Miami University
Miami University's undergraduate programs are known for their high quality. Miami offers small class sizes and close interactions with faculty typical of small liberal-arts colleges,and the breadth and diversity of opportujity found at large universities.
Undergraduates on Chicago field trip

contacting alumni

THIS PAGE WILL PROVIDE SOME CONTACTS FOR ALUMNI.  THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SAID-- YES-- ITS OK FOR OTHER GEOGRAPHERS TO CONTACT THEM AND ASK ABOUT EMPLOYMENT OR GRADUATE SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES. 

  • CARRIE IN GUATEMALACE Solutions typically has volunteer/internship opportunities available.  If you are interested, check out New Development Experience (www.newdevelopmentexperience.com) or Scojo Foundation (www.scojofoundation.org) or you can e-mail me with any questions at cmagnuson@cesolutions.org



  • Hannah Boone (Geography 2001) is an Education Technician with the Park Service. She works with the program Canyon Country Outdoor Education (CCOE), which is an outreach program of Canyonlands National Park and based in Monticello, Utah. Her job includes taking elementary students on curriculum based science field trips to the surrounding National Parks.  She got started in the Park Service by participating in Student Conservation Association (SCA) internships, her first one in Acadia National Park. Her second internship was in Canyonlands where she served as an intern for the program she now helps to run. While working with Canyonlands she made several important connections and was offered a job at Natural Bridges Inside Canyonlands as a park ranger.  Hannah warns that jobs in the Park Service are highly competitive and an internship, like that she experienced with the SCA, is almost required in order to aquire a position with them. If applying, you need something that sets you apart from the other applicants; a related work experience, foreign language, etc. She also mentions the possibility of getting a job as a fee collector, which at least gets your foot in the door. Such a position allows for the opportunity to build up working time with the Park Service, which contributes toward qualifications required for other jobs. All Park Service jobs are posted on the USA jobs website.  Hannah Boone can be contacted at hannahboone@hotmail.com.
  • butlercountyJoe Schmidt as of March 2007 is the Senior Planner  with Butler County, Ohio. He has been working in Butler County's planning Department since January 2005. Mr. Schmidt worked in the County's Department of Development having worked as a Community Development Specialist in 2001 and 2002. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning from Miami University, a Master of City & Regional Planning and a Master of Public Policy & Management from Ohio State University. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and the American Planning Association (APA).  My focus was in human geography.  In the planning profession it is important to understand the background of residents and colleagues because planning concretely affects the lives of so many people.  Even though my focus was in human geography the physical geography side is rather important for analysis or discussion regarding soil type, slope, bodies of water, run off, water table...  Geography is an information rich field that greatly increases aptitude of a planner.  Also, GIS is of the utmost importance for any planner or geographer…I would recommend internships.  It is important to make sure that you truly enjoy the field you're studying.  I interned with Butler County before being hired on the first time.  When I moved back to Greater Cincinnati they remembered my skills and gladly hired me back. The real world work is much different than academia.  It would be a pity if another 2 years of schooling was completed before the person knows what a planner or geographer does.  Also, if you speak with employers they will typically know of opportunities with other organizations and good career paths.  … The summer between my junior and senior year at Miami I was a part of the Undergraduate Summer Scholar program.  That allowed me to work with Dr. Rubenstein on a research project regarding planning in a coal mining town in Virginia.  My senior year I interned at Butler County.  After graduation I worked as a Community Development Specialist for Butler County.  The following year I went to graduate school at Ohio State and worked for the City of Dublin.  After grad school I worked for a time with Dublin then with the State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Then I got the job I currently have. You can give Joe a call at 513-887-3413.
  • Dr. Eugene McCann. Dr. McCann is interested in urban planning, architecture (New Urbanism), and critical urban geography.  After obtaining a Master's degree at Miami he continued in academia (PhD at Kentucky, positions at Ohio State and Simon Fraser University among others) and continue to be interested in urban politics and policy issues.  For Dr. McCann having time to read about these issues and being given a lot of encouragement to follow his interests during his MA work at Miami was a great help to him. Jobs outside academia: research early and carefully so you can fit your learning to the career you think you want.  But also be flexible -- you may change your mind about what you want over time. Grad school:  try to find a department where there is more than one faculty member who has interests that intersect with yours.  And try to visit the department around the time you apply -- this was very helpful to me at Kentucky. Contact:  emccann@sfu.ca
  • Dr. Elizabeth Chacko. Dr. Chacko's focus is on immigration and health issues. She is an incredibly accomplished scholar and returned to Miami in 2006 to give the annual McConnell lecture. She believes that her broad training in geography has helped her understand the holistic nature of the relationships between people and the environment, the foundation of geography.  Dr. Chacko's advice regarding the job search: try everything - take human and physical geography courses, methods courses- and then focus on the issues that interest you the most.  Develop a good working relationship with professors in these fields. Go talk to them during their office hours. If possible, try and present an undergraduate research paper at a local, regional or national conference.  I think in today's world it is important to be able to do statistical analyses and /or GIS - it helps you get a job.  In looking for a good fit in a graduate program, talk to your professors to find out which departments specialize in the topics that interest you.  Then look up the faculty and their research interests and read their publications. That should give you a good idea of who they are and what they do and whether you would enjoy working with them and learning from them. Also find out as much as you can about funding opportunities. Do well in your GRE tests! Ask professors who know you well and in whose courses you have done well to write recommendation letters for you.   Contact: echacko@gwu.edu
  • Dr. Michael Emch.  Dr. Emch's focus is on medical geographies and has studied them throughout the world, including Belize and Bangladesh. He often utilizes GIS and remote sensing toward these studies. Dr. Emch's advice on continuing in geography: two things- get as much GIS experience as you can and also learn to write. You can check out his website and contact Mike at emch@email.unc.edu.