COA THE COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE Volume 9 Number 2 Fall 2013 COLLABORATIONS COA The College of the Atlantic Magazine Collaborations Letter from the President 3 News from Campus 4 COA's New Dean Heather Albert-Knopp '99 6 A Cornucopia of Books 8 Donor Profile Becky and Dylan Baker 11 Collaborations 12 Designing for Acadia Creating the Acadia Nature Center 13 Team Teaching An Introduction 17 Collaboration in Process Developing the Unexpected Journey 18 Evolving Democracy Dustin Eirdosh '04 in Madagascar 22 Tutoring as Collaboration The COA Writing Center 25 Collaborating to Conserve Communities Julie Massa '93 28 Aversion Short Story by Michael Griffith '09 31 Paintings by Alonso Diaz Rickards '12 Ghost Poetry by Moses Bastille '13 37 Alumni and Community Notes 38 In Memoriam 47 Take-A-Break A New COA Cookbook 48 Embracing our Interconnectedness Jesse Karppinen '13 49 East Peak by Blakeney Sanford '02 Site-specific installation, Ethel H. Blum Gallery Courtyard at COA Standing beneath the curved wave of Blakeney's East Peak, summer visitors experienced the cool of the ocean, delighting in the ways the sculpture's varied aqua tones echoed how water alters light. Although envisioned and designed by Blakeney, the piece was collaboratively assembled, with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and various family members all pitching in. COA Collaborations. Life is a collaborative enterprise. And a solitary one. To raise The College of the Atlantic Magazine a child - or educate a student - it does take a village, one ideally with parks, Volume 9 Number 2 Fall 2013 teachers, and caregivers. The creation of each human being, literally and figuratively, is a collaboration. But that person also must raise her- or himself. To Editorial Editor Donna Gold become full individuals we need to look inside, learn to reconcile the complicated Editorial Guidance Heather Albert-Knopp '99 pulls of our desires with our gifts and the world within which we live. Perhaps Marni Berger '09 Rich Borden that, too, could be seen as a collaboration, one with ourselves. Dru Colbert Ken Cline Michael Griffith '09 For most of us, college is a time when the internal and external are shaken up, Sarah Haughn '08 probably more extremely than at any other point in our lives. Our preconceived Jennifer Hughes Katharine Macko notions are challenged, along with our ways of questioning, the nature of our Editorial Consultant Bill Carpenter curiosity, and our ability to live on our own and make friends. Comfort zones? Alumni Consultants Jill Barlow-Kelley Those are shattered. Dianne Clendaniel Design And so, true learning begins. One of the very unusual, and yes, amazing qualities Art Director Rebecca Hope Woods of COA is the expansiveness of the "village" that educates our students. Within COA Administration the collaborative dance that the COA community performs fifty-two weeks of the President Darron Collins '92 Academic Dean Kenneth Hill year, it's not just the faculty that are challenging the students, or classmates, but Associate Academic Deans Catherine Clinger also the staff. As advisors, as committee members, as workstudy supervisors, Stephen Ressel Sean Todd as friends, COA's staff members equally engage with students in their learning Karen Waldron process. And for many - both faculty and staff - the hours of service are Administrative Dean Andrew Griffiths Dean of Admission Heather Albert-Knopp '99 uncommonly generous. Dean of Institutional Lynn Boulger Advancement Dean of Student Life Sarah Luke There are many ways humans collaborate to create communities, and communities take many shapes. There's COA itself, along with the ten-week COA Board of Trustees community that each class forms. There are the communities that Julie Massa Becky Ann Baker Sarah A. McDaniel'93 Dylan Baker Linda McGillicuddy '93 helps to create by mentoring manufactured home renters to become Timothy R. Bass Jay McNally '84 cooperative home owners. And then there's the primal community that Dustin Ronald E. Beard Stephen G. Milliken Leslie C. Brewer Philip S.J. Moriarty Eirdosh '04 alludes to, as defined by the evolutionary theory known as multi- Alyne Cistone Phyllis Anina Moriarty level selection - which sees humanity as having evolved because we connect, Nikhit D'Sa '06 Hamilton Robinson, Jr. Amy Yeager Geier Walter Robinson we collaborate, and we help each other. Collaboration, say these evolutionary George B.E. Hambleton Nadia Rosenthal theorists, is what has made us human. Elizabeth D. Hodder Marthann Lauver Samek Philip B. Kunhardt III '77 Henry L.P. Schmelzer Anthony Mazlish William N. Thorndike, Jr. From a collaboration between two alumni separately plying their arts as painter Suzanne Folds McCullagh Cody van Heerden, MPhil '15 and writer, to team-teaching, to the over-the-top efforts of student designers Life Trustees Trustee Emeriti collaborating with each other and Acadia National Park to redesign the park's William G. Foulke, Jr. David Hackett Fischer Samuel M. Hamill, Jr. Sherry F. Huber central museum, this magazine concerns people drawing upon their inner John N. Kelly Daniel Pierce strengths to connect to others so as to enhance the lives of many. Susan Storey Lyman Helen Porter William V.P. Newlin Cathy L. Ramsdell '78 John Reeves John Wilmerding Henry D. Sharpe, The faculty, students, trustees, staff, and alumni of College of the Atlantic envision a world where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and diversity of nature and human cultures. With respect and compassion, individuals construct meaningful lives for themselves, gain appreciation Donna Gold, COA editor of the relationships among all forms of life, and safeguard the heritage of future generations. COA is published biannually for the College of the Atlantic community. Please send ideas, letters, and submissions (short stories, poetry, and revisits to human ecology essays) to: Front Cover: Abiquiu, by Gabriela Niejadlik '14, for the Unexpected Journey class COA Magazine, College of the Atlantic "We were out in the desert and there was this incredibly deep and big sky that 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 dgold@coa.edu wrapped around like a different version of the ocean. It was collaborative in the most magical of ways: the convergence, this immersive experience between mostly strangers, bonding and constantly changing. Back on campus our journey continues WWW.COA.EDU on between us and inside of us. The class is hands down the best I've ever taken." (see page 18) MIX PRINTED WITH CERTIFIED Back Cover: Family & Alumni Weekend, October 11-14, 2013. Friends, families, and Paper from responsible sources WIND beautiful fall weather made for an unforgettable Family & Alumni Weekend of field FSC www.fsc.org FSC® C021556 POWER trips, lectures, panels, and class visits. Printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based inks on equipment using 100% wind-generated power.