Marine Affairs Program celebrates 25 years

Students in small programs tend to form close relationships.

“Someone I was working came up to me and asked if we all think the same,” says Marine Affairs alumnus Tana Worcester., class of 2001. “'Do you guys have slumber parties?' We’re pretty close.”

This year, the Marine Affairs Program is celebrating 25 years of education, research and service to the global marine affairs community. During convocation weekend, alumni, faculty, staff, current students and friends from around the world gathered to recognize and celebrate achievements. Since the one-year program was started, more than 350 people from 48 countries have graduated with a master’s degree in Marine Management. Graduates work in government (federal, provincial and municipal), NGOs, and the private sector.

“We’re here to protect the environment while allowing for wise use of the ocean and coastal resources,” says Lucia Fanning, director of the Marine Affairs Program (MAP). “We have increasing recognition for sustainability, ocean care and coastal work. Because we’re an interdisciplinary program, we can have a local and global relevance.”

Making the model work

The Marine Affairs Program began as a certificate program as part of the law school in 1987 with a focus on interdisciplinary research. Aldo Chircop, the program’s half-time coordinator from 1992-2001 and marine law professor, worked towards creating a master’s degree in order to expand the program.

“No one knew what to do with an interdisciplinary program,” says Dr. Chircop. “We’re more field based, less disciplinary, so we pulled in professors from other disciplines. The program is high maintenance because you need access to other courses in other faculties. We figured out a model where we could be successful with few resources.”

It’s not easy running a small program. Dr. Chircop worked as part-time coordinator for 12 years while keeping up with teaching duties at the law school. Dr. Fanning became the first full-time director of the program five years ago and Elizabeth De Santo is the only other professor dedicated to MAP on a part-time basis. Other faculty support comes from outside of the program. Scholarships for students is a major issue. The $3 million in scholarship funds from the Canadian International Development Agency, a major financial support for students from developing countries, ended in 2007.

“A significant weakness for us is lack of funds, particularly international scholarships,” says Dr. Fanning. “We have a real commitment to diversity in terms of geography, age, experience and disciplines. We need to reach out to other support networks.”

This year, 22 students are enrolled in the program on a full- and part-time basis. They will take courses in the fall and winter and before completing a local or international internship, major research paper and a presentation of their research and internship placement. The class this year is made up of students from across Canada as well as from Peru, Liberia, Switzerland and the United States.

Celebrating the exchange of ideas

Sarah Wilkin, a new student in the program, recently completed her undergraduate degree in biology at Dal. “I wanted to get a balance in science,” she says. “All the professors have really good real world experience so classes have been good so far.”

Diversity is a key selling point of the program. David Griffiths, who graduated in 2005, shared his experience in a panel discussion with three other alumni. Mr. Griffiths had an unusual path to MAP. After serving in the Navy for 30 years and working as a visiting professor at Dal, he decided it was time to earn his first college degree. So, at the age of 58, he enrolled in MAP.

“It was a marvelous exchange of ideas and a chance to make lifelong friendships,” says Mr. Griffiths. “I’m a good example of never giving up. My mom waited a long time to see me graduate with a degree.”

Every year students from across the world come to the program. Daniela Diz came from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and left her environmental law practice to study at MAP. After graduating  in 2005, she went on to complete her PhD in international marine law in Scotland before returning to Halifax to work for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

“I never took a science course before I came to Dal,” said Dr. Diz. “My professors were really patient with me. The program was a perfect match of interdisciplinary study. The knowledge I have about policy has really helped me in my career.”

Many of the students eventually work full-time at the internship placements. Ms. Diz was an intern at WWF. Ms. Worcester worked at the Department of Fisheries during her internship and currently works as coordinator of Advisory Services in the Strategic Planning, Advisory Activities, and Outreach Division in the department. While getting a job through MAP was good, Ms. Worcester believes the bonds made with her classmates is most important.

“It’s an intense experience,” she says. “You’re practically living each other. But you have mutual respect for each other. You don’t get that experience anywhere else.”