Campus to Careers: The Career Paths of Alumni of Interdisciplinary Environmental Programs Presented by: David Blockstein, Ph.D., National Council for Science and the Environment, Council of Environmental Deans and Directors

Presentation Outline Lead Organizations: NCSE, CEDD and ECO The Need for Academic Environmental Programs Characteristics of Environmental Programs The Environmental Sector Federal Employment Campus to Careers Study

NCSE Objectives To promote science for the environment To enhance programs at academic institutions To catalyze and to advance science-based ideas from diverse communities To communicate science-based information to the public To develop science-based solutions for environmental challenges

The Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD) is a professional association of deans of colleges of natural resources and the environment, directors of institutes of the environment and other academic environmental programs. There are presently 110 members nationwide.

Advance knowledge and learning in the interdisciplinary environmental sciences and studies. Improve academic environmental educational and research programs and facilities. Advance cooperative efforts among CEDD members, with other scientists, and with federal, tribal, state and local agencies. CEDD Objectives

CEDD Planning Group on Workforce Task: Study the current and future job market for graduates of CEDD's institutions and programs. Determine how programs can improve the preparation of their students for environmental careers.

CEDD Planning Group on Workforce Members: David Parker, Director of Career Development, Bren School of the Environment and Management, University of California at Santa Barbara Bill Winner, Program Director, Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, Oregon State University Gwen Geidel, Associate Dean, School of the Environment, University of South Carolina Jeff Cook, President, Environmental Careers Organization Peter Otis, Director of Career Development, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University Mitch Thomashow, Chair, Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch New England Graduate School Joyce Berry, Associate Dean, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University Richard Rich, Director, Institute for Environmental and Energy Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

The Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) ECO's mission is to protect and enhance the environment through the development of diverse leaders, the promotion of careers, and the inspiration of individual action. ECO accomplishes this through internships, career advice, career products, research and consulting. Founded in 1972, ECO has placed nearly 7,500 college, graduate students and recent graduates in environmental internships in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

The tragedy is that our graduates, steeped in traditional technical education, liberal arts, economics, and the humanities, are themselves too often emerging from our universities blind to reality – oblivious to the realities of a finite Earth. Ray Anderson, Chairman Interface Flooring Systems Inc. A Call for Systematic Change NCSE National Conference, January, 2003

Environmental Science and Engineering for the 21 st Century “Environmental education and training should be science based, but should be given a renewed focus on preparing students for broad career horizons….” Environmental Science and Engineering for the 21 st Century: The Role of the National Science Foundation, National Science Board, February 2000.

Complex Environmental Systems “NSF’s goals in environmental education should be twofold: to prepare the future environmental workforce at many levels- researcher, teachers, resource managers, and technicians-and to raise the environmental literacy of the general public.”- From Complex Environmental Systems: Synthesis for Earth, Life and Society in the 21 st Century, NSF Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education, January 2003.

Not All Are Created Equal: An Analysis of the Environmental Programs/Departments in U.S. Academic Institutions Until May 2003 Aldemaro Romero* and Christina Jones Environmental Studies Program Macalester College 1600 Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN USA * Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 599, State University, AR 72467, USA,

n = 1061Source: Romero and Jones 2003

Higher Education Environmental programs added per year* *14 programs in 1958; 1061 in 2003.Source: Romero and Jones 2003

Environmental Programs/Departments by Name (2003) n= 1257Source: Romero and Jones 2003

Types of Environmental Degrees Offered (May 2003) Source: Romero and Jones 2003

Undergraduate College/University-wide = 41% Within a University College, Division or School = 44% Within a Department = 15% Graduate College/University-wide = 39% Within a University College, Division or School = 35% Within a Department = 26% Institutional Locations of Environmental Programs Source: Focht, W. Study of Environmental Deans' and Directors' Perspectives on Environmental Curricula (draft report from initial findings; Summer 2003)

DataNumber Number of Students 32,309 Number of 1998 graduates* 8,471 Number of 1999 graduates* Number of 2000 graduates* 2,006 Number of 2001 graduates* 1,657 Number of 2002 graduates* 1,229 Full-time faculty 5,499 In Department/Program 2,396 Shared 4,284 Part-time 2,872 Table 7. Vital statistics of those programs/departments that responded to Romero’s survey. *These are gross underestimations since the numbers depend upon the responses to interviews. Vital Statistics of Programs/Departments of Survey Respondents Source: Romero and Jones 2003 *These are gross underestimations since the numbers depend upon the responses to interviews.

