In total SIPA offers 7 degrees.  A full listing of our degrees can be found by clicking here.  Applicants are welcome to apply to multiple degree programs at SIPA.  There is only one thing SIPA does not allow – we do not allow applicants to apply to the two-year full-time MIA program and the two-year full-time MPA program.  Other than this, there are no restrictions.  If an applicant does want to apply to more than one degree program it does require a different application for each program and each application requires the application fee.

All of our programs use the same application system except for the PhD program.  PhD applicants must use a different application site (details available here).  If applying to more than one program at SIPA please make sure to create a different PIN for each application.  Applicants may not use the same PIN for multiple applications to SIPA.

One SIPA program, the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy, has three different deadlines.  The first deadline, November 1st, is quickly approaching.   There are many opportunities to speak with representatives of the program and details are below.

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Campus Recruiting Across the U.S.

Imagine going to sleep and waking up 30 years later. What would sustainability in New York City look like?

Recent SIPA grad Roberto Leal (MPA ESP ’11) looks insightfully ahead in an essay submitted to “Energy for Tomorrow,” an online debate and competition sponsored by Time, Fortune and Shell. Writers were asked to explore energy innovations in the urban environment and how they will affect consumer behavior. Leal’s essay has advanced to the final round.

Leal tells the story of a student who wakes up in the future “to find a sustainable urban environment where consumer trends have adapted to environmental demands: environmentally friendly transport is fuelled by clean energy, new innovations in the power sector have resulted in its decentralization, renewable energy abounds and everyday products are grown in urban farms.”

The latest issue of SIPA News is now available.  The magazine is published twice per year and features articles written by students and faculty at SIPA.   The topic for this issue is water.  The importance of such a simple substance is underscored in the Dean’s introduction:

With more than 6 billion people on the planet today and the combined effects of global warming and industrial and urban pollution, the supply of water safe enough for drinking, recreation, production, and other uses is becoming scarce. In some parts of the globe, prolonged droughts and other weather events (like the freeze that burst pipes in Ireland last December) or humanitarian crises and refugee camps have already created emergencies that threaten entire populations.

The following are just a few of the articles in this edition:

• As Waters Rise, Environmental Migration Surfaces
• El Niño Drought Leads to Blackouts, Power Rationing, and Political Fallout in Venezuela
• In Cambodia, Development Pushes Ahead at the Expense of a Lake
• A Beachgoer’s Duty: A Surfer and a Fisherman Lead the Way to Curb Runoff Pollution on the JerseyShore
• Mass Freshwater Exports: Alaska’s Latest Cash Crop Heads to India

The full magazine is available for viewing as a PDF by clicking here.  All previous issues of SIPA News can also be viewed on line by clicking here.

The following was a message passed on to the SIPA community by Dean John Coatsworth.

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I am pleased to announce that in response to growing student interest, SIPA’s Energy and Environment Concentration has launched a new, third track in Sustainable Energy Policy.  This new track will be directed by Adjunct Professor Ellen Morris, who has taught highly popular and successful energy courses at SIPA for several years, and who also has assumed the role of Director of the existing track in International Energy Management and Policy
(IEMP) in the Energy and Environment Concentration.

SIPA is highly fortunate — and I am personally grateful — that Professor Morris has agreed to undertake this critical leadership role in our teaching and curriculum development of energy policy and finance.  I am confident she
will provide students of the energy tracks with the perfect blend of academic insight and practical experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

The new Sustainable Energy Policy track focuses on the national and international policies and practices aimed at ensuring a sustainable energy future, with a particular focus on policies and practices that support
small-scale energy production and enterprise development.  The IEMP track, which launched in Fall 2009, will continue to focus on energy development and production, particularly large-scale infrastructure projects that
involve extensive interaction between the private and public sectors for energy management and policy.  SIPA’s Energy and Environment Concentration, which is directed by Professor Steven Cohen, also includes the Environment
track, which focuses on the policy and management knowledge required to address the world’s most pressing environmental sustainability issues.

