Transcript Campus to Careers: The Career Paths of Alumni of

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.
CEDD Objectives
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 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.
http://www.ncseonline.org/CEDD/workforce
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.
A Call for Systematic Change
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.
NCSE National Conference, January, 2003
Environmental Science and Engineering
for the 21st 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 21st
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 levelsresearcher, 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 21st 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 55105-1899
USA
*Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 599,
State University, AR 72467, USA, [email protected],
http://www.macalester.edu/environmentalstudies/Mac
EnvReview/equalarticle2003
Source: Romero and Jones 2003
n = 1061
Higher Education Environmental programs added per year*
Source: Romero and Jones 2003
*14 programs in 1958; 1061 in 2003.
Environmental Programs/Departments by
Name (2003)
Source: Romero and Jones 2003
n= 1257
Types of Environmental Degrees Offered
(May 2003)
Source: Romero and Jones 2003
Institutional Locations
of Environmental Programs
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%
Source: Focht, W. Study of Environmental Deans' and Directors'
Perspectives on Environmental Curricula (draft report from initial
findings; Summer 2003)
Vital Statistics of Programs/Departments of
Survey Respondents
Data
Number
Number of Students
32,309
Number of 1998 graduates*
8,471
Number of 1999 graduates*
3.493
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
Shared
2,396
Part-time
2,872
Source: Romero and Jones 2003
*These are gross underestimations since the numbers depend upon the responses to interviews.
4,284
Analysis of Core Requirements for Undergraduate Programs (n = 60)
Total (%)
Env. Science (%)
Env. Studies (%)
Nat. Resources (%)
Biology
70
79
50
64
Chemistry
67
83
39
55
Organic Chemistry
17
38
0
9
Geology/Earth Sciences
50
67
33
36
Ecology
53
54
39
64
Calculus
48
63
17
45
Statistics
63
58
50
55
Env. Economics
25
13
6
45
Environmental Policy
42
33
33
36
Synthetic Course
32
21
50
9
Internship
22
38
11
9
Final Project
53
38
67
36
Concentrations?
62
58
50
55
Natural Sciences
Quantitatives
Economics and Policy
Additional
Requirements
From: Manning, K. 1999. Consortium on Environmental Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education: Insights from the White Oak Symposium. Center for Resource Economics/Island Press.
Projected growth of environmental science occupations
Employment By Occupation
2000 and Projected 2010
Occupation
Employment (in thousands)
Change
2000
2010
Number
Percentage
Biological Scientists
73
88
15
21.0
Conservation
Scientists
Forest Conservation
16
18
2
8.3
20
22
1
3.9
Other Life Scientists
28
33
4
15.9
Chemists
84
100
16
19.1
Environmental
Scientists
Geoscientists
64
78
14
22.3
25
30
5
18.1
Hydrologists
8
10
2
25.7
Economists
22
26
4
18.5
Env. Protection Techs
27
34
7
24.5
Source: ECO 2002, Complete Guide to Environmental Careers
Important and emerging eco-careers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Pollution prevention/waste reduction specialist
Conservation biologist/ecosystems manager
Environmental information technology/GIS
“Dual track” environmental manager
Global climate change researcher
Renewable energy and energy management
“Smart growth” urban planner
Policy integration specialist
Community organizer
Fundraiser, “rainmaker”, dealmaker
Environmental economist
Environmental health specialist
Source: ECO 2002
Environmental careers in 2002
Federal government
191,000
State government:
185,000
Local government:
400,000
Environmental industry:
790,000
All other
125,000
Total
1,691,000
Source: ECO 2002
Federal Government Employment Trends: 2003
Agency
Full/Part Time
Employees
Projection
Forest Service
42,653
Some growth
Army Corps
34,367
Down
National Parks
23,898
Down
EPA
18,633
Down
Energy
16,067
Some growth
NRCS
12,188
Some growth
NOAA
11,980
Down
BLM
11,688
Some growth
USGS
10,170
Down
Fish and Wildlife
Source: ECO 2002
9,323
Some growth
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 (1994-04) Career Path Survey

Longitudinal Study

Career Roundtables

Pilot Study
Alumni Career Path Survey
Survey alumni of interdisciplinary
environmental studies programs from 19942004
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