Centre News

Carl Evans '11 (with Lesley Smallwood '14 at Centre graduation)
will soon begin a joint master's program at the National
Institute of Petroleum in Paris, France, and the Colorado School
of Mines.

Evans (right, at the Colorado School of Mines) believes that the
program will help him enter into the petroleum and natural
resource industry.

According to 2011 graduate Carl Evans, Centre College prepared him for "the real world" in two ways: helping him "see the big picture" while also teaching him to "focus in on exactly what I really wanted to do in the future."

And what he wanted to do was begin a career in the petroleum and natural resource industry. Having been accepted into the exceptionally selective IFP program—a joint master's program at both the Institute Francais du Petrol (the National Institute of Petroleum) in Paris, France, and at the Colorado School of Mines—he plans to do just that.

In the program, Evans will earn two master's degrees, a Mastère Spécialisé in Petroleum Economics and Management from IFP and a master's of science in energy and mineral economics from the Colorado School of Mines.

"The degrees are from leading institutions in the U.S. and France, so IFP seems like a great place to develop technical skills, meet new people in the industry and be able to work with other international professionals," Evans says.

The financial economics major (and mathematics minor) believes that his courses at Centre were "truly imperative in getting into a great graduate program."

Specifically, "working with Dr. Marie Petkus and Dr. Jeffrey Heath for independent studies was really useful," he says. "They both pushed me to learn new things and develop a better perspective about any given problem. This sort of refinement is what I think truly benefited me the most while studying at Centre."

During his time at the College, he adds, "I was encouraged to determine what sort of work I wanted to do when I graduated. I think figuring out what you want to do while in college is the most important thing to decide while you're there."

Evans will begin his program this August at Mines, then head to Paris in January for the spring and summer terms.

"I'm really looking forward to two courses that I will be taking in Paris, 'commodities markets and trading' and 'efficiency analysis of industrial firms,'" he says. "These classes will get me the skill set I need to work in financial markets with commodities or when looking at the efficiency of a company's operations."

To learn more about the economics program at Centre, click here.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail elizabeth.trollinger@centre.edu with your feedback.

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 24th among all the nation's colleges and universities and has named Centre No. 1 among all institutions of higher education in the South for two years in a row. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, click here.