courses. These two courses are being proposed as two of the core courses for the MES program. The new KEEC grant ($121,000) will support development of an environmental education endorsement as an option for KSU's education majors similar to the computer science teaching endorsement that is already in place in KSU's education program.
The MES program will allow KSU to seek additional external funding from a number of agencies. It will also allow KSU to collaborate with the other universities pursuing similar goals by offering courses and seeking grant opportunities with the University of Kentucky Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment and the University of Louisville Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development. Since the initial draft of this MES proposal was written, KSU submitted and received another USDA Capacity Building grant ($200,000) for the MES program for the 2008-2011 funding cycle. Graduate research/teaching assistantship funding opportunities are also available in this emerging area from a number of agencies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Graduate Assistants:
In light of renewed international and national focuses on energy and environmental issues, more resources are being allocated by funding agencies in the field of environmental studies and related research areas. The MES program plans to take full advantage of all potential funding sources and compete for these resources to strengthen the program. Specifically, there are plans to secure funds for program graduate assistants from the US Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and the US EPA. It is anticipated that some of the MES graduate students will work with program faculty on externally funded individual and collective research projects. The KSU Land Grant Program will support two graduate assistants for the program who would work on the KSU Environmental Education Center in Henry County. Overall, it is anticipated most of the full-time students enrolled in the program will receive some form of graduate assistantships.
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