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A dozen law students were the first to be recipients of the new Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law when they graduated May 12, 2012.

“The ENR Certificate is one part of the law school’s broader ENR Program, which is a curricular and co-curricular program designed to prepare students for practice in the private sector, government, and public interest organizations,” said Dean Gary R. Roberts. “The ENR Program is an important and growing part of the law school’s educational mission, and I am pleased to see opportunities for our students expanding through this new Graduate Certificate.”

“It is difficult to imagine a more compelling issue facing our country – indeed our planet – than the question of how to protect human life and conserve vital resources even as we secure long-term prosperity,” said Professor Eric Dannenmaier, who directs the school’s ENR Program. “Managing development in a way that balances economic growth with broader societal needs is a complex and critical task, and it is at the heart of environmental and natural resources law. The new Graduate Certificate in ENR Law recognizes our school’s commitment to preparing our students to address these difficult issues. The ENR Certificate will provide academic grounding and analytical tools necessary to compete and lead effectively whether our graduates work at the local state, national, or international level.”

Students completing the concentration study legal frameworks for managing environmental and natural resource challenges facing policymakers, businesses, and the public – challenges that feature in headlines and in public policy debates daily. The ENR Certificate will serve as a gateway for students wishing to work in the growing fields of environmental or natural resources law as well as those interested in future work concerning property law, real estate development and transactions, corporate acquisitions, land use, energy policy or regulation, urban planning, transportation, agriculture, conservation, public health, or occupational safety. The certificate will also benefit students interested more generally in public policy, public interest advocacy, or government at any level.

ENR Certificate students complete a research or experiential “capstone course” that may include externships, government placements, supervised research, and advanced field research. Already two groups of IU McKinney Law students are working on field research projects funded by external grants and dealing with topics as diverse as the governance of the Columbia River Basin and the Great Lakes, and campus sustainability. Full details on the Certificate can be found at http://indylaw.indiana.edu/programs/ENR/Concentration.htm