Abstract
Contemporary education, ostensibly oriented towards producing a cadre of water managers that can deal with the emerging complexity of issues such as sustainable development and integrated water resources management, is failing to deliver the caliber of students that are needed by the public and private sectors. Existing programs have evolved to stress research on a wide variety of interdisciplinary subjects such as sustainable development and watershed management rather than the needs of management practice. The dilemma, of course, is that contemporary water resources management is an interdisciplinary venture, requiring a great deal of knowledge and expertise in many different fields. Yet, no single graduate program can deliver the requisite broad background without unduly diluting the curriculum. Some interdisciplinary programs further dissipate the knowledge base by promoting indoctrination into new and untested water management doctrines. Academia needs to rethink its approach and “return to the future” with more rigorous technical curricula that prepare its graduates for a professional career and that emphasize the basic principles, tools, and techniques that comprise the best management practices of the water resources profession.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704x.2008.00011.x
