Dear Friends,
I hope that this email finds you doing well!
Unfortunately, we begin 2010 with disaster and misery for many of the world's population. The earthquake in Haiti is a stark reminder of how vulnerable we all are, and how disaster of any kind only exacerbates the already existing inequalities of this world. We know that we must do more to help the many who suffer.
The Master's in Development Practice (MDP) program is one way of trying to make a difference. This program is focused on equipping leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to address the complex challenges of sustainable development, including poverty reduction, disease control, climate change mitigation, and the creation of livable and sustainable cities. And, in this effort, we are not alone.
In this month's e-newsletter we are pleased to feature Dr. Helene Gayle, President and
CEO of CARE. In her article, Dr. Gayle provides her thoughts on the role of NGO's in the global network of MDP programs.
In this issue we also have an article by Professor David Nugent, director
of the MDP program at Emory University in Atlanta, where he discusses the unique characteristics of their MDP
program.
After reading both articles we hope that your university or organization joins the global network of MDP programs. Visit the MDP Secretariat website (www.mdp.ei.columbia.edu) and let us know of your interest. There is much that we need to do to alleviate the pain and suffering of many.
And, of course, our e-newsletter would not be complete without the voices of practitioners who are enrolled in Columbia University's MDP program. In this issue we hear their thoughts of the program.
Finally, do not forget to join us virtually on March 25, 2010 for the State of the Planet Conference. We encourage you to participate. Please contact Kate Duffy or Ashley Kingon for more information.
Wishing you the best for 2010,
lucia.
Lucia Rodriguez
Director of the MDP Secretariat
|
The Role of NGOs in
MDP Programs
Dr. Helene D. Gayle, President
and CEO of CARE USA
|
In the past decade the work of
international non-profits has become more complex and difficult, reflecting
changes in the world and the environments in which we work. Future leaders of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will need an in-depth understanding of
the underlying causes of poverty and the many factors in play. They must have
the ability to strategically navigate through a myriad of forces (governmental,
societal, cultural and political) to make significant progress in the fight
against poverty. As one example, some nations are seeking different models of
partnership with international NGOs. More and more, the work of NGOs has
evolved from delivering services, such as education or water, to strengthening
the ability of others to provide such services and ensuring that communities
are able to access them. Our future leaders must continue to challenge all that
we know about the causes and consequences of poverty and seek innovative
approaches and solutions. We believe that graduates with a Master's in
Development Practice will be uniquely qualified to take up the mantle and we
look forward to the opportunity to work with these students.
CARE is a partner with Emory
University in the development and execution of Emory's Masters in Development
Practice program. When we first heard
about the MDP and that Emory was interested in working with CARE, we were
thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking effort.
That sounds altruistic, doesn't
it? Certainly, an organization like CARE
has much to offer such a program.
However, what CARE and other international non-governmental organizations
will gain from the MDP makes this a real investment in our future. In
consultation with David Nugent, the director of the Master's in Development
Practice program at Emory
University, we have
selected three key ways in which CARE can add value:
CARE
has assisted in the development of the curriculum and will lend our
expertise and experts in appropriate coursework. CARE professionals may
help develop a course of study, may guest lecture or may supplement a
course with the "real world" perspective.
As appropriate, Emory's MDP students may attend a CARE course or
workshop such as CARE's Leadership in Emergencies program. CARE
will offer practicum opportunities for students during the summer months in
CARE programs around the world. Finally,
we hope that some of CARE's high-potential staff from countries where we
work will be accepted to the MDP programs.
If there ever was a win/win we believe this is it. The time
for a new generation of thought and action leaders is here and the Master's in
Development Practice will give us the ability to prepare these leaders for the
hard work ahead. |
|
Emory University |
 The Masters in
Development Practice program at Emory University combines the academic
resources of a major research university with the practical experience of
partner organizations like CARE, the Carter Center and the US Centers for Disease
Control (CDC). The core of the Emory
program is training in the practice
of sustainable development and these organizations are at the forefront of
innovative work in this field. Emory's
partnerships provide students with invaluable exposure to the way development
practitioners operate in real life and with a critical understanding on the
kinds of organizational contexts in which they will serve after completion of
their degrees.
Classroom-based learning at Emory is
greatly enhanced by practitioners from our partner organizations, who draw upon
a wealth of personal experience to expose students to the real-world challenges
of implementing sustainable development.
Emory's MDP field practicums also build on the strengths of our
partners. The global reach of CARE, the
Carter Center and the CDC, and the range of development-related activities in
which these institutions are involved, means that we are able to offer students
a diverse set of field practicum opportunities.
It also means that we are able to draw upon this diversity as a teaching
tool. The Emory program places the
students in every MDP cohort in a wide range of development settings, each of
which presents the aspiring development practitioner with a different array of
conceptual and operational challenges. In any given year, for example, some
students might work with a small-scale NGO on the livelihood challenges faced
by indigenous people in the tropical lowland areas of Brazil. Other students would intern with a government
organization involved in providing a public health infrastructure for marginal
groups living in mountainous areas of Vietnam.
