Allison Hughes assessed the bouldering wall in front of her at UTC's Aquatic and Recreation Center, then picked a spot to start.

"Get it, Alli," yelled one of the students watching.

They cheered as Hughes, the coordinator of outdoors for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's campus recreation department, navigated the climb with ease.

While the gathering appeared to be a group of students relaxing with some physical activity after a day of classes and homework, it was more than that. It was an event in a unique, fledgling program at UTC — a living learning community called WILD that is capitalizing on Chattanooga's outdoor culture.

Josh Blank climbs in the bouldering room during a UTC Wild program climbing night at the climbing facilities inside UTC's Aquatic Recreation Center on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The result is an affiliation of students who are living on the same floor, united by a shared love of the outdoors.

WILD, short for Wilderness Institute for Leadership Development, is the only outdoor adventure-themed living learning community among Tennessee's public colleges and one of five freshmen-only living learning communities offered at UTC. Living learning communities have cemented their place in the national higher education landscape by offering a support system for students, especially freshmen, who have similar interests.

WILD is only in its third year of existence, but a comprehensive 2008 study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that students who participate in living learning programs made smoother transitions to college academically and socially.

The study, which examined the living learning programs at 34 colleges, also found that students who had lived in a living learning community during their first year in college had higher levels of academic self-confidence, were more likely to be a mentor for other students, and remained more committed to civic engagement three years later.

"But, really, it all depends on the specific program, the university and how committed they are to providing a positive experience," said Emily Lardner, director of the Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.

Among its other living learning communities, UTC has offerings for film fans, students interested in global studies and for transfer students.

Other schools in the region offer similar programs, too. The University of Georgia will offer a "climate and sports"-themed learning community to freshmen next year in addition to several academic-based communities.

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville gives ROTC students the chance to live together and offers a bevy of academic-based living learning programs.

"They have that support network, people to go to," said Hughes, who is in her first year at UTC after obtaining a master's degree from the University of Central Florida while working as a graduate assistant in UCF's outdoor adventure program. "They have that drive or motivation to stay in college."

Hayden Croteau climbs a route in the bouldering room during a UTC Wild program climbing night at the climbing facilities inside UTC's Aquatic Recreation Center on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Living learning communities are commonly themed around academics, but this year's crop of 17 WILD students, who are living on the same hallway in UTC's Johnson Obear Apartments, are getting crash courses in some unscholarly things.

Thursday's climbing night was one of the monthly WILD-organized events. A kayaking clinic in the UTC pool, where students will be taught how to safely escape from a flipped kayak, and an event on how to cook with flavor in the backcountry are up next on the agenda.

"People never try to break out of their comfort zone," Hughes said. "I have made pineapple upside-down cake; I've made bacon and all kinds of good stuff while camping. It doesn't have to just be hot dogs and hamburgers."

WILD students indicated on their housing application that they would be interested in the program, but participation dipped last year before Hughes arrived. She had to assess if the program was worth keeping for another year and decided she was up for the challenge.

"Allison is a huge part in just building it back up and making it a bigger deal than it has been in the past," said Mikayla Long, a junior who works as the resident assistant for WILD. "We're hoping that eventually it's going to be something where students are saying, 'Hey, I really want to do that'."

Long added that with UTC's emphasis on community partnerships, the program could grow in visibility by connecting with other outdoor organizations in Chattanooga.

"I think there are a lot of groups that would support it from the outside if they knew about it," Long said. "It's another kind of unique thing about Chattanooga, and Chattanooga loves unique stuff."

Only freshmen can live in the WILD program, but Hughes and Long are trying to involve older students, like Ben Irvin, who were part of the program as freshmen.

"I have had a really good experience with it," said Irvin, a junior in environmental engineering. "Probably my best memories of college come from random trips that we've all gone on. I met my best friend in college through WILD."

Tessa Ross, a freshman from Houston County in Middle Tennessee, is in WILD, and is actively seeking ways to access the outdoors while in school.

"That's actually why I chose UTC," she said after hopping off the bouldering wall. "I saw the outdoors."

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.