M.S. in Sustainability Management

COLUMBIA MS IN SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENTAre you interested in Graduate School?

Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the School of Continuing Education have come together to create a new program in Sustainability Management. It is a Master of Science, which pending approval will admit its first class in the fall of 2010.

The M.S. in Sustainability Management is a brand new program that will formally train and educate sustainability practitioners in a wide range of fields. It will draw upon sophisticated environmental measurement tools and cutting edge environmental science to help students fully understand the systematic and organizational role of sustainability in any organization.

The program is ideal for professionals currently working in or aspiring to be in management positions in general organizational management, regulatory compliance, facilities operations, and environmental stewardship. It is Read more

Fresh Food For All: A Vermont Gleaner’s Experience

kale gleaning

Are you interested in fighting hunger? If so, come learn what one of our peers has already accomplished.

Corinne Almquist (Middlebury ’09) will be giving a talk entitled “Fresh Food For All: A Vermont Gleaner’s Experience” on November 10 at 6:30 PM in Hillcrest 103 (the Orchard). Almquist is a Compton Mentor Fellow who has used her fellowship to provide fresh food for the poor through a process known as gleaning. She has been so successful that, just this week, she was featured in The Christian Science Monitor, in an article called, The need to feed hungry families cultivates new interest in gleaning.” It was an amazingly favorable article, comparing Almquist to Ruth from the Bible, in her endeavors to feed the poor. If you are interested in learning more, see the video, read the article, read her statement on the Middlebury website, or come hear her speak on November 10.

Social Justice and Healthcare Fellowships

Families USA

Do you have any interest in Social Justice through Healthcare Advocacy?

If so, you might be interested in the Villers Fellowship for Health Care Justice and the Wellstone Fellowship for Social Justice. Both fellowships are year-long, full-time, salaried positions at Families USAs office in Washington, DC. Each year, one candidate will be selected for each fellowship. Selected fellows will receive a compensatory package that includes an annual salary of $38,000 and excellent health care benefits.

Below is a description of the two fellowships: Read more

Networking: Why, How and When

Thanksgiving is coming and it is a perfect time to start networking. So, if you can’t wait for the the annual Turkey Talk Networking Workshop on November 19th at 4:30 PM in MBH 104 and on November 30 at 12:15 PM in Hillcrest 103, read on.

Networking has many benefits. One such benefit is access to job and internship opportunities that are only available through friends, family and colleagues. Also, with a solid network, you have access to advice from people who actually know you.

When networking, it is important to organize yourself. Whether with a notebook, or a computer database, it is important to keep track of your contacts’ names, what they have been up to, how you met them etc. Furthermore it is important to keep in touch. But, don’t only keep in touch when you need something from your contact. Try to call/e-mail/grab lunch during the good times so that when you do need their help, they don’t remember you simply as a drag.

All holidays, parties and events are networking opportunities. So, an article at CNNMoney.com recommends that to these events you arrive unfashionably early because Read more

CSO Upcoming Education Events

Have you heard about Teach Kentucky? Teach Kentucky is a high-quality alternative to Teach for America and a program with very strong Middlebury ties: after two years, students have earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree as well as two years of classroom experience at an attractive salary that goes a long way in the lively city of Louisville.

For more specific information about Teach Kentucky, go to the Teach Kentucky Information Session, this Thursday, November 5, 2009 05:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M. in Axinn 103 or go to the bottom of this posting.

There are also 3 events for the China Education Initiative (CEI).

China Education Initiative – Information Table
This Wednesday, November 04 2009 11:00 A.M. to 02:00 P.M.
McCullough – Student Mail Room

China Education Initiative – Information Session
This Wednesday, November 4, 2009 05:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M.
Axinn Center 103

China Education Initiative – Information Session
This Thursday, November 5, 2009 08:00 P.M. to 09:00 P.M.
McCardell Bicentennial Hall 104

Below is a description of the two groups: Read more

Tomorrow US PIRG Information Session

If you’re looking for a powerful experience that helps change America for the better, consider U.S. PIRG (U.S. Public Interest Research Group).

Come to their information session tomorrow, Tuesday November 3 2009 5:00 to 6:00 P.M in Axinn 100.

U.S. PIRG is a federation of state-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations that work for the public interest on issues ranging from our nation’s energy policy to the rising cost of higher education to the strength of our democracy. Clean energy can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and our role in global warming. Congress can increase grant aid and improve student loan programs. Paper trails can help make sure that every vote counts. Their professional staff focus on finding good ideas and pushing for real change, even when a powerful interest stands in the way. They’ve built a 30-year track record of overcoming these obstacles to achie ve real results, due in part to the fact that they hire dozens of smart, talented staff and give them plenty of responsibility from day one on the job.

Grad School Fair Highlights

Did you miss last Wednesday’s Graduate School Fair? If so, or if you are looking for a refresher, read on for the highlights.

One highlight was the The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, which focuses not only on business but on management and leadership. The Drucker MBA Program stood out because it incorporates many aspects of social responsibility and social entrepreneurship.

Read more

State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants

Are you looking for funding for a community service project? If so, read on!

Youth Service America is currently accepting applications for State Farm® Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants to support service-learning projects that culminate on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010. School and community educators across the United States and Canada (select provinces) can apply for up to $1,000 in funding for youth-led projects. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy integrating meaningful community service with academic study and reflective practice to enrich learning, build civic engagement, and strengthen communities. Read more

Outreach and Social Media: J-Term Internship

Have you looked at the J-Term Catalog and realized that you wish you had looked for an internship?

