Embraces and exuberation prevailed at the close of COA's 16th com- mencement ceremony as students and faculty congratulate one another. From left; Russell Com- stock, Peter Corcoran, Michael Hall, Emily Gloger and Deb Mandsager. graduates, "The value of your human ecology education is that you have learned to deal with complexity, to ask COA NEWS questions, to make informed decisions, and to translate these decisions into thoughtful and ethical actions and responsible service." SUMMER 1988 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC BAR HARBOR, MAINE Praising his classmates for their uni- que perspective, senior speaker Lars Henrikson said, "COA students are ex- also shone through as warm as the May traordinary. We have learned we can be sunshine was their commitment to different from the norm and we see the COA Graduation learning and self discovery which they value in this." expressed through a ceremony of their "Extraordinary" was the word echoed Celebrates own creation. by keynote speaker Thomas Crum to Close on the heals of the graduation describe the graduation ceremony and Self-Discovery procession, the COA Dancers, all in its graduates. Touched by the warmth white, arms undulating to simulate flight and creativity of the ceremony, Crum of the cranes, glided down the aisle in a scrapped his originally prepared remarks ceremonial Dance of the Peace Cranes. to respond spontaneously to what he Peace was the theme of College of the Following a poem written and read by was witnessing. "When you see life as Atlantic's 16th commencement on May Dennis Bracale, came a troupe of discovery, as these graduates do, you 28, a day of bright blue skies and statuesque figures draped in crimson have more self esteem and you are more brilliant sunshine. Hanging high above robes and white gauzy hoods in a per- willing to take risks. Then frustration the podium was a huge mobile con- formance piece "A Transformative Vi- becomes fascination and work becomes structed of 1,000 origami cranes created sion of Education," created by play," he said. by the senior class and members of the graduating seniors Laura Cohn and Author of The Magic of Conflict, community. "We use the cranes as a Gillian Fulford. Shedding their hoods Crum was invited to speak at COA's way to symbolize our wish for world and robes as a symbolic gesture of commencement after a group of COA peace," explained senior speaker Lauren enlightenment and freedom, the per- education students had read his book in Gilson. "Peace is the first premise of formers chanted, "We are wise and class. The co-founder of Windstar Foun- human ecology." beautiful people, learning with our dation with John Denver, Crum is also Although world peace was the wish lives." founder and president of AIKI WORKS, of the 34 graduates, the message that President Louis Rabineau told the INC., an educational corporation dedi- 1 - Continued on page 2. GRADUATION - Cont. from page 1. cated to enhancing performance in con- flict resolution, stress management and team-building. COA Announces New Summer Traditional at COA graduations is the presenting of an honorary degree, Lecture Series which was conferred this year upon long-time trustee, Dr. Thomas Hall. Eulogizing Hall for his contributions as teacher, author, scholar and dean, Dr. This summer COA will offer an expanded Wednesday evening lecture series, coor- Neva Goodwin, Vice Chairman of the dinated jointly by the Public Affairs Office and the Natural History Museum. COA Board of Trustees, emphasized Topics will range from local Maine natural history to politics and environmental Hall's crucial role as former Chairman issues. of the COA's Board of Trustees at the COA's role as a cultural and resource center on Mount Desert Island has been College at a very critical time in the growing steadily. The Summer Lecture Series 1988 is a way of providing College's history. stimulating and entertaining programs for both the residents and visitors of Also recognized were COA's first Mount Desert Island this summer. group of certified teachers under the All lectures will be held on Wednesday evenings, except for the lecture of revised standards designed for "In- Senator George Mitchell, which will be held on Sunday evening, August 14. novative and Experimental Programs." The program for the Summer Lecture Series 1988 is as follows: Commending the group of seven July 6 Tom Lawrence, "Reading the Landscape-Mt. Desert Island from students for fulfilling rigorous re- a Geologist's Viewpoint" quirements over and above the standard July 13 Dr. Leslie Watling, "What Is Mud? A Biological and Geological graduation requirements, Education Perspective" Coordinator Peter Corcoran emphasized July 20 Dr. John Anderson, "Endangered Species" that the human ecological perspective July 27 Mark McCullough, "Caribou-the Maine Reintroduction Project" provides a basis of excellent teacher *August 3 Dr. Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Gardens preparation. *August 10 Frances FitzGerald, Pulitzer Prize winning author and journalist As a preface to the final awarding of *August 14 Senator George Mitchell, U.S. Senator from Maine and Deputy degrees, Dr. Louis Rabineau stated that (Sunday) President pro tempore of the Senate COA is the only college in the country August 17 Sam Chapman, "Bringing Back the Alewives-Natural Resource to offer one single Bachelor of Arts in Development" Human Ecology. Rabineau was joined August 24 Diane Kopec, "Native Americans and Archeology of Mount by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Desert Island" Edward McC. Blair, in the conferring of August 31 Don McCrimmon, "Ecology of Maine Wading Birds" degrees upon thirty-four extraordinary *These lectures are coordinated by the COA Public Affairs Office. Each lecture graduates whose studies had focused on is free and will be held under a tent on the North lawn at 8:30 p.m. the interconnections between human- The Natural History Museum lectures will be held in the College of the Atlan- kind and the environment. tic auditorium on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $2.00 for adults It seemed fitting that theses graduates and $1.00 for children. who had committed themselves to a credo of peace and harmony in the universe, should receive their degree on one of nature's most perfect days. COA NEWS is published three times a year. It is cir- culated to Alumni, Parents, Faculty, Trustees, and other Friends. Editor: Carolyn Dow Assistants: Jared Crawford, Keith Goodrich, Lisa Ham- mer, Tim Hartt, Becky Keefe, Jeanne Kimlicka, Rising higher and higher over campus, construction on COA's new Kaelber Julianna Lichatz, Greg Milne, Hall building complex continues. Due for completion in the fall of 1988, Lisa Norton the $3 million Kaelber Hall will house the COA Thorndike Library, dining hall and computer center. 2 COA on the Air Last fall, COA students Greg Milne and Greg Walker began looking for ways to involve COA in the world of radio. Paul Adler, senior student teacher of the course "Activism and Social Change," suggested to Milne and Walker that they contact Salt Pond Community Broadcasting, a new community radio station in Blue Hill, Maine. Adler thought this might be an effective way to get COA's students and their perspectives heard on the radio. Salt Pond Community Broadcasting began transmitting their version of community radio over the airwaves with 50,000 watts on May 1. The sta- COA Alumni Ray Wirth (left) and Catherine Kiorpes-Elk exchange ideas dur- tion (WERU-FM) is at 89.9 on the FM ing a reunion of graduates and community members to discuss the COA dial and has a potential listening au- Teacher Education Program. dience of 78,000. teaching, John Tapper '83, claimed From the start, WERU coordinators that he works in a "regular school, in David Snyder and Jim Campbell Alumni Educators a regular classroom, with regular kids." responded positively to the proposal of Tapper, who is currently teaching in working with COA. A group study Share Teaching rural Vermont is a recent recipient of "Human Ecology on the Air" was the "Christa McAuliffe Fellowship for established this spring for several Experience with Teachers." He emphasized the impor- purposes-first, to initiate a working tance of training teachers in the area relationship with WERU, and second- COA Community of special education. COA education ly, to develop a group of COA students who had taken Trisha students technically capable of doing Rhodes' course, Exceptionalities and remote recordings of both COA and the Classroom Teacher in the Fall of outside events. A remote cassette An impressive number of COA '87, confirmed the value and necessity recorder was purchased through the graduates, who have pursued careers in of such a course. group study and the students have education, traveled from all over New Paul Boothby '88, reviewed the taped such events as the Visiting Ar- England to return to the campus to Teacher Education Program's current chitect Lecture Series, workshops at discuss COA's new teacher education certification components with the the Surry Folklife Festival, and program with current community visitors. The History and Philosophy of humorous guest speakers' talks and in- members. Education component received the terviews. Future plans include sponsor- Garrett Conover '78, recalled that most attention. As Corcoran stated, ing panel discussions involving COA when he attended COA in the "Perhaps the most important thing faculty and/or visitors and learning mid-70's, the students were "pretty that could inform your teaching is an more production skills. much in charge of inventing their own intellectual understanding of the COA representatives were part of education program. It's nice to see history and philosophy of educa- the WERU group that went to the Na- things formalizing now," he said. Con- tion It's in that rigorous examina- tional Federation of Community over considers himself to be one who tion, that intellectual engagement, Broadcasters (NFCB) Conference in has "always strived to be paid doing where teachers are born." Washington, D.C. At this conference, interesting things outdoors-the Megan Pennock '84, now in her sec- contacts were made with satellite net- maverick way of getting into the ond year of teaching in an alternative working organizations capable