The RESS and ESP Programs had another strong year: the online student population continued growing to reflect ever-increasing
interest in subjects of energy transition and sustainable development. The RESS program offers two professional tracks: (i) Renewable
Energy Systems and (ii) Sustainability Management and Policy, which allow students to tailor their coursework based on their career focus.
The ESP Program: Applications and enrollment to the ESP program has been steady, and currently the total student population is around 180, including both the B.S. and B.A. options. The energy policy field changes quickly, which requires frequent course revisions as well as staying connected to the
professionals in industry to drive our curriculum towards the demands of the job markets. We continue working together with Penn State World Campus to reach out to diverse audiences and establish the strong image of RESS in the workforce development space for energy transition and sustainability across the world.
Faculty updates. The diversity of the faculty and instructors remains one of the program’s strengths. Both faculty and industry practitioners are engaged in program courses, which provides a unique blend of academic expertise and practical knowledge for students to learn from. The combination of research and industry experience provides a holistic education and gives students analytical skills to work in a variety of sectors. This year we
welcomed Eugene Morgan as one of EME faculty teaching RESS core curriculum and welcomed two new instructors to ESP: Seth Blumsack and Phill Becker.
Program stats. Currently the RESS program has 249 graduate students on its roster, including 178 Master’s students and seventy-one graduate certificate students. In 2023, the RESS MPS program received seventy-eight applications, and sixty-one new students were accepted into the program. 2023 was also
one of the biggest graduation years for the program, with thirty-five students completing their professional master’s degree, and twenty receiving graduate certificates.
RESS Global Energy Transition partnership. The RESS program entered into a partnership with Global Energy Transition (GET) based in Houston—the organization that provides upskilling and employment opportunities to oil and natural gas sector professionals. This initiative is designed to provide us with access to new professional audiences and to promote our Solar and SMP Certificate programs. I joined the GET Board of Directors.
ESP Study away component. Developing a global perspective is one of the program’s learning objectives, and traveling abroad is an excellent way to build a worldview. Through the Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN) program offered in partnership with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, from the program heads ESP students were offered an opportunity to travel to Iceland in Spring 2023–the trip led by ESP faculty Haley Sankey.
ESP Individualized advising. One important factor that sets the program apart is our commitment to individualized academic advising. The consistent support and guidance provided from the very first contact to graduation day keeps students on track and allows them to tailor their academics to their career interests.
Student success. Many recent graduates reached out to us to testify how the RESS and ESP programs helped them to advance in their careers, noting that the skills and knowledge they received have been of high use in their everyday job. In fact, too many to name them all of our RESS graduates are acquiring leadership positions. ESP graduate–Melissa Lopez–was even featured in Penn State News for her career success as a stewardship coordinator at a land conservation organization.
Moving forward. In August 2023, program leadership identified avenues for future growth and success by developing more synergies with other programs in EME. We plan steps for further integration of RESS into EME as well as closer collaboration with ESP and other programs that share similar focus areas. We will also be working on ways to allow RESS students to earn several certificates that add up to the full master’s degree. We continue
to work with the Penn State World Campus marketing team to reach out to broader audiences nationally and further grow the program enrollments.
Sincerely,
Mark Fedkin
Associate Teaching Professor
Program Chair Energy and Sustainability Policy and Master of
Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability
Systems