Four CFC Graduate Students Selected as 2009 Presidential Management Fellow Finalists
Operating since 1977, the
Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF) was created to help federal agencies meet future leadership needs by recruiting outstanding graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines who have a clear commitment to excellence in leadership and management of public policies and programs. More than 80 Federal agencies annually hire fellows.
Selected graduate students can use this two-year fellowship as a stepping stone to highly visible and respected leadership positions in the Federal Government. This rigorous two-year paid fellowship includes: 160 hours of formal classroom training; mandatory 4 to 6 month developmental assignment; optional rotations of 1 to 6 months in duration; challenging work assignments; potential for accelerated promotions; and opportunities to network with other future leaders.
John Adams is a PhD student working with
Steve McCool. John’s research interests include recreation management, allocation of public land benefits, and natural resources policy. His dissertation examines the way recreationists think about allocation of recreation opportunities on national forests.
Christine Paulu is an MS student working with
Beth Dodson. Christine is interested in multiple-objective forest planning with a focus on restoration forestry and public involvement. Her thesis will develop a habitat restoration plan for a 4,000-acre Wildlife Management Area in the Blackfoot Valley. The plan is a pilot project that will demonstrate a possible forest stewardship protocol for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to use region-wide. She is also enrolled in the Natural Resource Conflict Resolution program.
Courtney Schultz is a PhD student working with
Martin Nie. Courtney’s broad interests are in natural resource policy, particularly the integration of scientific knowledge and concepts into policy and law. Her dissertation looks at how the U.S. Forest Service analyzes the cumulative effects of their actions, particularly with respect to biodiversity.
Matt Shaffer is an MS student working with
Beth Dodson. Matt’s broad interests are in appeals and litigation over Forest Service timber sales, particularly, on a forest scale, how many timber sales are appealed and/or litigated versus how many are not appealed and/or litigated and what volume of wood that equates to, as well as, if there are any common characteristics of sales that are appealed and/or litigated. His professional paper looks at timber sales on the Lolo National Forest from 1999-2008.