Idaho State Board of Education s1

Institution Tracking No. FS-10-047a-UCC-10- 071a

IDAHO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACADEMIC/PROFESSIONAL-TECHNICAL EDUCATION NOTICE OF INTENT To initiate a New, Expanded, Cooperative, Discontinued, program component or Off-Campus Instructional Program or Instructional/Research Unit Institution Submitting Proposal: University of Idaho Name of College, School, or Division: College of Graduate Studies Name of Department(s) or Area(s): Natural Resources, Environmental Science, and Water of the West

Indicate if this Notice of Intent (NOI) is for an Academic or Professional Technical Program Academic X Professional - Technical

This is a New, Expanded, Cooperative, Contract, or Off-Campus Instructional Program, or Administrative/Research Unit (circle one) leading to: Professional Science Master’s Degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science (Degree or Certificate)

Proposed Starting Date: August 2010

For New Programs: For Other Activity:

Program (i.e., degree) Title & CIP 2000 Program Component (major/minor/option/emphasis)

Off-Campus Activity/Resident Center

Instructional/Research Unit

Addition/Expansion

Discontinuance/consolidation

Contract Program

Other Signature on file 4-8/10 College Dean (Institution) Date VP Research & Graduate Studies Date

Chief Fiscal Officer (Institution) Date State Administrator, SDPTE Date

Chief Academic Officer (Institution) Date Chief Academic Officer, OSBE Date

President Date SBOE/OSBE Approval Date

Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 1 Before completing this form, refer to Board Policy Section III.G., Program Approval and Discontinuance. 1. Briefly describe the nature of the request e.g., is this a new program (degree, program, or certificate) or program component (e.g., new, discontinued, modified, addition to an existing program or option).

There is an imperative in higher education to train a technically educated, professional workforce for a national job market that is increasingly dominated by environmental issues related to concepts of sustainability. Policy makers across the country have emphasized the dual goals of economic growth and environmental sustainability. Between 1998 and 2007, jobs in the emerging green economy grew at a faster rate than jobs overall (9.1% vs. 3.7%), and recent research by the Pew Foundation shows that jobs in this sector are poised for even more dramatic growth. Idaho is one of 5 states where such jobs more than doubled during this time; green jobs in Idaho have an annual growth rate of 10.1%. These trends are underscored by the need of employers in the public and private sectors for an executive workforce with experience in real world problem solving and in project development, management, and finance. This is a request to develop a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program at the University of Idaho in natural resources and environmental sciences to meet this growing demand for an effective executive workforce in fields related to environmental sustainability. Our vision for the PSM is to develop a professional workforce in natural resources and environmental sciences with an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of these areas of science, and the ability to communicate and work with others to apply this understanding to specific science-based problems faced by society.

The degree will include nine interdisciplinary specialty tracks that will serve the job market in Idaho and the Northwest. Four Transferable Skills courses will provide training in professional aspects of applied science such as management and communication. Internships and research experiences will be tailored to individual student needs. The science tracks are each focused on a different issue in natural resources and environmental sciences. These include Grassland and Shrubland Ecosystem Science, Wildland Fire Ecology and Management, Water Resources Management, Environmental Contamination, Sustainability Science, Climate Change Science, Restoration Ecology, Management of Regulated River Systems, and Ecohydrology Science and Management. All necessary science curricula are already in place as part of existing degree programs.

The four Transferable Skills courses will be the core curriculum for all PSM tracks. These course are designed to address the specific needs of a professional science workforce that are not addressed in our traditional master’s programs. As emphasized in reports from employers in a variety of science fields, these needs include training in (1) financial and organizational management of scientific projects, (2) ethical reasoning in scientific research and practice, and (3) effective scientific communication, including scientific writing, intra-organization communications, and in speaking to the broader public about scientific issues.

The PSM will be created as a single degree for the development of specialty tracks within natural resources and environmental sciences for two reasons. (1) The Transferable Skills courses and the emphasis on translational science will define the unique character of the degree regardless of specialty track. (2) A strong curricula for these tracks already exist at the University of Idaho as determined by existing graduate degree programs in the various Colleges.

The four goals of the University of Idaho PSM degree program are:

Goal 1: Contributing to the National and Regional Workforce. We will provide a professional workforce for the environmental and natural resource science job market beginning in 2012, with the Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 2 first students entering the PSM program in fall 2010. We will work closely with businesses, industries, and agencies to continually assess the appropriate foci for the PSM program.

