Graduate students at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry now have the opportunity to help improve the environment in developing communities and receive credit for it.

ESF was one of 26 schools to officially partner with the Peace Corps in December by adding a graduate program that allows students to receive academic credit while volunteering abroad. The program will begin next year, and applications were already received last week.

‘We have a growing number of students who are interested in the problems in the developing world,’ said Scott Shannon, dean of instruction and graduate studies at ESF. He said the Peace Corps gives students the opportunity to address environmental problems at a grassroots level.

The Peace Corps’ Master’s International Program is designed to incorporate one to two years of coursework, depending on the program of study, with two years of volunteering in a developing community. The program was created in 1987.

Shannon said the school’s goals and education are aligned so well with those of the Peace Corps that it provided a natural opportunity to add such a program.

There are now five new programs of study available at ESF for a master’s of international studies in the environmental field. There have always been a large number of students that join the Peace Corps after their undergraduate studies or before entering graduate school at ESF, and many have already shown interest in the Master’s International program, Shannon said.

‘Based on the interest that’s been expressed in meetings we’ve held in the fall, there are probably anywhere from five to 15 applicants,’ Shannon said.

ESF will be holding an environmental career fair on Feb. 23, during which a Peace Corps representative will be available to speak with for more information. Shannon also encouraged any students to give him a call if they have any questions.

ESF students are a perfect fit for the program, said Denia Navarrete, a Peace Corps recruiter at the New York regional office.

‘I have recruited at and visited ESF, and just the kinds of students that attend that school, they’re very motivated and passionate,’ Navarrete said. ‘They just have a lot of good information to share with the international communities that we work with regarding the environment.’

In bringing the program to ESF, the school must also assure students benefits, either by giving a number of credits or waiving tuition for service, Navarrete said.

The master’s program is meant to integrate education and fieldwork, Navarrete said. Coming back to the United States with more than two years of professional experience means students are ahead of the game, she said.

The Peace Corps is currently soliciting proposals from schools, and the entire application process usually lasts about one academic year, Navarrete said.

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs’ international relations graduate program, another school with many Peace Corps alumni, has also just submitted a proposal to the Peace Corps to add the Master’s International Program. Maxwell already integrates off-campus study and applied field research in its degree program.

‘It seems like a natural fit to incorporate the work that many volunteers do as part of their Peace Corps service because it’s so relevant to what our students will be doing post-graduation anyway,’ said Nell Bartkowiak, associate director of graduate studies for the international relations program.

mmamisan@syr.edu

Published on January 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm