Feb. 16, 2011

Eight students at the School of Natural Resources and Environment have been named Doris Duke Conservation Fellows as future leaders in nonprofit and public sector conservation.

"More Michigan fellows were named than was the case at any of our peer schools, a wonderful outcome that reflects the stellar qualities of our students and the commitment of the School to the program,"  said Steven L. Yaffee, an SNRE professor and director at the SNRE-based Ecosystem Management Initiative, which administers the Duke Fellows program at the University of Michigan.

The 2010-2012 Duke Fellows (and their SNRE fields of study) are: Maggie Allan (Environmental Policy and Planning and dual degree with the Ford School of Public Policy); Parrish Bergquist, (Environmental Policy and Planning); Seth Federspiel (Environmental Policy and Planning); Kristina Geiger (Behavior, Education and Communication); Kevin Li (Landscape Architecture and Conservation Biology); Laura Matson (Environmental Justice and dual degree with the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning); Maggie Wenger (Environmental Policy and Planning); and Gus Winkes (Sustainable Systems and dual degree with the Law School).

As part of the annual Fellows selection process, SNRE has a number of guaranteed slots and is able to advance additional candidates to compete against students from the other seven schools for discretionary funding. Eight candidates advanced by SNRE were awarded Fellowships out of 40 awarded nationwide. Fellows receive significant tuition support, funding for a summer internship and the opportunity to participate in a set of enrichment activities.

With these awards, more than 100 SNRE master's students have received Doris Duke Conservation Fellowships in the 13 years of the program's existence. By naming SNRE one of the original three schools to host fellows, DDCF recognized SNRE in the top tier of interdisciplinary professional environmental schools nationwide. The program currently supports students enrolled at Yale, Duke and Cornell universities; Florida A&M University; Northern Arizona University and the universities of Michigan, Wisconsin and California at Santa Barbara. A national advisory committee oversees the invitation-only university competition.

Many of the Michigan fellows have moved into leadership positions in government and nonprofit organizations.  Several have been named Presidential Management Fellows, a highly competitive national honor; others are employed by such organizations as the World Wildlife Fund, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Nature Conservancy, and Colorado, Michigan and Maryland state agencies.

The students will be recognized at a reception and dinner Thursday, March 17.

About the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment:
The School of Natural Resources and Environment's overarching objective is to contribute to the protection of the Earth's resources and the achievement of a sustainable society. Through research, teaching, and outreach, faculty, staff and students are devoted to generating knowledge and developing policies, techniques and skills to help practitioners manage and conserve natural and environmental resources to meet the full range of human needs on a sustainable basis.
http://www.snre.umich.edu

About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation:
The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of peopleí¢â‚¬â„¢s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child maltreatment, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Dukeí¢â‚¬â„¢s properties. The Duke Conservation Fellowship Program is administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
http://www.ddcf.org/
http://www.woodrow.org/fellowships/conservation/index.php

About the Ecosystem Management Initiative:
The mission of the Ecosystem Management Initiative is to promote sustainable natural resource management through ecosystem-based teaching, research and outreach through a series of interconnected strategies.
http://www.snre.umich.edu/ecomgt/index.htm