Professor Morris co-teaches with Philip LaRocco the much in-demand, two-semester sequence, “Energy Business and Economic Development” and “Capstone Workshop in Energy and Development.”  She is the founder and
president of Sustainable Energy Solutions, a consultancy providing research and policy analysis on the role of energy in international development, and a co-founder and Board Member of Arc Finance, a non-profit organization that
facilitates financing for modern energy, water and other basic needs for people in developing countries.  Professor Morris previously served as a senior consultant for sustainable energy programs at the United Nations
Development Program and as an analyst on international programs for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  Ellen holds a Ph.D. in marine geophysics from the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor’s degree in
geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

Both energy tracks will continue to collaborate with the Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy, which conducts policy analysis and applied research on energy issues and is directed by Albert Bressand,
Professor of Professional Practice.

One of the tremendous advantages of attending SIPA is the vast array of resources available through Columbia University.  There are numerous institutes and centers to learn from along with the ability to cross register for classes across the university.  Each year SIPA students take close to 700 non-SIPA courses.  This provides students with a great way to built their resume, increase their network, and learn from other world class faculty.

Current SIPA student Beatriz Guillén wrote the following post on her experience with The Earth Institute.

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One of the best things at SIPA is its comprehensive course offering. You can take classes in all Columbia’s graduate faculties: at the Law school, at Teachers College, or at the Business School, for example.  Among the courses I am taking this semester there is one of special interest “The Earth Institute Practicum”, a Law school course taught by Earth Institute faculty members. Every week an expert working at the Earth Institute at Columbia teaches a class related to their field of expertise, providing a broad picture of the comprehensive work they are doing at the institute. Students are expected to read the articles posted online for each specific topic to stimulate discussion.

The first class, taught by Cheryl Palm, Roseline Remans and Sean Smukler, dealt with the interrelation between food, ecology, nutrition, and health and an analysis of tropical agriculture.

Other professors teaching the class this semester include  Andrew Juhl, Ajit Subramaniam, Kathy Callahan will address the Oil Disaster in the Gulf, Steven Cohen will speak on environmental management, Marc Levy on Haiti reconstruction, and Jeffrey Sachs on sustainable development.

SIPA Professor Steve Cohen recently authored a piece which appeared in the Huffington Post. The full article is here and a short excerpt is below.  You can also find an interview with Professor Cohen concerning our Energy and Environmental Studies program by clicking here.

While oil continues to ooze into the Gulf of Mexico and the climate bill remains stalled in the Senate, I might be delusional, but I am feeling optimistic about our planet’s prospects. It helps to work at a university, and it especially helps to participate in graduation ceremonies like the ones I attended here at Columbia this past week. While this year’s job market remains tough for our graduates, it is not nearly as horrific as the market faced by the class of 2009. The energy and idealism of our graduates is infectious and should be a source of hope for everyone.

The following was prepared by SIPA student Joshua Huneycutt, a second year MIA student concentrating in Energy and Environmental Policy.

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Here in the admissions office we get a number of applicants who are interested in coming to SIPA to study sustainability.  In particular, many applicants are interested in the nexus of business, environment and society.   As many of them already know, and as I’ll explain to you, SIPA is a fantastic place to be to explore this interaction.

SIPA allows students to focus on environmental policy studies, and offers students a wide variety of classes relating to business sustainability, green markets, and CSR.  With courses such as “The Role of Government in Advancing Corporate Sustainable Development” and “Financing the Green Economy: Markets, Business & Politics,”  SIPA has a growing repertoire of classes that help future leaders incorporate environmentally-sound business practices into their careers, whether they choose to work directly in Corporate Social Responsibility / Sustainability or in other disciplines.

In addition, there are a number of degree programs and institutes at Columbia that allow SIPA students interested in sustainability to explore various aspects of this complex issue.  From the Earth Institute’s greater focus on developing countries, to their more business-oriented MS in Sustainability Management, networking and learning opportunities abound at Columbia.

In addition to the various courses SIPA offers and the related institutes and degree programs in the greater Columbia community, you’ll find that Columbia is dedicated to being a forum for the exchange of leading-edge ideas in sustainable business practice.  If you’re in the New York area, consider attending one of these upcoming Columbia-sponsored event events:

Monday 2/15: Leadership on the Pathway to Sustainability

A lively evening of discussion and debate by prominent leaders in global, national and local sustainable development.