Analysis of Core Requirements for Undergraduate Programs (n = 60) Total (%)Env. Science (%)Env. Studies (%)Nat. Resources (%) Natural Sciences Biology Chemistry Organic Chemistry Geology/Earth Sciences Ecology Quantitatives Calculus Statistics Economics and Policy Env. Economics Environmental Policy Additional Requirements Synthetic Course Internship Final Project Concentrations? From: Manning, K Consortium on Environmental Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Insights from the White Oak Symposium. Center for Resource Economics/Island Press.

Employment By Occupation 2000 and Projected 2010 OccupationEmployment (in thousands)Change NumberPercentage Biological Scientists Conservation Scientists Forest Conservation Other Life Scientists Chemists Environmental Scientists Geoscientists Hydrologists Economists Env. Protection Techs Projected growth of environmental science occupations Source: ECO 2002, Complete Guide to Environmental Careers

Important and emerging eco-careers 1. Pollution prevention/waste reduction specialist 2. Conservation biologist/ecosystems manager 3. Environmental information technology/GIS 4. “Dual track” environmental manager 5. Global climate change researcher 6. Renewable energy and energy management 7. “Smart growth” urban planner 8. Policy integration specialist 9. Community organizer 10. Fundraiser, “rainmaker”, dealmaker 11. Environmental economist 12. Environmental health specialist Source: ECO 2002

Environmental careers in 2002 Federal government191,000 State government:185,000 Local government:400,000 Environmental industry: 790,000 All other125,000 Total1,691,000 Source: ECO 2002

Federal Government Employment Trends: 2003 AgencyFull/Part Time Employees Projection Forest Service42,653Some growth Army Corps34,367Down National Parks23,898Down EPA18,633Down Energy16,067Some growth NRCS12,188Some growth NOAA11,980Down BLM11,688Some growth USGS10,170Down Fish and Wildlife 9,323Some growth Source: ECO 2002

Federal Natural Resources Agencies Confront an Aging Workforce and Challenges to Their Future Roles Renewable Natural Resources Foundation Conference on Personnel Trends, Education Policy and Evolving Roles of Federal and State Natural Resources Agencies Over 80 delegates from 25 states and numerous natural resource disciplines In association with American Association for the Advancement of Science October 2003

Emerging Demographic Trends “Graying of the Green Workforce” Agency leadership and science capacity most affected DOI, Forest Service, and EPA will lose over half SES members by 2007 Key functions also impacted:  Interior Dept.—61% of its program managers  Forest Service—81% of its entomologists and 49% of its foresters  EPA—45% of its toxicologists, and ~30% of its environmental specialists Lost institutional memory Difficulty in maintaining core scientific competencies Source: RNRF 2003

From Campus to Careers: A Study of Career Paths taken by Alumni of Interdisciplinary Environmental Programs at the Baccalaureate, Masters and Doctoral Levels

Campus to Careers Project Context CEDD members need information about the job market and career paths for graduates Lack of quality data problematic CEDD members want to use curricula to address career needs Planning Group on the Workforce formed

Goals and Objectives Develop baseline and longitudinal data on the career paths of alumni Identify career successes and challenges for alumni Create a standardized methodology for ongoing tracking Disseminate study results to students, programs, employers, and other stakeholders

Desired Project Outcomes Accurate data regarding the career paths of graduates Identification of alumni career successes and challenges, perceptions of how well programs prepared alumni for workforce, further education and scholarship Informed faculty discussions and decisions regarding curricula and support services to improve the career outcomes of their graduates Information to assist increasing the diversity of students in environmental programs and workforce Continuous improvement of all aspects of environmental programs

Desired Project Outcomes cont. Information for current and prospective interdisciplinary students about available career opportunities, their requirements, and how to obtain them Methodology for ongoing tracking, including taxonomy of fields and programs Data provided to academic programs, current and future students, and other stakeholders Reports Facilitated meetings

Project Activities The Planning Group on the Workforce has discussed the following activities as a way to further refine the project, gather data and ensure data gets back to programs. Alumni ( ) Career Path Survey Longitudinal Study Career Roundtables Pilot Study

Alumni Career Path Survey Survey alumni of interdisciplinary environmental studies programs from Baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels Work products: Comprehensive report for environmental programs Student guide Report summary for employers and other stakeholders

Alumni Study Outcomes The demographic profile of graduates Educational and professional career progression How well their education prepared alumni for careers What programs and students should do differently Recommended changes to curriculum and teaching methods How alumni view the delicate balance among higher education’s many goals

Longitudinal Study: Class of 2005 Baseline shortly after graduation Annual tracking through 2014 Comprehensive reports first, fifth and tenth years Shorter report “updates” with comparative tables other years Student guides

Pilot Study Create web-based survey instrument Pilot with Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, University of South Carolina School of the Environment, UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management Analyze existing data and report key findings Identify data gaps Use this information to design larger surveys

Group Discussion Concept Methodology Partners Funding Next Actions