While popular culture suggests that park rangers spend their time keeping bears from picnic baskets, students in Temple University's ProRanger Program learn firsthand how complicated the profession can be.

"As they say: 'rangers have three jobs: protecting the people from the resources, the resources from the people, and the people from the people,'" explains program director Vicki McGarvey.

The ProRanger Program is nearing the end of its first decade. Participants graduate with a bachelor's degree in their chosen field and a certificate in National Park Service (NPS) management. Along the way, they participate in two paid summer internships at different national parks and also participate in an annual week-long Leadership Camp.

"Leadership camp is an unforgettable experience," says senior and current participant Brennan McAuley. "During this week each year, we are pushed and challenged as one. We grow together and learn from rangers who are out doing the jobs that we are working towards every day. It is extremely beneficial for us to be able to talk with them and get a realistic image of what this line of work entails."

Some of the rangers who work with the students in leadership camp are ProRanger graduates themselves. The first participants graduated in August 2011. Current students have a strong alumni network to draw from for support and guidance.

The ProRanger program is one of a kind and the opportunities it affords young college students interested in the National Park Service are not to be taken for granted. I owe everything I am now to the dedicated people who support and make the program a reality.

The program culminates in the University's federally accredited Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP), an 18-week program housed on the Ambler campus. SLETP is a basic law enforcement academy hybrid, combining federal law and procedural training with natural and cultural resource law and first responder skills.

Temple is just one of seven universities in the country authorized to teach this curriculum.

Participants who complete all stages of the program receive special hiring certification from the NPS program manager. While this does not technically guarantee employment, the program has a 100 percent placement rate. Every student who has successfully completed the program received a position in the NPS — a testament to the program's reputation in the field.

For Nicholas Fitzke'15, who currently works as a ranger at Fire Island National Seashore in Long Island, applying to the program was an easy decision.

"I have always wanted to work for the National Park Service, so when I realized that Temple had a program that could make that dream a reality I did everything in my power to make it so," he says. "The ProRanger program is one of a kind and the opportunities it affords young college students interested in the National Park Service are not to be taken for granted. I owe everything I am now to the dedicated people who support and make the program a reality."

While many students, like Fitzke and McAuley, pair the certificate with a criminal justice major, the ProRanger program complements and draws from a number of liberal arts majors.

Program alumna Kathryn Yody '15, who double majored in criminal justice and psychology, says her psychology training has been valuable in the field.

"Having a little background in psychology goes a really long way," she tells me. "The majority of our job is talking to people. We also respond to calls when people are at their worst. Knowing some of the scientific reasoning behind a lot of behaviors is immensely helpful."

Yody is currently a U.S. Law Enforcement Park Ranger at Shenandoah National Park. One of the things she likes most about her career is that it allows her to play many roles.

"I think the best part about being a ranger is that there are so many areas you need to be knowledgeable in: law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical services, firefighting, law and so much more. Every ranger has their own specialty and interest in certain areas. I'm just excited to get exposure and experience in all these different areas to find which one I'm good at and interested in.

"I honestly couldn't be happier," she adds.

Criminal Justice Cares About Our National, State and Urban Parks

The ProRanger program is only one of the criminal justice's initiatives to help support the nation's parks. The department also works with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to train new hires and the City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation to provide continuing education for those already employed. 

"It's an incredible responsibility," says Anthony J. Luongo '96, director of Criminal Justice Training Programs (CJTP). Luongo notes that the Fairmount Park Ranger Corps could have partnered with any university in the area.

"But they came to Temple," he says. "It's a real honor."

The personal and professional benefits for Criminal Justice Training Program participants are clear, but for Luongo there is something bigger at stake in the criminal justice department's support of our national, state and urban parks.

"There's only one Liberty Bell, only one Grand Canyon, only one Statue of Liberty, only one Ricketts Glen, only one Fairmount Park," he says. "If we can help—through education and training—to better prepare the current and future workforce to be stewards of these resources, then I think we've accomplished something."