As a student chapter officer, your peers have elected you to a leadership position. This is a vital and important role within our organization.
You and your peers are in the early stages of the ‘life cycle’ of a contemporary wildlife professional, which extends from the time spent at college or university through professional employment and eventually through retirement.
Being a wildlife professional means more than pursuing your studies and employment responsibilities; it means being active in furthering the wildlife profession to represent ideals of ethics, integrity, and social relevance. The Wildlife Society, as the premier scientific and educational organization serving wildlife professionals in North America and worldwide, seeks to provide you with the support you need at all stages of your career.
As a student member, TWS can provide you with opportunities and tools to:
meet, interact and have fun with peers that share similar interests;
learn about the cutting edge issues that face wildlife managers and conservationists today;
better communicate and network with professionals in the field;
identify mentors that can advise and assist you in career development;
gain experience and skills that may not be available in the classroom;
give you a ‘leg up’ when it comes to competing for a job or opportunity for graduate study;
assist your student chapter in becoming a successful and vibrant part of the TWS community.
However, it is important to note that membership in a professional and scientific society is a two-way street. As an officer or member of a TWS student chapter, you can:
study hard and become the best trained and most effective wildlife professional that you can be;
reach out to others and teach them about the importance of wildlife and the wildlife profession;
work to conserve and manage wildlife in your local area;
join TWS at the chapter, section and national levels, and encourage others to do so;
subscribe to, read and contribute to TWS publications and the TWS Web site;
attend and participate in TWS chapter, section and annual conferences;
nominate your student chapter or student chapter advisor for a TWS award;
participate in TWS working groups, such as the Student Professional Development Working Group; and
vote in TWS elections and help to mold the future of our organization and community.
As long as I am Executive Director/CEO, TWS Student Chapters and members will be an important focus of our organization. You represent the future of our profession, and TWS Council and staff fully recognize that we must do more to support our student chapters and members. I look forward to working with you and the Student Professional Development Working Group to identify and implement the many exciting opportunities we currently have before us.
Thank you for your dedication and commitment to the wildlife profession and to The Wildlife Society. It is much appreciated.