Goal 2: Producing a Workforce Equipped for the Scientific Challenges of the 21st Century. Our unique approach to training in natural resources and environmental sciences will prepare the graduates of our PSM program to contribute immediately to the complex and challenging fields in which they will be employed. Students will not be trained solely in narrowly defined theoretical aspects or purely applied aspects of their chosen track; rather, students will receive training and education in a manner which will integrate the theoretical, professional, and applied aspects of their chosen field. Internships and research experiences will be selected and designed to complement this holistic, translational approach to science education.

Goal 3: Producing Science-Ambassadors Trained in Ethics and Effective Communication. The graduates of the PSM program at UI will be prepared to serve the scientific, professional, and broader community through their training and educational background. In addition to the requisite management skills that will be part of the Transferable Skills courses, our program will place special emphasis on the development of written and verbal communication, including refining the students’ abilities to communicate with the broader public. Developing an understanding of ethics and the cultural context where science and society intersect will be a required part of all initial and future PSM tracks.

Goal 4: Producing Native Professional Scientists. While seeking students from all ethnic groups in Idaho, the University of Idaho will recruit Native students for the PSM in order to meet the economic demand for Natives trained in science. UI has several programs that support Native students, and it is appropriate that we lead the way in training Native PSM students who can provide necessary scientific expertise to manage resources on tribal reservations.

2. Provide a statement of need for program or a program modification. Include student and state need, demand, and employment potential. Attach a Scope and Sequence, SDPTE Form Attachment B, for professional-technical education requests. (Use additional sheets if necessary).

[Because the proposed programs do not result in professional certification or licensing, we are not attaching SDBTE Form Attachment B.]

In October 2009, Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI) completed a market analysis commissioned for this proposal showing a significant potential for regional growth in the Pacific Northwest over the next five years in natural resource and environmental jobs. The anticipated jobs include professional positions associated with forestry, conservation, rangeland management, agricultural management, parks and recreation, wildlife biology, fisheries biology, geophysical technology, environmental engineering, environmental mitigation, environmental impact assessment, and waste management. Professional positions in these areas are projected to increase by 10.1% in Idaho and 9.4% regionally by 2014. These employment sectors currently support economic activity in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington at a rate 170% greater than a typical reference economy. In Idaho alone that value is closer to 250%. These values are projected to show little change through 2014, reflecting steady growth in these sectors of the economy as population increases over the coming 5 years. Additional specialty tracks in other areas of science will be developed partly determined by future employment opportunities and market analysis.

The University of Idaho has a viable and compelling mission to produce a professional workforce for this market. As of 2006, Idaho was in the bottom 15% of states ranked by percent of adult population 25 years and older holding professional or graduate degrees. Both Idaho and Nevada have 7.1%, exceeding only Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, and North Dakota. The national Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 3 average is 9.9%, led by the populous states of Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Virginia, each with more than 12%. In the Intermountain West, only Wyoming (7.3%) and Montana (7.9%) come close to the low graduate-degree rates of Idaho and Nevada.

Native American Tribes with sovereign status are an important cultural and economic influence in the Intermountain West, and the PSM program will educate Native scientists for employment by tribal organizations. The management of natural resources on tribal lands represents a major investment of tribal resources and tribes such as the Nez Perce maintain sophisticated forestry and fisheries management divisions. The PSM program will specifically link to these programs through its internships and external advisory board.

3. Briefly describe how the institution will ensure the quality of the program (e.g., accreditation, professional societies, licensing boards, etc.). a. As soon as the program is in place we will meet the standards to apply for membership in the National Professional Masters of Science Association. Although this is the national professional organization for this type of degree, this group has elected to not develop a licensing or credentialing standard because of the diverse array of PSM programs in existence and under development. b. The University of Idaho PSM will be eligible for approval by the Council of Graduate Schools. We anticipate that approval will be forthcoming in fall 2010. This will permit the program to use the PSM logo for recruitment, which indicates our compliance with the national standards for the PSM. c. Students admitted to the PSM program must have a B.S. in biological, environmental, or natural resource sciences, or fields closely related to these sciences from an accredited university or college. Also appropriate are undergraduate degrees in Civil Engineering and Biological and Agricultural Engineering, depending on the interest area identified by the student. Closely related fields include botany, ecology, wildlife, fisheries, forestry, range science, and environmental sciences. d. The PSM program will support an external advisory board whose membership represents the agencies, industries, businesses, and non-governmental organizations that employ our graduates. Feedback from these groups will be used to refine the PSM program.

e. Coursework in the PSM will be a unique mix of theory and applied science that is drawn from degree programs that are presently accredited and considered an integral part of the University.

