Although the number of applicants to the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences remained the same in 2003 after jumping nearly 16 percent in 2002, administrators continue to hope for further increases like those seen last year in order to raise the quality of graduate students accepted to their program.
Approximately 80 percent of the applicant pool - 275 prospective students - were admitted this year. Administrators aim to maintain this acceptance rate despite its being somewhat higher than other leading graduate programs in environmental policy and management. Indiana University at Bloomington, which was ranked no. 1 in the field in 2001 by U.S. News and World Report, currently has a 74 percent acceptance rate. Duke was ranked no. 2 by the magazine in 2001.
William Schlesinger, dean of the Nicholas School, hopes to expand the ranks of the Master of Environmental Management program and the Master of Forestry program to approximately 120 students. Around 100 graduate students now fill the ranks of the Nicholas School.
"I'm looking for the largest and best class. That's what I'm really after," Schlesinger said.
He attributed the recent influx in applications to students who disagree with President George W. Bush's environmental policies. Schlesinger said students view the master's degree program as a way to better prepare themselves academically so they can counteract Bush's actions.
The admissions committee, led by Director of Enrollment Services Cynthia Peters, sought applicants with compelling essays that showed excitement and a passion for a career in environmental science.
"We read the personal statement carefully for evidence of... a commitment to caring for the environment," wrote Peters in an e-mail.
Undergraduate performance and achievement are also reviewed, including transcripts, letters of recommendations and Graduate Record Examination scores.
The Nicholas School's budget currently supports 100 students. About one-third of the school's revenue comes from tuition, the remainder from grants. As more students matriculate, more resources are available to spend on their education. Problems arise, however, when the incoming classes are smaller, creating funding shortages.
Schlesinger hopes to recruit more students by improving the school's marketing, perhaps by deviating from web-based advertising and reviving more personal methods of recruitment.
Although this year's application numbers did not increase over last year's, administrators of the Nicholas School are optimistic about the future of the environmental management and forestry master's programs.
"We want to educate as many skilled environmental managers as we can - it's good for the environment," wrote Peters.
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