Well it is not too late there is a November 5th deadline to receive credit for a full-time internship so get started on applying!

J-Term Internship Outreach and Social Media

DESCRIPTION

The Outreach and Social Media Intern will work with the Marketing Team to do outreach and copy writing related to environmental awareness-with particular focus on issues and stories related to climate change and carbon footprints. This collateral will be used for the Brighter Planet blog, media outreach, marketing materials, and partnership collaboration. The intern will be welcomed in the downtown Middlebury office for 25-40 hours a week.

Read more

ACE is Hiring: JOB OPPORTUNITES

ACE (Alliance for Climate Education) is opening another round of offices in Denver, DC, Atlanta, and NY/NJ area in January. travels to high schools around the country to educate students on the science behind climate change and motivate them to take action through our dynamic assembly presentations. Their team of trained Educators conduct these informative and entertaining presentations at no cost to schools. ACE also provides scholarship and grant opportunities for participating schools. They currently have Educators in the Bay Area, LA, Boston, Houston and Chicago and will be opening four new offices this January.

Job Openings:

Deputy Director (Oakland, CA) – http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/355523-30/c

DC Senior Educator – http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/351177-83/c Read more

Interview Tip: The 10 Questions You Need to Know the Answers to

Do you know how to answer “What is your greatest weakness?” Now, jokingly you might want to respond, I work too hard, and I care to much, but what is the interviewer actually looking for?

Gina Chung, on GottaMentor,  says “You want to give a real weakness that you are already in process of addressing.”

Do you know how to answer the ubiquitous, “Tell me about yourself?” What about “Why are you interested?

Before you have an interview make sure Read more

Jobs and Internships in the Public Sector

Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Economics, Biology, Political Science, Art History

Do any of those sound like your interests or even your major?

The Federal Government is hiring people with all kinds of backgrounds, so check out makingthedifference.org, an amazing resource which contains internships and jobs in the public sector. However it does not only contain job postings, Read more

The Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship

The Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship, a project of the Congressional Hunger Center, is a unique leadership development opportunity for motivated individuals seeking to make a difference in the struggle to eliminate hunger and poverty.

Each year 20 participants are selected for this eleven-month program. Fellows are placed for half their term of service with urban and rural community-based organizations all over the country involved in fighting hunger at the local level, such as grass roots organizing groups, food banks, economic development agencies, local advocacy groups and faith-based organizations. They then move to Washington, DC to complete the year with national organizations involved in the anti-hunger and poverty movement, including national advocacy organizations, think tanks, and federal agencies. Through this unique program, the Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program develops effective leaders with a deep understanding of hunger and poverty at both the local and national level that enables them to find innovative solutions and create the political will to end hunger.

More information can be found at:  http://hungercenter.org/national/applicationinfo.htm

Application Details:  Read more

Orion Grassroots Network- JOBS

Many folk here at Middlebury have already begun the job/internship hunt. Well if you are interested in Advocacy, Conservation, Farming, Development, Education or more, make sure you look at the Orion Grassroots Network (OGN) Job listings or Internship listings.  The OGN Jobsource posts jobs that focus on change for people or planet and is grassroots in focus.

Some of their recent listings include:

From Investment Banking to NGO Work in Africa: An Awakening

Do you have an interest in social entrepreneurship or would like to learn about health mentoring programs?

Come to the Career Conversation with David Torres ’88 entitled, From Investment Banking to NGO Work in Africa: An Awakening,” next Friday, October 23 in the RAJ conference room.

While traveling around the world with his family on a sabbatical from his role as a Managing Director at JPMorgan in London in 2005, David was introduced to mothers2mothers, and worked as a volunteer in Cape Town for two months. After returning to London in early 2006, David decided to end his 22-year career in banking and join mothers2mothers as a permanent staff member, working first in London from August 2006, and moving with his wife and two children to South Africa in January 2007.

David’s roles include both local and international fundraising and development, and involvement with the business side of mothers2mothers’ international expansion. Read more

Nailing an Interview

Everyone should check out “How to Make Yourself Standout in an Interview.” It is a great article with sections on what you should know about the job, the industry and the company. 

It recommends that before the interview, you research industry trends as well as have a list of your five most compelling qualities, which you then reference during the interview. 

Also, if you have a phone interview check out our earlier post, “Phone Interviews” and, if you have time, remember to call the CSO to arrange a practice interview.

The 10 Worst Job Hunting Mistakes

Are you currently looking for a job or internship?  If so, you might want to check out GovCentral’s “The 10 Worst Job Hunting Mistakes.” 

Below are some of their recommendations:

  • Don’t use an unprofessional e-mail address on your resume
  • Make sure you are prepared to ask questions in your interview
  • Choose your references wisely and give them a heads up that a prospective employer will call them

How to Develop Yourself as a Nonprofit Leader

Bridgestar, an initiative of the Bridgespan Group, has written an amazing article this month entitled, “How to Develop Yourself as a Nonprofit Leader.” 

Below are some of the tips from the six senior executives featured in their article:

  • Join an organization’s fundraising committee
  • “Join any group that can put you in touch with people you can network with or learn from. If I were in a junior role, I’d seek out people like me at other organizations”
  • Look into advanced degree programs, “You need to have a full quiver of arrows to run a nonprofit”

Solar Solutions Intern, Solar College Initiative

The Solar College Initiative is looking for an intern who would assist in the deployment of their campus solar solutions. It would be an excellant opportunity to jump right into the solar industry.  The internship is unpaid and has a 6 month commitment.  This 10-20 hour a week internship could be completed from anywhere via telecommute.

For more information and details on how to apply check out the full job posting here.