Global MDP Network.

interdisciplinary SUMMARY Promoting a new generation of development practitioners who can respond to the diverse development challenges of the 21st century requires a bold new approach to development education. The foundation for such an approach was established through a 2007 study by an International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice. In their report the ICESDP identified the need for a new type of “generalist practitioner ” who had the capacity to “navigate across the intellectual and institutional silos of specialized disciplines to develop integrated policy solutions that are scientifically, politically and contextually grounded. ” They recommended creating a global network of programs that integrate the natural, social, and health sciences and management in what amounts to an MBA-equivalent for development. The MacArthur Foundation committed a total of $12M seed funding to establish this global network and this paper describes in more detail the general philosophy behind this program as well as the network of MDP programs that is emerging. The University of Florida (UF) was one of two universities in North America to receive an MDP grant. The paper describes the proposed MDP at UF, which builds on an extremely successful and inter-disciplinary Conservation and Development Program. The UF MDP will be administered jointly throug