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NAU Selected as Host University for Doris Duke Conservation Fellows Program

Two CSE Conservation Fellows to receive funding for tuition and a paid internship

Flagstaff, AZ., May 30, 2006 – The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has selected Northern Arizona University to be one of eight host universities for the Doris Duke Conservation Fellows (DDCF) program. The Master of Science program in Environmental Sciences and Policy (MSESP) has been awarded two Conservation Fellows each year for the next two years, with additional funding going to the Center for Environmental Sciences and Education for career development activities. In addition, MSESP students will be eligible to apply for one of four additional fellowships that will be awarded each year to promote diversity among the next generation of conservation leaders. The total funding package could potentially exceed $100,000.

“This is a milestone in our graduate program’s development, and I think it reflects well on the efforts that the faculty have made over the past 5 years,” said Tom Sisk, Professor of Ecology and Graduate Coordinator for the MSESP program. “The ability of the vast majority of our graduates to find work in nontraditional paths directly linked to environmental problem solving is an indication that we are onto something with the Environmental Science and Policy program.”

The DDCF is the premier leadership development program nationwide for master’s degree students who are enrolled in interdisciplinary environmental programs, and who plan to pursue careers in conservation and environmental organizations and agencies. The program provides funding for tuition and a paid internship for each student selected as a Conservation Fellow, up to a total of $30,000 per student. Seven other universities were selected to be host universities for 2006-2008: Cornell University, Duke University, Florida A&M University, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale University.

"Master's degree programs, especially those preparing students to apply advanced understanding to the problems of the region, represent an important part of the university's mission,” said Laura Huenneke, Dean of the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences . “This support from a leading national foundation demonstrates the very high quality of our Environmental Science and Policy master's program -- a perfect example of this focus on applying knowledge to real-world challenges."

The goal of the DDCF program is to identify and support future conservation leaders. The program supports multidisciplinary masters programs because of their emphasis on practical problem solving, collaborative approaches, career-oriented training, and their solid grounding in science, economics, policy and law. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation strongly encourages participants in the Fellowship program to pursue a practice of inclusion, so that there will be more trained and dedicated professionals of all racial and ethnic origins in the conservation field in the future.

"NAU's Center for Environmental Sciences and Education strongly supports the goals of the Doris Duke Conservation Fellows program to increase the diversity of tomorrow's conservation leaders and to train the next generation of practicing conservationists,” commented Rod Parnell, Professor of Geology and Chair of the Center for Environmental Sciences and Education. “Our connections with management agencies across the Southwest and our focus on training interdisciplinary management professionals were some of the strengths of our application."

NAU’s Masters program in Environmental Sciences and Policy offers an interdisciplinary experience, where students pursue an integrated two-year curriculum providing rigorous training in the natural and political sciences. The relatively new program, begun in 2000, has graduated 22 students, who have moved on to diverse environmental careers in industry, government, and the non-profit sector. Prospective students and others interested in learning more about the MS program and the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowships can contact program coordinator Tom Sisk at Thomas.Sisk@nau.edu.