The Wyss Foundation, a charitable organization that promotes land conservation in the American West, has selected Eric Dude (β19) as a 2018 Wyss Scholar.
The Wyss Scholars Program supports graduate-level education for promising leaders in western land conservation. Recipients receive generous financial assistance to cover the full cost of attendance for one year of graduate school. Additionally, funds are provided for internship opportunities, research assistance, and post-graduate support as part of the program.
In fall 2017, Colorado Law was selected as one of six schools nationwide to be included in the prestigious Wyss Scholars Program. One Wyss Scholar from Colorado Law will be selected each year.
Dude has spent the majority of his life backpacking, camping, and exploring the mountains of Colorado and northern New Mexico, and was taught at an early age to be a steward of the land. He wrote his undergraduate thesis on the history and current state of federal funding of the National Park Service. When looking at law schools, Colorado Lawβs national recognition in environmental law and focus on public lands issues made it a βperfect fit,β he said.
βIn selecting our first Wyss Scholar, we were looking for someone with a personal and professional commitment to public lands and the passion to become a leader in the field of public land law and policy,β said Professor Mark Squillace, who serves as the programβs faculty coordinator at Colorado Law. βEric Dude fits that bill to a tee. I look forward to seeing what Eric will accomplish during what I trust will be a long and rewarding professional career making a difference for our public lands.β
During his time in law school, Dude has sought numerous opportunities to get involved in public lands protection. He is a staff writer for the Colorado Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Review; assists with mining issues as a student attorney in the American Indian Law Clinic; and serves as a research assistant for Professor Squillace on public lands issues. He also volunteered with the Acequia Assistance Project, a public interest program led by Professor Sarah Krakoff that matches law students with low-income farmers in the San Luis Valley.
βI am incredibly excited to be named Colorado Lawβs 2018 Wyss Scholar. I came to law school with the intention of spending my career helping to protect the public lands that helped shape me into the person I am today. The Wyss Scholarship has been instrumental in helping me realize that goal,β he said.
After he graduates, Dude hopes to help foster dialogue between government agencies, conservation groups, indigenous tribes, and local stakeholders to create workable, conservation-minded solutions to the unique challenges that confront the public lands system.
For the purposes of the Wyss Scholars Program, the American West is defined as Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming. Learn more about the .