Nature & Nurture | Giving News

Students Gain Added Skills, Edge in the Working World

by Laura Ertel

When Joel Dunn sought to polish his presentation and communication skills, he signed up for a module. When Elena Arensman wanted to learn about sustainable development and corporate responsibility directly from professionals in the field, she, too, attended a module. A Professional and Field Skills Module, that is.

  For students like Dunn and Arensman in the Nicholas School’s Master of Environmental Management (MEM) program, the modules provide a vital opportunity to hone skills they don’t necessarily pick up in their coursework – and to gain an edge, not only in their job search, but also in their ability to make a valuable contribution to their future employers.

  “The modules provide students with an opportunity to exercise their creativity and gain practical knowledge on things that you don’t necessarily learn in biology, chemistry, or geospatial analysis,” says Dunn. “They cover a broad array of skills that are critical for environmental scientists and policy analysts, and I think that’s a really attractive aspect of the program.”

Unique program created at Duke
The Professional and Field Skills Program— created by the school’s Professional Studies and Career Services offices with financial support from the Nicholas School’s Annual Fund—features a wide-ranging series of workshops, demonstrations, and lab sessions that augment regular MEM/MF program coursework by providing additional instruction and experience in skills that will promote success in employment after graduation. All are created in direct response to feedback solicited regularly from alumni, students, and employers.

  “Students have asked us for more field experiences, and for more hands-on, practically oriented, management-focused instruction beyond what they were getting in their regular coursework,” explains Director of Professional Studies Lynn Maguire, who coordinates the program.

  “From employers and alumni in the workplace, we know that whether they’re at a nonprofit, a consulting company, in government or industry, they value basic management skills like how to read a balance sheet or a financial statement,” says Karen Kirchof, the Nicholas School’s assistant dean for career services. “As a professional school, we teach the core academic strengths and competencies in the environment, but our students also need to learn the ‘soft’ skills and knowledge that are most useful in today’s environmental professions.”

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