The Environmental Scholars program is offered by the State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), a unique college in the 64-campus SUNY system with a specialized mission of education, research and public service related to developing and managing renewable natural resources, understanding the structure and function of the world's ecosystems, and maintaining and enhancing environmental quality. SUNY-ESF's research and service programs are directed at creating new knowledge that has a positive and influential impact upon the quality of life for all people. It is with these issues in mind, that the Environmental Scholars program provides scholarships to students that have shown significant scientific talent and for whom the financial burden of a college education may be a deterrent to the pursuit of a baccalaureate degree in the disciplines of chemistry, biology, engineering and environmental science.
Scholarships are given to three cohorts of students - incoming freshmen, transfer students with three years of academic courses remaining, and transfer students who have already achieved an Associate's degree. The Environmental Scholars program pays careful attention to the cohort experience, to the support services offered to the group, to the opportunities provided to the students to investigate "the fit" of their intended career path and to solid career counseling. Key program objectives are to: (a) select a small multicultural multidisciplinary cohort with emphasis placed on recruiting students from traditionally underrepresented groups in science (or at SUNY-ESF specifically); (b) create opportunities for thoughtful and educational cross-cultural communication and camaraderie; (c) offer support for the incoming students to get through the traditional first semester hurdles of transition and adjustment; (d) create an interdisciplinary collaborative learning environment, through service learning, to help students investigate and reflect upon their intended career path; (e) utilize faculty mentorship to provide a connection to the college as a whole; (f) require a discipline-specific capstone experience; (g) offer financial incentives to students to achieve academic excellence that can be used toward research programs, particularly those with field experiences; and (h) offer courses in career development such as resume writing, etiquette and interview skills.
Through its efforts to provide a cohesive program for the Environmental Scholars, the project leadership team expects to gain and disseminate understanding of the types of programming that helps students persist academically, refine their career plans and find success in their chosen career paths and will further the goals of a campus that values and fosters Inclusive Excellence, the integration of diversity and quality initiatives to create a stronger and more durable educational experience.
