Educational Objectives

Energy and passion alone do not create comprehensive solutions to complex problems. It takes: leadership informed by science, theory tempered by practical experience, and the integration of diverse perspectives through systems thinking.

We are training individuals who can quickly marshal resources to expeditiously address pressing environmental problems. This requires learning how to quickly locate the necessary expertise, economic support, and stakeholder input to address the challenge of conserving natural resources. This also requires learning the skills to manage the process.

We are training individuals who can manage complex solutions to complex challenges. Challenges facing society need to be addressed at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Knowledge and expertise need to be understood and applied from fields such as the physical sciences, ecology sciences, and engineering to social anthropology, psychology, and management theory.

We are training effective communicators. Our students learn how translate the expert knowledge provided by scientists, engineers, lawyers, and stakeholders to effectively communicate, motivate, and facilitate action by decision makers. We are training critical thinkers. Our students develop the analytic and critical thinking skills needed to assess what researchers inform us about the natural environment. Students then apply the information considring the available human resources, and make recommendations about when to preserve, where to conserve, and what to restore.

We are training leaders. Leadership is a process of empowering others, facilitating change, taking risks, and assuming responsibility. Effective leaders motivate and mentor others to lead. Without effective leadership, indifference and inaction can be forces that move societal and organizational structures towards collapse.

Last Updated: 12/23/09