of send- teaching field." Conover and his wife, public school in Maine, spoke of this ing out COA-produced audio record- Alexandra '77, currently conduct out- component as "the groundwork that I ings to radio stations all across door education trips through their always come back to when I don't in- America. organization, the North Woods Art tuitively know how to handle a situa- As this initiative grows, COA will Center. This term they are offering an tion; it's a reminder as to what our provide more human ecology-oriented over-subscribed course in Outdoor roots of thinking were." Pennock ad- programming and continue its efforts Education and Leadership to students vised COA education students to "get to project human ecology to the out- at COA. Peter Corcoran, COA it while you can, because you just side community via this newly utilized Education Coordinator, notes that he don't have the luxury to think about vehicle-radio. has hopes of "adding more courses of your philosophy like you do here at Comments and suggestions can be this kind to serve the needs of teachers COA-because you're doing, doing, sent to: HUMAN ECOLOGY ON wishing to be outdoor educators, inter- doing, once you're out in the world of THE AIR, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609. preters, and naturalists." classroom teaching." -Greg Milne Representing another facet of -Lisa Norton 3 Paulo Machado Addresses COA Community Best known as the pioneer of Human Ecology in South America, Paulo Machado has been visiting COA this spring as Distinguished Lecturer on Public Policy. Formerly the Minister of Health for the World Health Organiza- tion in Brazil, Machado is the foremost expert on human ecological issues in health policies, according to COA Psychology Professor Rich Borden. His book Human Ecologia, written in Portuguese, will further educate the world about human ecology. Machado discovered human ecology in 1958 when, as a medical doctor, he was asked to go to a remote Indian village in northwest Brazil. "Apparently, there was a very serious health problem," he recalls. Paulo Machado "The population was declining and the the Minister of Health for the World Machado is very impressed with missionaries were afraid the village Health Organization and received the COA and speaks higly of it. "It is very would disappear." European Certificate of Human good to see COA concentrating on When he arrived he saw that the In- Ecology. human ecology," he remarks. "This is dians' way of life had been seriously af- "This is where my idea of human very important for the development of fected by the missionaries' presence. ecology really started to take shape," human ecology and has terrific poten- With good ethical intentions, the he explains. "I think the main goal of tial for developing the scientific Church had contained the Indians in human ecology is studying lifestyles framework. COA's talented and liberal one area to form a community. In do- and trying to do something to adapt environment is ideal for the develop- ing this they forced the Indians to stop lifestyles to the environment." ment of this science." practicing crop rotation and migration Machado feels the environmental Human Ecology is spreading fast and with the seasons. risks we are taking grow worse every can be found all over the world, "They used to move with the en- day. "The worst risk is humans in- according to Machado. Scandinavia, vironment to collect fruits and hunt terfering with the natural mechanisms Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, game, and returned to plant crops for population control," says Machado. Mexico, France, and Costa Rica are when the dry season was over," ex- "We have wiped out several diseases just a few of the many countries active plains Machado. "When forced to stay around the world-smallpox, polio, in the development of this field. In in one place, the whole tribe was ex- yellow fever, malaria, sleeping sickness 1986 the 2nd International Human posed to malaria." and many others. And while we did it Ecology Conference was held at COA. Eventually Machado redeveloped a for good reasons, we must consider The 1988 conference will be in San health plan for the Indians and re- the social responsibility of science. All Franciso in October. turned every year for the next 13 years those children we have saved from "The spirit of human ecology is very for his vacation to study the develop- death are a product of our interference exciting," Machado states. "Usually ment of the tribe. with the biological system. It's nice to conferences are separate and different "This first experience formed my save lives but we cannot abandon the but human ecology conferences do not conviction of the importance of people we have saved. Population ex- change. Human Ecology is at a turning lifestyle," says Machado. "Coping with plosions demand more food and point-the next conference has the the environment and suffering with medicine, thus the peoples' self- potential to speed up its evolution. the Indians and missionaries was a per- organizing capacity is destroyed." College of the Atlantic has been the sonal experience for me." This spring, Machado has been axis for this evolution. We in other In 1968 Machado was appointed to teaching with Dr. Richard Borden countries will be keeping our eye on work with the National Institute for through case studies and his own ex- COA. If you want to know what's Research in the Amazon where he was periences with these cases. "Paulo has cooking in human ecology, check with able to study the interaction of invaluable experience," says Borden. COA." biological ecology with human ecology "He has a lot to contribute to COA -Jeanne Kimlicka along with other scientists from and to human ecology on an interna- various fields. Then in 1973 he became tional basis." 