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Media Guide

Summer Media Fellowships

Think like a lawyer. Write like a journalist.

At the nation's premier environmental law school, you can enhance your journalism skills and deepen your understanding of environmental law and policy in an ever-changing media landscape.

Every summer, Vermont Law School's Environmental Law Center brings together renowned legal educators, policymakers, practicing lawyers, nonprofit leaders, journalists and other innovators in their fields to share their expertise in our Summer Session, while enjoying the beauty of our campus, the historic village of South Royalton and the natural surroundings.

Our Summer Media Fellowships are open to full-time online, print and broadcast journalists from the U.S. and overseas who have shown leadership in covering the environment, natural resources, energy, legal affairs, public health and other environment-related issues.

Our Media Fellows audit a two-week course between June and August and have access to our distinguished faculty and visiting policy leaders. (Select your course from Terms Two, Three or Four in the Summer Session catalog). You will receive a $1,250 stipend, free housing, free books and a tuition waiver. Family members are welcome to join you.

VLS's Environmental Law Center leads the nation in environmental law and policy education. You will learn from experienced litigators who have won major environmental cases and from policy experts in climate change, energy and other key legal areas. After class, you can meet for candid on or off-the-record conversations with these thought-provoking experts.

You will develop new insights into environmental law and policy, new expert sources to comment for your stories and a renewed enthusiasm for covering these critical and complex issues. And after a satisfying day of seminars, conversation and professional growth, you can enjoy the wonders of Vermont by swimming, fishing and kayaking in the White River, hiking our mountains, biking our country roads or just reading and relaxing on your front porch.

The 2012 Summer Session features courses such as the Clean Water Act; Nuclear Power and Public Policy; Managing Human Impacts on the Ocean; Energy, Development and Climate Change; Public Health Implications of U.S. Agriculture and Food Policy; and Comparative U.S.-China Environmental Law. For a full listing of our 2012 summer courses, faculty and schedule, visit our Summer Session pages. Media fellows also take part in the Summer Session's brown bag lunch series, "Hot Topics in Environmental Law," delivering an hour-long lecture on a topic of their choosing.

"It was a great relief -- and a pleasure -- to spend two entire weeks simply digging into one subject. I was able to build considerable depth in a topic that is likely to gain prominence on the public agenda. I feel much better prepared to report knowledgeably on the topic (Arctic oil exploration). And I also seized the chance to wander into offices and engage people throughout the law school. A first-rate experience." -- Richard Harris, NPR

"I recommend this fellowship to any reporter covering the environment. Not only do you have to know the science, but VLS helps you to know the law. In fact, I still keep my textbooks from that summer as reference materials." -- Seth Borenstein, AP

"I enjoyed the chance to take some time out to take a single course, and appreciated the easy access to faculty. Much enjoyed! I also, of course, loved the peace and quiet." -- Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune

"Reporters rarely have time, in an academic setting, to reflect on what they write about. The VLS fellowship is the perfect way to do that. It was both intellectually rewarding and enjoyable." -- Lawrence Hurley, Greenwire

Past Summer Media Fellows:

Ashley Ahearn, PRI's Living on Earth (now NPR affiliate KUOW in Seattle)
Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
Winifred Bird, freelancer in Japan
Dina Cappiello, Houston Chronicle (now Associated Press)
Jon Christensen, freelancer for The New York Times
Warren Cornwall, Seattle Times
Beth Daley, Boston Globe
Rob Davis, VoiceOfSanDiego
Misty Edgecomb, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune
Erica Gies, freelancer for The New York Times
Adam Glenn, independent online producer (formerly ABCNews, Greenwire)
Richard Harris, NPR
Cynthia Henry, Philadelphia Inquirer
Tom Henry, The Blade (Toledo)
Cheryl Hogue, Chemical & Engineering News
Lawrence Hurley, Greenwire
Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune
Randy Lee Loftis, Dallas Morning News
John McQuaid, New Orleans Times-Picayune
Miao Xiaojuan, Xinhua News Agency
Asher Price, Austin American-Statesman
Amy Quinton, New Hampshire Public Radio
Mark Schapiro, Center for Investigative Reporting, San Francisco
Florah Seboni, Wena Industry and Environment Magazine (Botswana)
Mitch Tobin, Arizona Daily Star