Please look for more details about the panelists and the night’s proceedings on our website CERC Home.

Where: Rotunda of Low Memorial Library
Monday, February 15th, 2010 from 6pm to 8pm.

Thursday 2/18: Innovative Method of Green Energy Finance

Moderated by Earth Institute Executive Director and Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Science and Policy Director, Steve Cohen. The goal of the panel is to collaborate on innovative methods of green energy finance. The discussion is co-sponsored by the Earth Institute and the SIPA’s Energy and Environment Program and will feature the following participants:

Location: Faculty House, 64 Morningside Drive

Please RSVP to Youngmi Jin at yj2180@columbia.edu

or 212-854-1214, by Monday, February 15, 2010.

Tuesday 2/23: MAKING GREEN FROM GREEN: Investment Opportunities in the Wake of Copenhagen

Is there Hopenhagen after Copenhagen – Professor Jeffrey Sachs, noted author and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia will discuss the current landscape for sustainable business investment. Tuesday, 23 February 2010, 6:00 – 8:30 PM
Location: JP Morgan Chase – 277 Park Avenue  - 17th Floor
Register Now Click here to buy tickets!!! http://www.cbsacny.org/store.html?event_id=810
For more information email sustainablebusiness@cbsacny.org

All month: Clean Tech Month at Columbia Business School

Clean Tech Month is an event series running in February 2010, jointly sponsored by Columbia Business School’s Green Business Club and Energy Club. It aims to provide the many members of our clubs interested in the clean tech and renewables space with opportunities for in-depth learning and industry exposure.  There are at least seven more events going on this month; check it out!
http://cleantechmonth.com/Home_Page.php

Earlier this week I mentioned that SIPA has seven different degree programs.  One of the programs we offer is a one-year MPA in Environmental Science and Policy.  A great way to learn about this program is to attend an information session.  Details of an upcoming session can be found below.  If you have any questions about this program, feel free to contact Audrey Lapiner at ael2130@columbia.edu.

MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Information Session

Date:  Tuesday, November 10th

Speaker: Steve Cohen, Director, MPA Director, MPA Environmental Science and Policy; Executive Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University

Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, International Affairs Building, Room 1501

Contact: Audrey Lapiner, ael2130@columbia.edu or call (212) 851-0261

To Register click here.

Web Site: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mpaenvironment

The following was prepared by SIPA Student Joshua Huneycutt, a second year MIA student concentrating in Energy and Environmental Policy.

Image Courtesy of suburbanbloke via Flickr

As the world prepares for the upcoming global climate summit in Copenhagen this December, there’s a flurry of activity here at SIPA and Columbia.   Following British climate economist Lord Stern (link here) and controversial Danish environment minister Connie Hedegaard’s (link here) visits to the 15th floor of SIPA last month, there have been a number lively debates, lectures, and events surrounding the question of whether or not the US and the rest of the world can forge agreements and pass legislation to prevent a global climate catastrophe.

Columbia’s establishment of the Columbia Climate Center (link: http://climate.columbia.edu/) this past spring reaffirmed the university’s commitment to comprehensively tackling the issue.  With Columbia Law School’s hiring of leading climate law expert Michael Gerrard and SIPA’s appointment of Scott Barrett, a lead author of the IPPC’s second assessment report, to the SIPA faculty, climate policy issues have been put in the spotlight on campus.

On top of stellar new faculty and engaging events, SIPA gives students the opportunities to engage directly with agenda-setting organizations on matters related to climate change.  For example, I participated in a consulting workshop group that advised the World Bank on incorporating climate adaptation considerations into their lending mechanisms and helped to overhaul a computer-based climate risk analysis tool.

Regardless of what happens in Copenhagen, SIPA and the Columbia community will continue to expand their offerings to help those dedicated to finding viable solutions to these great challenges.  Check out a few climate-related events that took place:

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10/29 What is the Global Warming Intensity of a Vehicle Fuel?  Uncertainty, Life Cycle Analysis, and Time in the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Beyond.

