantage of an experiential learning course in Outdoor Pursuits. Students live in group settings at East Campus, and they engage in activities selected to increase environmental awareness, improve outdoor living skills, and serve as an introduction to resource-based pursuits. Always willing to enhance the students’ experience, Accorsi quickly found a niche to get involved with the program.
“I ended up getting asked to help teach canoeing because word had spread that I was involved in canoe racing with my brother,” explained Accorsi. “It was very instructional, and I would take the students out and teach them how to do some canoe rescues. It was learning and it was teaching, so I was in my element.”
Accorsi quickly realized that his involvement with Outdoor Pursuits was enhancing the connections he was building with colleagues and students at East Campus.
"It was about community and camaraderie with my faculty colleagues and our students,” added Accorsi. “Eventually, I transitioned from canoeing to mountain biking, and that lasted for more than 27 years.”
The mountain bike experience for participants represented all that is great with the culture at East Campus. It’s about students stepping out of their comfort zone and having a built-in support system that allows them to be the best versions of themselves.
“It’s rewarding to watch the students push themselves to try new things and develop right in front of your eyes,” added Accorsi. “As time went on, I discussed with Ben (Taylor) the elements that would be included in building a skills course for mountain biking. Ben built the course that would allow participants to improve the skills they were taught, but have it be in a safe and supportive environment.”
The Outdoor Pursuits experience runs deep in the Accorsi household. Accorsi would hear personal stories about the experiential learning at East Campus from a very special alumna.
“My wife Debra Ethier Accorsi '82 is a proud graduate, and she went to a freshman camp as a student,” explained Accorsi. “She still talks about it as though it happened yesterday. The memories are so vivid and so powerful. She uncovered skills that she never thought she had.”
And even in retirement, Accorsi remains very much connected with East Campus and Springfield College. After almost five decades of witnessing all that is great about East Campus, he remains dedicated to sharing his beliefs that East Campus is the heartbeat of the College.
“I always try to explain to people just how important East Campus is to Springfield College,” explained Accorsi. “I try to frequently go out to East Campus and talk with Ben and Veatch. They are always working on something and there is always a rationale and a reason behind it. Ben and Veatch are stewards of the land, and they maintain the property, which is a very difficult task. They use the resource intelligently so future generations can experience it as well. I truly believe that students who take advantage of the programming opportunities at East Campus always come away from those moments as better people. I continue to be thankful that we have East Campus. I have witnessed so many moments in that setting that have helped shape people’s lives in such a positive way, myself included.”
