Zaire RPCV Dr. Paul Siegel (’72) Talks about his work with the World Wildlife Fund in Africa.
Dr. Paul Siegel (’72) Talks about his work with the World Wildlife Fund in Africa.
In October, SUNY Cortland was treated to a visit from Dr. Paul Siegel, who graduated in 1972 from Cortland with degrees in both Biological Sciences and French. Dr. Siegel was visiting from his home in Senegal, where he works as the Marine Conservation Advisor for the World Wildlife Fund’s Africa and Madagascar program. During his visit, Dr. Siegel presented a seminar at the Brooks Museum on conservation in coastal Africa, and also participated in a symposium on Careers in the 21st Century Global System, during which he discussed careers in non-governmental organizations, such as the Peace Corps.
Dr. Siegel received his bachelor’s degree from Cortland in 1972, and went on to serve in the Peace Corps for 2 years as a secondary science teacher in Zaire. He received a master’s degree from California State University at Domingez Hills, and his Ph.D. in aquatic and population biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1984. In 1988, Dr. Siegel became director of the Center of Wildlife Ecology and Management in Kenya, and joined the World Wildlife Fund in 1990. He has been involved with conservation research in Tanzania, Madagascar and other parts of the African continent, and has numerous publications from his efforts. He served as the country representative for Tanzania to the WWF, and also as an advisor in the WWF’s Debt for Nature program, in which portions of foreign debt are forgiven in exchange for a financial commitment to conservation by the debtor nation.
When asked about his time at SUNY Cortland, Dr. Siegel replied that it was best summed up in three words–balanced, flexible and fun. “The menu of core courses and electives allowed me to follow my interests but assured that I had a solid foundation too. Our professors were both academically gifted and personally approachable,” Dr. Siegel writes. Throughout his career, Dr. Siegel has excelled in his chosen field, and shown his dedication to conservation of natural resources worldwide, and we are very proud that he got his start at Cortland.