We have the pleasure of welcoming Michael O’Hare, Professor of Public Policy in the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC-Berkeley, for an informational lecture and discussion on his research regarding the use of alternative fuels. A few months ago, the Air Resources Board of the State of California adopted a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), a 10% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2020, and Professor O’Hare’s team at Berkeley was responsible for a large amount of the policy’s supporting research.

This groundbreaking legislation was passed with the notable inclusion of “indirect land use change” (LUC), the conversion of land used to grow food into land used to grow corn specifically for ethanol, as a source of emissions, overcoming the intense lobbying efforts of the ethanol biofuel industry with indisputable research on the effects of LUC. Professor O’Hare will share many of his team’s discoveries, as well as comment on their potential and actual impacts on local, state, and national climate change policy.  Join us for a lively discussion of an important facet of the current climate change debate.

Thursday, Oct. 29th at 3 pm

Location: 1512 International Affairs Building

This event is being co-sponsored by The Earth Institute, the Columbia Climate Center, the Master in Public Administration program in Environmental Science and Policy, and the Master in Public Administration in Environmental Policy Studies Energy and Environment Concentration program.

10/30 LDEO Earth Science Colloquium: Assessing Resilience of Past Societies to Climatic Change: the Case of Angkor’s 15th Century Collapse and Reorganization

Speaker: Dan Penny, Australian Research Council (ARC) Fellow, University of Sidney

Friday October 30 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Monell Building Auditorium

Web Site: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/earth-science-colloquium/2009-2010

One of the great parts about a SIPA education is having access to events that focus on issues that are shaping the policy world.  With over 20 different institutes and centers focused on both regional and functional areas of study it is possible to see distinguished policy makers every week on campus.  Today a discussion will take place concerning the upcoming Climate Conference scheduled to take place in Copenhagen.

SIPA, the Columbia Law School, and The Center of Energy, Marine Transportation, and Public Policy are sponsoring a panel discussion entitled, The Obama Administration’s Road to Copenhagen: Views from the Trenches.

The panelists are:

• Jody Freeman, Counselor for Energy and Climate Change the White House

• Lorie Schmidt, Senior Counsel US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee

• Taiya Smith, Senior Associate, China Program Carnegie Endowment for Peace

• Stephen Eule, Vice President, Climate and Technology U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy

The moderators are:

• Prof. Albert Bressand, Executive Director, CEMTPP

• Prof. Michael Gerrard, Director, Center for Climate Change Law

There are many student groups at SIPA that provide a place for discussion, debate, fun, networking, and friendship.  A full list of student groups can be found by clicking here.  One such group, the SIPA Energy Association, asked me to send out a message to incoming students that selected Energy and the Environment as a concentration.  However I thought it would be nice to post the message for all to view.  Orientation will feature a time to get to know representatives from other groups as well.

Dear Incoming International Energy Management and Policy (IEMP) Track Student,

On behalf of the SIPA Energy Association (SEA) Board, congratulations on your acceptance into the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and on your choice to follow the IEMP Track.  The IEMP Track is one of the most prestigious energy programs in the world, and will equip you with the requisite skills to succeed in the dynamic international energy sector.

I would like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce you to SEA, a student-run organization whose efforts (with your involvement) will positively complement your academic achievements.  The primary missions of SEA are 1) to build a closely-knit community of students and practitioners of energy, 2) to enhance the energy curriculum by conducting a broad spectrum of activities outside the classroom, and 3) to act as the collective voice of energy students vis-a-vis the Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy (CEMTPP), the body which administers the IEMP Track.

SEA works closely with CEMTPP’s director as well as the IEMP Program Assistant (PA), to schedule guest speakers, panels, site visits, energy-related international trips and much, much more.  Programming for the 2009-2010 academic year is already underway.  You can expect to attend the IEMP fall retreat, the Joint SIPA-SAIS Washington DC Energy Policy and Career Networking Trip, the Annual Alumni Dinner, the NYMEX trading competition, the Spring Energy Symposium and countless individual speakers, to name a few.  In addition, SEA releases a monthly student-run alumni newsletter, and plans to publish the first edition of a student-run SIPA Energy Journal this fall.  Finally, because SEA believes in building comradery amongst energy peers and establishing lasting relationships, we host countless happy hours throughout the year.

