NEHA Green Book

STUDENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Since education has been one of the primary goals of the National Association since its beginning, it is natural that students are an important segment of the professionalism effort. The 1950 bylaws revision of the National Association of Sanitarians created a Student Membership category for students working toward a degree in public health sanitation or sanitary science. The first scholarship (for graduate studies) was established in 1954 as the Fred A. Safay Memorial Scholarship, and the first recipient was Nicholas Pohlit, later to become NAS Executive Secretary/Executive Director. The first undergraduate scholarship was awarded in 1958, made possible by contributions from eleven industrial firms. The first recipients were David J. Peterson, Richard Oliva, Richard Holdstock and Dale Johnson. Throughout the years, the Association sought training opportunities and assistance for educational programs in colleges and universities from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Industry was enlisted to fund workshops on curriculum development and training. Having achieved a model curriculum and realization of cur ricula in colleges and universities, a need was seen for national accreditation of the programs. Therefore, the National Accreditation Council for Environmental Health Curricula was founded to review and approve education in environmental health. The education of practitioners was therefore founded. By the year 1968, there were sufficient environmental health students in undergraduate programs that they could be envisioned as the environmental health professionals of the future. In 1969, Dr. Herman Koren oflndiana State University proposed a student national association to the NAS Board of Directors. He believed that developing an aura of professionalism during the college years would instill the concept in those who would be working in the field. It was several years before this idea came to fruition, but in 1971 a Constitution and Bylaws for a Student National Association was approved by the National Environmental Health Association's Board of Directors. In 1972, charters were presented to chapters at East Tennessee State University and Indiana State University. The University of Georgia student organization, formed in 1971, met with students from Tennessee and Indiana in an organizational meeting at the NEHA annual meeting in New York City in 1972. Jimmy Crowley, a student at ETSU was elected president. In the fall of 1972, chapters were in place at those schools and at Portland State University, East Central State College at Ada, Oklahoma; Tulsa Junior College, the niversity of Washington and Howard University. Added during the year were Ferris State College, the University of Oklahoma, and McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana. The roll was growing rapidly. In 1974, the University of Michigan School of Public Health's 37 graduate students formed a chapter. u The Student National Environmental Health Association (SNEHA) was working to promote student chapters at all schools that offered environmental health programs. Their goals were to publish a newsletter, set up a placement service, publish a student directory, work on political issues, and develop a curriculum exchange. Activities were reported throughout the nation as student chapters participated in career days and were involved in various scientific projects. In 1975, more chapters were added - Colorado State University, Cleveland State liniversity, East Carolina University, Washington State University and the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. There were 1,000 SNEHA members!