MEET GLENN HOAGLAND '82!
By Devan Korn
Glenn Hoagland, now the Executive Director for the Mohonk Preserve, Inc., graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 1982. After receiving his degree from the Geography Department at New Paltz he attended graduate school at Guelph University in Ontario, Canada, where he received his Masters degree in Rural Planning.
Glenn first became interested in Geography as a youth and was observant of many human interactions with the environment throughout his early life. Once Geography became his major field of study he found the physical and environmental aspects of the subject especially intriguing.
Prior to beginning work for the Mohonk Preserve in 1993, Glenn held other important positions in his field. He gained valuable experience as an intern for Ulster County Planning and later was able to become the Lab Preservation Director for the Massachusetts Rivers Program, helping it to develop Greenway status. Glenn also worked as Executive Director for Dutchess County Land Conservancy, which is a program that deals primarily with farmland protection in Dutchess County. Most recently he was employed as the Director of the Citizen Action Program affiliated with the Open Space Institute, helping smaller organizations gain non-profit status and plan for the future using OSI as a parent group.
Dedicated to his local area, Glenn has spent a good amount of time getting to know the regions strong connection with the Shawangunk Mountains. He feels that New Paltz has a real community essence within it, strongly supported by its inhabitants willingness to preserve the environment to increase local enjoyment. Other areas that particularly interest him include the Pacific Northwest, the Berkshires, and Maine.
His best advice for Geography majors: Getting your Masters degree is very important. Geography is a terrific background for any area of study. Experience in your field of expertise is the key to success.
Note from Dr. Greenow, Department Chair: The author of this article, Devan Korn, is currently a Geography Major at SUNY New Paltz. During this current spring semester he has been working at Mohonk Preserve as a geography intern, where his project is mapping the Preserves trails with GPS, which he began learning in Dave Scherfs GPS Practicum offered each fall. Since this was a wintertime project, it has required some rock scrambles and snowshoeing, and, as Devan says, Theres nobody aroundyou have the whole place to yourself. Devan was always interested in the environment and originally thought he might be a geology major, but changed to geography when he transferred to SUNY New Paltz. He says he likes the diversity of topics in the geography major, especially the Cartography, Remote Sensing and GIS courses. He has also been working as a lab assistant in the Geography Lab, helping other students with their lab projects and keeping things up and running. As he puts it, Im steeped in geography! and ready to graduate in December, 2003. Thanks for your interview write-up, Devan, and good luck in your future endeavors!
(If you'd like to be a spotlighted alumnus, please contact Linda Greenow and/or Ron Knapp
