Graduate Certificate in Military Sustainability

1. Graduate Certificate in Military Sustainability Enhancing the Military Mission through Land Management, Policy, and Culture

2. Background • DoD Land Use – Realistic training requires realistic training environments. Skills are perishable, maintained through regular training. • Encroachment – external influences that threaten or constrain training (e.g., urban development, noise complaints, frequency conflicts). • Promoting “outside the fenceline” compatible land uses (i.e., military sustainability) important.

3. Background • Varied perspective between natural resource and range operating programs. • Natural resource students typically deficient in understanding DoD land use and mission priorities. • Natural resource careers – DoD is typically not presented as an option. • Improved “literacy” in natural resource and military sustainability can occur through education and training.

4. Need – Education and Training • Prospective students need broad skills to be effective practitioners of sustainability “outside the fenceline”. • In addition to traditional land management skills, training in regional planning, policy development and implementation, and cultural competencies also desired. • DoD environmental programs offer career opportunities within government and defense industry.

5. Approach • Develop graduate Certificate in Military Sustainability. • Complement existing professional degrees (e.g., Masters of Natural Resources, Wildlife Science, and Rangeland Ecology). • Web-based coursework offers maximum flexibility; optional short-courses (e.g., “range tour” course). Target students – working professionals (e.g., active military/vets). • Opportunity to integrate research/field experience on military installations (students pursuing masters requiring a 6-hour non-thesis professional paper).

6. Thematic Emphasis Areas • Land Management • Natural resource land management strategies. • Military practices/requirements. • Sustainability concepts/regional planning. • Policy • Natural resource policies influencing land use. • Military policies influencing DoD environmental programs. • Culture • Cultural competencies, conflict resolution, and collaborative planning.

7. Certificate Overview

8. Sample Degree Plan

9. Research/Field Experiences on Installations

10. Target Students • Active (to include guard/reserves) or returning veterans interested in natural resource training and/or a graduate degree. Unique graduate program for veterans. “Serving those who serve”. • Career professionals with DoD or other state/federal agencies interested in continuing education training relative to working with the military.

11. Knowledge and Skills Student learning outcomes include an understanding of: • Historic, current, and future military land use requirements. • Environmental policies impacting land use and areas critical to mission. • Natural resource planning approaches (e.g., INRMP, ITAM). • Compatible land use approaches (e.g., buffer programs, regional planning, etc.). • Geospatial technology use in land use decision-making. • Conflict resolution and consensus building skills.

12. http://military.tamu.edu/ Enhancing the Military Mission through Land Management, Policy, and Culture Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural ResourcesRoel R. Lopez, Associate Director1500 Research Parkway, Suite 110A, 2260 TAMUCollege Station, TX 77843-2260Phone: (979) 845-4067, Fax: (979) 845-0662 Email: roel@tamu.edu