Telluride Institute + MEM Collaboration

A NEW COLLABORATION WITH THE TELLURIDE INSTITUTE

The Telluride Institute MEM Cohort is a collaboration between Western Colorado University’s Master’s in Environmental Management (MEM) program and Telluride Institute in which MEM students can earn their Master degree while living and working in Telluride for Telluride Institute and other regional organizations. First year students gain important insight and skills into nonprofit management and regional issues while beginning to hone their ideas for their second year 600 hour Master’s project. Second year students identify and implement a Master’s project that aligns the needs of a regional organization or governmental agency with the interests and skill sets of the MEM student.

Students are provided with office space and a room for virtual classes by Telluride Institute, as well as unique team building experiences, presentations from regional organizations and individuals, potlucks and collaborative group projects to create an experience that is a mixture of online learning, community and place-based education. Many of the students currently enrolled in the program are from the region and or have lived and worked in Telluride for years. The Telluride Institute MEM cohort experience allows these students the opportunity to stay in the area and earn a Master’s degree, while completing meaningful projects that give back to people, place and planet. Fellowships, hands-on experience and regional contacts will provide these students with skill sets that will better position them to enter the workforce and help tackle some of the most pressing environmental management issues, both regionally and globally. Plus they get to live, work and enjoy all Telluride has to offer, not a bad deal.