CESU Network Roles and Responsibilities
As a collaborative partnership, the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network includes tribes, federal agencies, and partner institutions such as universities, tribal colleges, state and local government entities, and non-government organizations (NGOs). Each of these fulfill certain responsibilities to ensure the success of the CESU Network.
At the national level, the CESU Network Council establishes policies guiding the activities of all partners. Each federal agency assigns a CESU Network Council Representative and Alternate.
The CESU Network Council appoints the CESU Network National Coordinator. The National Park Service is the administrative host to the CESU Network National Office, which coordinates communication among the CESU Directors and the CESU Network Council, manages the seventeen CESU Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreements, advises the CESU Network Council on administrative policy, and assists partners with ongoing implementation of CESU projects.
At the local level, the CESU Director is responsible for coordinating and administering CESU activities on behalf of their tribal, federal, and nonfederal partners. The CESU Directors are senior administrators and officials at the seventeen host universities.
The CESU Technical Representatives form a core group of CESU participants who collaborate on strategic and annual planning, review and vote on potential partners, and promote the CESU by relaying information and opportunities to others within their bureau or organization. CESU Administrative Representatives provide guidance on bureau and institution policies as they relate to CESU activities. Principal Investigators from tribes and nonfederal institutions work collaboratively with bureau Key Officials or project managers to complete projects. Principal investigators at universities and tribal colleges often have students assist on CESU projects, providing real world land management experience.