Environmental Studies Coordinator

Ms. Kopp's activities as environmental studies program coordinator include:

Lunchtime Speaker Series: A biweekly lunchtime speaker series has been organized (see Environmental lectures for a list of past talks). Faculty, students, experts in the field, and activists are invited to speak on timely environmental issues and research throughout the academic year. See a Schedule of the Lunchtime Colloquia.

Student Advisory Committee: The Environmental Studies Program has initiated a Student Advisory Committee to serve as a sounding board and provide advice and feedback to the program faculty and staff. Initial responsibilities have been to determine a long-term structure for the committee and investigate initiating participation in an Environmental Studies honor society.

Liaison with Career Services: Ms. Kopp will work closely with both the Career Services staff and the Colby internship director to share resources and build expertise on environmental opportunities within the Career Services office. Also, she will continue operation of the Environmental Resource Corner within the career services library dedicated to providing information on internship opportunities with an environmental focus.

Website and Electronic Networking: Ms. Kopp will be working with the Communications Department to develop an Environmental Studies website. The website is a primary tool for students seeking assistance locating internships. In addition, the site links to the new online Colby Internship database being developed by Career Services, as well as to a page of environment-oriented internship opportunities and web-based resources. The website will also provide a link to alumni through an online newsletter.

Electronic Newsletter: Ms. Kopp prepares an informative ES Newsletter for distribution at the beginning of the academic year, reconnecting with students, faculty and alumni and providing reports on faculty and students accomplishments and activity occurring within the Mellon Foundation program. During the academic year, the coordinator sends weekly email newsletters to students discussing new internship opportunities, upcoming speakers, and events.

Alumni Relations: Ms Kopp coordinates with Alumni Relations to identify Colby alumni currently working in the environmental field as well as Environmental Studies alumni who are interested in a continuing relationship with the program by returning as speakers, offering internships and providing mentoring. An annual newsletter is emailed to interested Environmental Studies alumni, and this summer the newsletter was posted on the revised Environmental Studies website. Alumni visit campus each year to speak to students about their experiences working in the environmental field. Alumni have also been an excellent source of internship opportunities.

Campus Greening: With significant input from the Environmental Studies faculty, Colby's administration agreed to establish the Environment Advisory Group (EAG), a campus greening advisory committee composed of faculty, staff, and students broadly representative of the campus. Three of the four faculty positions and three of the four student positions on the committee are filled by persons affiliated with the Environmental Studies program. Ms. Kopp serves as a resource person for the EAG. In addition, seniors in the Environmental Studies senior seminar conduct campus greening projects that will culminate with presentations to this advisory committee.

Outreach to Other Environmental Studies Programs: Ms. Kopp will meet with faculty and staff in several environmental studies programs at colleges in the northeast since joining our environmental studies program. These contacts have proven invaluable in developing several of the initiatives discussed above, including the speaker series, campus greening project, alumni and career services networks, and the internship program.