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BENEFITS OF THE CESU NETWORK

Both federal and nonfederal partners benefit from the CESU Network's flexibility, efficiency, and collaborative structure. The CESU Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreements allow for federal agencies to fund projects at partner institutions. They do not provide a mechanism to transfer money among partner institutions or between federal agencies.

Benefits to Federal Agencies

The CESU Network delivers a broad scope of scientific research, technical assistance, and education to participating federal agencies. In a real sense, a CESU expands the staff of a park superintendent, forest supervisor, public lands manager, field scientist, or environmental administrator to include the entire complement of faculty, students, and others involved in a CESU and in the national CESU Network.

CESUs engage the full range of disciplines used by natural and cultural resource managers, from anthropology to zoology. The biological, physical, social, cultural, and engineering sciences are better integrated to provide interdisciplinary problem-solving skills.

Resource managers of participating agencies have a local CESU to draw on for basic technical assistance, education and training, planning support, and other needed services. They have expanded, efficient, timely, and cost-effective access to partner institutions. In addition, the CESU Network provides managers with specialized skills and assistance available from other CESUs across the country. Sharing of CESU expertise to meet managers' needs is encouraged through the CESU agreements, an active electronic network of communication, and the interagency CESU Council.

CESUs facilitate collaboration across federal departments and agencies. With federal and nonfederal scientists working together, the generation, synthesis, and use of scientific information is enhanced.

CESUs include many minority serving institutions, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), as partners. Students at these institutions are exposed to a wide array of resource management issues and have increased access to research, fieldwork, training, and employment opportunities. The diversity of scientists and institutions involved in the CESU Network strengthens the federal government's ability to conduct creative, innovative, and significant science essential to informing stewardship actions.

Benefits to Nonfederal Partners

Nonfederal partners that become partners in a CESU benefit in several specific ways. University faculty and other institutional experts benefit by close professional collaboration with federal employees and increased opportunities for interdisciplinary, multi-agency projects related to public trust resource management issues. The CESU Network makes their unique skills and expertise easily accessible by resource managers throughout the country.

Graduate students benefit from increased research, fieldwork, and employment opportunities; exposure to contemporary natural and cultural resource management issues; and additionals faculty, courses, and seminars.

University and institutional research programs benefit from consistent and comprehensive agreements that provide for overhead costs, maximize opportunities for research, create a broadened scope of contacts with federal agencies, and offer a voice in establishing research agendas.

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