How to Join

Step 1: New Member Application

Federal Agency Partners
Federal agency applicants must be members of the CESU Network Council and signatories on the national CESU Network Federal Agency Memorandum of Understanding. These federal agency partners are eligible for enrollment in any individual CESU, to support collaborative activities aligned with the mission and goals of the CESU Network and individual CESU. The steps for the federal agency partner application process are:

1. Notify the CESU Network National Coordinator of intent to enroll in a particular CESU.
2. Establish initial contact with the PSAC CESU director to begin dialog regarding enrollment as a new federal agency partner.
3. Submit a formal letter of interest and application (e.g., no more than 10 pages) to the PSAC CESU director including:

• Expression of desire to enroll in the PSAC CESU as a new federal agency partner.
• Confirmation that the agency is a member of the CESU Network Council. Confirmation that the agency has read the PSAC CESU agreement and agrees to support the PSAC CESU mission and goals and fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a federal partner, as described in the PSAC CESU agreement.
• Description of the federal agency, its mission, and the primary focus of collaborative activities to be supported through the PSAC CESU in the context of the PSAC CESU mission.
• Description or list of the primary agency programs, departments, or other institutional divisions that will likely be engaged in PSAC CESU activities. Include website addresses for further information, as appropriate.
• Agreement to pay the required one-time $10,000 enrollment fee to support the host university administration of the PSAC CESU (e.g., hosting annual meetings, maintaining website, facilitating communications among partners, coordinating periodic reporting).
• Designation of a technical representative (with full contact information – name, title, full address, phone, fax, email) to serve on the PSAC CESU’s federal managers committee, participate in PSAC CESU annual partner meetings, and facilitate internal and external communication, promotion,
  and response to PSAC CESU correspondence and administrative actions (e.g., announcements, new member applications, processing agreements/amendments, five-year reviews).
• Designation of an administrative or grants and agreements
  representative (with full contact information – name, title, full address, phone, fax, email) to serve as financial assistance point of contact.
• Agreement to relay agency-specific research, technical assistance, and educational needs among PSAC CESU partners.
• Signature (or endorsement) from an appropriate agency official, with authority to commit agency resources in a binding multi-year federal cooperative and joint venture agreement (e.g., agency administrator, regional director, division or branch chief).

Nonfederal Partners
Tribal, state, and local governments, academic institutions, nongovernmental conservation organizations and other non-federal organizations are eligible to apply for enrollment in the PSAC CESU, to participate in collaborative activities aligned with the mission and goals of the CESU Network and PSAC CESU. The steps for the nonfederal partner application process are:

1. Establish initial contact with the PSAC CESU director to begin dialog regarding enrollment as a new partner institution.
2. Submit a formal letter of interest and application (e.g., no more than 20 pages) to the CESU director including:

• Expression of desire to enroll in the PSAC CESU as a new partner institution/organization.
• Confirmation that the institution/organization has read the PSAC CESU agreement and agrees to support the PSAC CESU mission and goals and fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a nonfederal partner, as described in the PSAC CESU agreement.
• Description of the institution/organization, its mission, and the primary focus of collaborative activities to be supported through the PSAC CESU in the context of the PSAC CESU mission.
• Description or list of the primary programs, departments, or other institutional divisions of relevance to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will likely be engaged in PSAC CESU activities. Include website addresses for further information, as appropriate.
• A list of and brief description of the staff or faculty with expertise in disciplines and subject areas of relevance to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies (do not submit CVs).
• For academic institutions, include a description of student demographics and the institution’s status as a minority-serving institution (e.g., as defined by the U.S. Department of Education).
• Description or list of facilities, equipment, centers, or institutes that would provide support to the research, technical assistance, or educational activities of relevance to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will be engaged in PSAC CESU activities.
• Description or list of past research, technical assistance, and educational services supported through federal financial assistance awards that are of relevance to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will be engaged in PSAC CESU activities.
• Description or list of current formal agreements and informal
  relationships with federal agencies that are of relevance to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will be engaged in PSAC CESU activities.
• Confirmation of the institution’s/organization’s willingness to accept a limited overhead rate of 17.5% and cost items to which the rate is applicable for activities conducted through the PSAC CESU, including research, technical assistance, and educational services (this overhead rate applies to the entire institution/organization for PSAC CESU activities).
• Designation of a technical representative (with full contact information – name, title, full address, phone, fax, email) to serve on the PSAC CESU steering committee, participate in PSAC CESU annual partner meetings, and facilitate internal and external communication, promotion, and response to PSAC CESU correspondence and administrative actions (e.g., announcements, new member applications, processing
  agreements/amendments, five-year reviews).
• Agreement to relay agency-specific research, technical assistance, and educational needs and associated funding opportunities to other institutional/organizational members (e.g., faculty, students).
• Signature (or endorsement) from an appropriate official, with authority to commit institutional resources in a binding multi-year federal cooperative and joint venture agreement (e.g., president, executive director, chief financial officer, vice president for research, director of sponsored programs).
• Letter(s) of support from one or more CESU federal agency partners sponsoring the new partner’s application, including a description of successful past collaborative work supported through federal financial assistance awards.