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Press Release - January 3, 2006
Penn State Joins the Natural Resources Distance Learning Consortium
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Penn State's World Campus has been invited to become a member of the Natural Resources Distance Learning Consortium, a joint venture between United States Department of Agriculture and Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources. The consortium encourages participation of specific natural resources programs from higher education institutions it deems as beneficial to natural resources professionals on the federal, state and local levels, primarily in agencies such as the USDA Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management.
Penn State's online master's degree and certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are delivered via the World Campus in partnership with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, which is the academic home for the programs. These programs are now endorsed by the consortium, which includes five other higher education institutions. "The GIS programs are excellent and I feel our relationship with Penn State will not only update the skills of our current workforce but also provide access to a highly competent and motivated pool of potential employees," said William C. Woodland Jr., the national training and education manager of the National Forest Service.
The other institutions in the consortium include Virginia Tech, Northern Arizona University, the University of Idaho, Stephen F. Austin State University and the University of Montana.
"Penn State is honored to be a member of this federally sponsored consortium, and we look forward to helping government employees use GIS to manage our natural resources," said David DiBiase, lead faculty member for the GIS programs.
The Consortium has resulted in another partnering relationship between Penn State and the University of Idaho. In this agreement, the University of Idaho has made Penn State's GIS curriculum a central component to its master's degree in natural resources.
Visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/wc/MasterinGIS.shtml for more information about Penn State's GIS programs.
Editor contact: Deborah A. Benedetti at 814-238-4895, dab12@outreach.psu.edu; or Amy Neil at 814-865-7600, aen4@outreach.psu.edu
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
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