Still others might do their field practicum with an international NGO on
a project that seeks to provide economic opportunities and political empowerment
to women in the dry regions of rural Ethiopia. When the students in each MDP
cohort return to the classroom to analyze and compare their diverse field
experiences, they are confronted with the challenges involved in implementing
sustainable development across a broad range of institutional, programmatic and
regional contexts. The ability to
analyze these processes critically, and to process them collectively creates a
rich and rewarding learning environment.
It also provides students with a comprehensive, comparative
understanding of the development process as a whole, preparing them to take on
roles of leadership in a wide range of organizations and settings.
As a university, Emory has a longstanding
commitment to issues of sustainability and social justice, which is reflected
in its research and teaching programs. This commitment has helped generate
considerable breadth and depth of faculty expertise in development-related
issues, across schools and departments.
Development is an active topic of academic debate in programs as diverse
as public health, law, business, anthropology and religion. This
multidisciplinary conversation centered on development reflects the university
community's determination to direct its exceptional intellectual and
institutional resources toward serving underprivileged populations in the
global South. Emory University's Masters in Development Practice program is
able to capitalize on this history of engaged scholarship to foster the growth
of a new generation of professionals that are both highly competent and deeply
committed to realizing the ideals of sustainable development.
|
In Their Words:
Columbia University MDP Students
|
Fall 2009 Highlights
As we wrap up our final exams, papers and projects, we asked some of our classmates
what the highlight of their first semester as a MDP student was. Here's what a
few of them had to say:
In November I had the opportunity to attend the Global
Public Policy Network's 2009 conference in Singapore entitled "Crisis as
Opportunity: What Policies Do We Need for Sustainable Development Today?"
There, I presented on information and communication technology (ICTs) and the
Millennium Development Goals and met students interested in policy from around
the world.
- Jaclyn
Carlsen
My highlight moment took place early in the semester when I
visited a United Nations Security Council Meeting with SIPA classmates. At the
meeting, Bill Clinton made his first appearance as diplomatic envoy for the
Security Council Mission to Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest and most
fragile country. Listening to him speak about forging security by eradicating
poverty and achieving socio-economic and environmental sustainability was a
truly inspiring way to kick-off the academic semester.
- Ana-Maria
Poveda-Garces
Getting the chance to interact with Bill Gates produced those fifteen minutes that will
forever remain etched in my mind. His concern for the health of humanity and
the future of our planet was inspiring. A dream come true - thanks to being a
part of the MDP program and Columbia University's Earth Institute.
- Sahil
Gulati
My favorite experience
this year was celebrating the Day of All Saints (a Guatemalan celebration,
similar to Thanksgiving where our whole family eats a big salad and cold cuts)
with all the MDPers and Guatemalan friends. It was great being able to share my
culture with my classmates, which is one of the things that is so much fun
about this program. There are people from all around the world and we get to
learn about them and their cultures on a personal level.
- Ingrid
Nanne
MDP students were invited to participate in the Earth
Institute symposium "Going Beyond the Rhetoric: Metrics for Assessing Global
Agriculture" in October. More than 100 experts gathered to take the first steps
toward defining universal metrics for global agriculture. It was a thrill to
interact with leaders in fields such as soil fertility, evolutionary biology
and environmental studies, and to hear their thought processes in tackling the
time sensitive issue of ensuring sustainable food sources for an expanding
human population.
-
Bonita Treinen
After weeks of stress cramming for our Economics and
Statistics finals and writing countless papers it was easy to forget why we are
here and what all this hard work is really about. Attending Australian
development advocate Hugh Evans' presentation on the Global Poverty Project was
exactly the reminder that I needed...ultimately development is about putting
our energy behind helping the people who most need it. Meeting Hugh Jackman
didn't hurt either! It was definitely the highlight of my semester.
-
Anjali Chowfla
|
|
For more information,
please contact:
The Global Master's in Development Practice Secretariat
The Earth Institute
Columbia University
Email: mdp-info@ei.columbia.edu
Website: www.mdp.ei.columbia.edu
|
|
|
Our Rapidly Expanding University Network
|
|
BRAC (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
CATIE (Turrialba, Costa Rica)
Columbia University
(New York, USA)
Emory University
(Atlanta, USA)
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) University (New Delhi, India)
James Cook University (Cairns and Townsville, Australia)
Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland)
Tsinghua University
(Beijing, China)
University of Botswana (Gaborone, Botswana)
University of Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD)
(Dakar, Senegal)
University of California, Davis (Davis, USA)
University of Denver (Denver, USA)
University of Florida (Gainesville, USA)
University of Ibadan
(Ibadan, Nigeria)
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, USA)
University of Peradeniya (Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)
University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)
|
Join the Global Network!
|
The Global Master's in Development Practice Secretariat based at
Columbia University's Earth Institute, invites all interested
universities or organizations to join the Global Network of MDP
programs. Resources and services will be available to all universities
and organizations committed to cross-disciplinary, rigorous,
and practice-based training in sustainable development.
|
|
Growing List of MDP Organizations
|
|
|
State of the Planet 2010
|
 |
|
On March 25, 2010, The Earth Institute, Columbia University will host the Sixth State of the Planet conference.
With live discussion about the most pressing issues of our time - extreme poverty, the
economic recovery, and climate change.
|
|
Our Sponsors
|
|
|
|