How can you get involved?  SEA strives to foster a culture of commitment to the energy program.  Thus, we believe the more you become engaged in SEA’s mission, the more you will gain personally and professionally during your time at SIPA.  In addition to attending general member events, all SEA members are invited to volunteer to assist with larger events, initiate and execute new projects (subject to the board’s approval), or compete for various assistant director or editorial positions.  Please mark your calendars for the First General Member SEA Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, September 10th from 7-9 pm in SIPA IAB room 1512.  At this meeting, you will have the opportunity to meet SEA Board members and learn details about membership and involvement, dues, and perhaps most importantly, be entered into the listserv as well as into the SEA peer networking database to assist you in your career building activities.

Until then, please feel free to contact one of the following SEA Board members (according to the first letter of your last name) with any questions about SEA, the IEMP Track and energy curriculum, CEMTPP, SIPA or regarding any other general issues.:

Last name A-I contact JP Yorro (President): jpy2103 [at] columbia.edu
Last name J-R contact Meaghan Casey (Vice President): mec2175 [at] columbia.edu
Last name S-Z contact Jeffrey Klug (Director of Communications): jjk2162 [at] columbia.edu

Again, congratulations on your acceptance into the program.  We look forward to meeting you all in September!

Sincerely,

JP Yorro
President, SEA

SIPA professor Jeff Sachs recently appeared on a segment of ABC news to discuss investment in alternative forms of energy.  Professor Sachs is a Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and from 2002 to 2006 was the Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals, the internationally agreed goals to reduce extreme poverty, disease, and hunger by the year 2015.

To read the article and view the accompanying video, please click here.

Steve Cohen, a SIPA administrator and faculty member, was part of a story on Earth Day that was published in USA Today in April.

“When Earth Day started, it was like a national day of protest. There was a counterculture dimension to it . . . it’s no longer an issue of liberal versus conservative.  It’s a mainstream issue.”

Professor Cohen also discusses the Energy and Environment Concentration, the types of students attracted to this concentration,  details of related courses, and internships in a video that can be accessed by clicking here (Windows Media Player Video, time: 4:26).

The Earth Institute’s Columbia Water Center Seminar Series this past week presented “Will China Run Out Of Water?” with Chunmiao Zheng, Professor of Hydrogeology; SSPA Faculty Fellow; 2009 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer, University of Alabama.

The following comes from the Earth Institute’s Web site:

The American agricultural expert and environmentalist Lester Brown published a provocative book in 1995 called “Who Will Feed China: Wake-Up Call for a Small Planet.” Today, however, of a greater concern may be the question of whether the unprecedented economic growth in China over the past two decades can be sustained as the environmental pollution and water shortage continue to worsen. Some people have asked, “Will China run out of water?” This question is not merely academic: China has to nourish a fifth of the global population with about seven percent of the planet’s water resources.

Ample evidence suggests that China faces a daunting water resource crisis. The country has been battling water shortages in its northern and western provinces for more than a decade. The presentation draws on the presenter’s recent research work in the North China Plain and the Ordos Basin in western China.

Chunmiao Zheng received the B.S. degree in geology from Chengdu University of Technology (China) in 1983, and the Ph.D. degree in hydrogeology with a minor in civil & environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988. From 1988 to 1993, he was a hydrogeologist at the environmental consulting firm S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc. Since 1993, he has been a professor of hydrogeology in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Alabama.

For a profile of Chunmiao Zheng click here.

Scott Barrett, one of the world’s leading environmental policy economists, will join the SIPA faculty with a joint appointment in the Earth Institute in the fall of 2009 as the first Lenfest Professor of Natural Resource Economics. Since 1999, Professor Barrett has served on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Professor Barrett’s research focuses on interactions between changes in the environment (such as the climate or the ecology of a pathogen) and international institutions and regulatory regimes such as the Kyoto Protocol and the World Health Assembly’s efforts to eradicate polio.