Global MDP Secretariat Newsletter
Summer 2012 |
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Greetings!
From the Global Master's in Development Practice (MDP) Secretariat at the Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York City, it is our pleasure to bring you the Summer 2012 Global MDP Newsletter. Since the launching of the first MDP program in 2009, we have made a conscious effort to listen to the students, practitioners, faculty, and now graduates of the MDP programs. From students and faculty engaging in their field studies to the launching of Universidad de los Andes' MDP program, you will find a slew of journal entries from across the globe. We are also delighted to welcome both the University of Arizona and the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) to the Global MDP Association.
Finally, we would like to thank Ms. Oleander Furman--a rising student at Wellesley College (Wellesley, Massachusetts) and a summer intern at the Global MDP Secretariat--for researching, writing, and revising this summer's newsletter. With this issue, we reinstate our newsletter, and we look forward to hearing from you with your news items!
Wishing you the best from all of us at the Global MDP Secretariat.
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Colombia's Universidad de los Andes launches its MDP program
Under the leadership of Universidad de los Andes' School of Management (UASM) and the participation of other schools--Law, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Governance, and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Development Studies (CIDER)--los Andes will officially launch its Master's in Development Management and Practice Program, or MDP, on August 15. [more...]
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Foundations of Sustainable Development--the Updated Global Classroom
During the months from September through December, in a pattern established several years before the Master's in Development Practice programs first launched, MDP students from across the globe have gathered to "attend" the web-based "Global Classroom: Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development Practice" (IASDP)--the MDP's signature online course. This September students and faculty alike will find a renamed and revised course.
The new name of the course will be "Global Classroom: Foundations of Sustainable Development Practice" (FSDP, for short). In addition to having a new name, the course will also have a new facilitator--Professor Glenn Denning, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs, and Director of Columbia University's MPA DP Program.
Professor Denning will facilitate the virtual course from a room on Columbia's campus, with Columbia's students in physical attendance from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday mornings (Eastern Time) for the September to December semester (with several Thursday classes-stay tuned for the exact schedule). MDP students spanning more than 12 time zones will participate in lectures and discussions in real time throughout the globe! [more...]
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FIND US!
 
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From Their Eyes: The Student Perspective
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| The Start of a Student Tradition: A Global MDP Student Conference
In April, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus organized and hosted the first Global MDP Student Conference. In a dedicated effort to unite MDP students from across the globe and make the Global MDP community feel real to the students, the Global MDP Conference Planning Committee created a symposium that allowed MDP students the opportunity to come together and meet their peers from around the world. In addition, this conference allowed development practitioners and participating organizations the opportunity to interact with and learn more about the MDP students. [more...]
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This year, more than 250 MDP students traveled, or will travel, the globe to complete the field-training component of the MDP program. Although field training is a mandatory requisite for the MDP degree, this does not deter students from taking advantage of the opportunity to explore their passions and interests. [more...]
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Hopes for a "Greener" Economy
Arnab Mandal, a current student from TERI University's MDP program
Arnab Mandal at the United States Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, D.C., front row, far right.
This past January, as a winner of the MIT Sloan School of Management's 2011 MIT Climate CoLab Contest, TERI University's MDP student Arnab Mandal was afforded the opportunity to share his thoughts on the Green Economy at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and once again before the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. [more...]
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Danish Khan, a recent graduate from BIMTECH's MDP program
Life in the desert has never been easy, and India's Thar Desert is no exception. Poor soil and unfavorable climate conditions make agriculture difficult. As a result, caring for livestock is the main occupation of the rural communities in the area. During my field internship with the Suzlon Foundation, I began working with their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative, where I was exposed to rural Rajasthan, India. [more...]
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NOW... SOME MDP FUN FACTS!
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Currently, the Global MDP Association includes 23 academic institutions in 15 countries.
During the 2011 - 2012 school year, there were 335 students enrolled in the MDP Program.
Of the 335 students, 66% of all students (222 students) were citizens of developing regions of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean).
A total of 1463 students applied to MDP programs from around the world in 2011-2012, an increase of 12% from the 1306 who applied in 2009-2011 academic years.
For the 2011-2012 academic year the overall acceptance rate was 43%.
During this same period, the ages of MDP university students range from 24 to 35 years.
There were 192 female students in the MDP program network (57%) compared to 143 male students or (43%).
The average amount of work experience attained by students prior to starting the MDP is 5 years.
100% of the students enrolled in the MDP program are dedicated to changing and improving the world.
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BECOME A GLOBAL MDP AMBASSADOR
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Become a Global MDP Ambassador!
With 23 MDP programs established by Summer of 2012, the Global MDP Secretariat would like to encourage like-minded students from around the world to connect, creating a truly global network among MDP Students. With this in mind we have established an ambassador program to foster the dialogue and networking between and among the universities.
Through the Ambassador Forum you will be able to foster contacts and friendships with MDP students and alumni on every continent as you work to organize discussion boards, the student newsletter, global web events, annual student conferences, and more! We are looking for students who would be interested in being leaders of such a program as we re-launch the Global Ambassadors Program.
If you are interested, please send an email to ambassador@globalmdp.org with your name, school, and a little background information about why you would like to be an Global MDP ambassador.
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For more information, please contact:
Lucia Rodriguez, Director
Susan Rhodes, Associate Director Ashley Kingon, Communication and Administration Coordinator Oleander Furman, Editor for Summer 2012 Newsletter The Global Master's in Development Practice Secretariat The Earth Institute, Columbia University 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 Email: info@globalmdp.org Website: www.globalmdp.org |
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