4. Identify similar programs offered within the state of Idaho or in the region by other colleges/universities. If the proposed request is similar to another program, provide a rationale for the duplication. This may not apply to PTE programs if workforce needs within the respective region have been established

This is a new degree program that does not exist within the state of Idaho. Somewhat similar programs at Boise State University include a Masters of Health Science (Environmental Health) and a Master of Public Administration (Environmental and Natural Resources Administration). Both of these programs are in subject areas that are not relevant to the proposed degree program. At Idaho State University there are two: a Master of Natural Science (MNS) in Geoscience and Biology available to students working toward a teaching certificate. Neither of these degrees is relevant to the proposed PSM, which does not include geosciences or biology, per se, and is not intended for teachers.

The University of Idaho has two non-thesis distance learning degrees that overlap somewhat with the PSM, an MS in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Natural Resources (MNR). Although both Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 4 degrees attract students in natural resources and environmental sciences, neither has a curriculum that produces industry-ready specialists with the Transferable Skills offered by the PSM,. In addition, both of these degrees are offered only online, and thus serve a different group of students than the PSM. Finally, these degrees draw a group of students interested in a generalist approach that is lacking in rigorous applied aspects of these fields.

Enrollment and Graduates (i.e., number of majors or other relevant data) By Institution for the Proposed Program Last three years beginning with the current year and the 2 previous years

Institution Relevant Enrollment Data Number of Graduates Current Previous Previous Current Previous Previous Year Year Year Year BSU CSI CWI EITC ISU LCSC NIC UI - MNR 40 32 21 0 to date 7 5 UI – EnvS MS 14 16 10 1 to date 1 2 Note that the number of graduates reflects the fact that these are distance program with many part- time students.

Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 5 Degrees offered by school/college or program(s) within disciplinary area under review. These degrees are specifically relevant to the natural resources and environmental sciences tracks.

Specializations within the Specializations offered within the Institution and Level discipline degree at the institution Degree name (to reflect a national perspective) BSU MS Biology, botany, Biology (MS) PhD molecular biology, Geology, Geophysics, Earth ecology, wildlife, fisheries, Science, Hydrologic Sciences (MS) forestry, range science, environmental sciences, Geology, Geophysics (PhD) geology, geography. CSI None applicable None applicable at grad level CWI None applicable None applicable at grad level EITC None applicable None applicable at grad level ISU MS Biology, botany, Geosciences (MS, PhD) PhD molecular biology, Biological Sciences (MS, PhD) MNS ecology, wildlife, fisheries, Natural Sciences Teaching (MNS – forestry, range science, Biology) environmental sciences, Geosciences Teaching (MNS - geology, geography. Geosciences) LCSC None applicable None applicable at grad level NIC None applicable None applicable at grad level UI MS, PhD, Biology, molecular Geography (PhD, MS) MS EnvS, biology, ecology, wildlife, Biology (PhD, MS) MNR fisheries, forestry, range, Natural Resources (PhD, MS, MNR) environmental sciences, Environmental Science (PhD, MS) geology, geography.

5. Describe how this request is consistent with the State Board of Education's policy or role and mission of the institution. (i.e., centrality).

This program builds on the natural resources and environmental science mission of the University of Idaho.

6. Is the proposed program in the 8-year Plan? Indicate below.

Yes X No

If not on 8-year plan, provide a justification for adding the program.

Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 6 8. Resources--Faculty/Staff/Space Needs/Capital Outlay. (Use additional sheets if necessary.):

Estimated Fiscal Impact FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 Total A. Expenditures

1. Personnel $225,911 $241,429 $238,538 $691,378

2. Operating $13,000 $8,500 $3,500 $25,000

3. Capital Outlay (Library) $2,500 $2,500 $5,000

4. Facilities

TOTAL: $241,411 $241,429 $238,538 $721,378

B. Source of Funds

1. Appropriated- $95,639 $0 $0 $95,639 reallocation

2. Appropriated – New

3. Federal (NSF) $49,892 $48,332 $32,492 $130,716

4. Other: Fees $95,880 $239,700 $401,220 $736,800 TOTAL: $241,411 $288,032 $433,712 $963,155

B. Nature of Funds

1. Recurring * $191,519 $239,700 $401,220 $821,781

2. Non-recurring ** $49,892 $48,332 $32,492 $130,716

TOTAL: $241,411 $288,032 $433,712 $963,155

* Recurring is defined as ongoing operating budget for the program, which will become off of the base. ** Non-recurring is defined as one-time funding in a fiscal year and not part of the base.

Form Revised 12/10/08 Page 7