4 Upon their return to COA, the Asian journal class presented a brief COA Trustee is Another Passage to slide show to the COA community. As the photographs depicted the Keynote Speaker India wonders of the Hall of Mirrors in the Red Fort in New Delhi, camel rides through the country, the holy oasis of Pushkar, Carpenter and his sudents Dr. Edward Meade was the keynote Using India as a living classroom, talked about the things they did and speaker at the annual meeting of the writing instructor Bill Carpenter and a saw. As Carpenter stated, "Photography Maine Higher Education Council in group of five students spent twelve makes presenting images an easy task April. Based on his vast experience weeks this winter exploring that coun- but the written description of what they with many educational programs at the try and writing about their ex- saw was the most important, and most Ford Foundation, where he has been periences. The journal group (Lisa difficult task to which each student had Chief Program Officer for more than a Hammer, Steve Chidester, Heidi Hof- to adapt." quarter of a century, Meade described fer, Mike Kimball and Lori Gustafson) Carpenter attributes the overall suc- the ways in which schools and colleges focused on the people and their ideas cess of the trip to the fact that the can work together to improve the and immersed themselves in the daily decision to go had been on impulse, quality of education. life of the Indian people. which prevented it from being a Introducing Meade to the Council "It's very different to study a place routine, field exploration or guided members, COA President Louis and actually be there," said Carpenter. tour. A compilation of the students' Rabineau praised Meade for the exten- "The most dazzling thing is the dif- writings will be published this spring in sive impact he has had on education ference between the preconceptions we journal form to share the individual in the U.S. and abroad. Citing a had and the actual experience of being thoughts of each student with the rest quotation from a certificate presented there." In the words of Mike Kimball, of the community. The class expressed to Meade for the Harvard Graduate "You have a romantic image of being its hopes that this trip will open the School Alumni award for Outstanding transported either into a magical fairy way for COA students to participate in Contributions to Education, Rabineau land or into some pit in the middle of other overseas classes in the future. noted: "Edward Meade has raised the nowhere. I found no enchantment, but -Keith Goodrich aspirations of school people from I wasn't oppressed by filth either. For Maine to California and enhanced the me, we found the perfect middle lane." success of children and youth in American schools." "With a special concern for young people who suffer the handicaps of poverty and discrimination, he has tirelessly sought innovative solutions to vexing problems. There is scarcely a facet of school improvement activities his imagination has not reached," Rabineau added. Some of the suggestions put forth by Meade for school and college col- laboration were 1) synchronizing high school and college curricula so that high schools know what colleges will be expecting and how the curricula should relate; 2) opening up college campuses on weekends or during sum- mers to allow high school students to experience college campus life and col- lege level work; and 3) developing organizations like the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute to provide oppor- tunities for high school English teachers to work with college pro- fessors in the humanities to develop a curriculum unit. Meade's connections to Maine are numerous. He has owned a home in Camden for many years, and has been a Trustee of COA for two years. In addition, two of his sons graduated from Maine institutions, one from Col- by College and one from the Universi- ty of Southern Maine. 5 tist. She'll help me slow down and "The History of Human Occupation of really look at things closely. Most of Maine Islands." Bracale Receives our time will be spent documenting Marcia Dworak-presented a pro- the gardens, doing sketches and taking gram in conjunction with Jeanne Gum- Watson Fellowship photographs so that I will have a mage of the York School District, teaching collection and also a working titled "You and the Censor", May 16 collection." at the Maine Library Association An- The Watson Fellowship is a national nual Conference at UMO. She was COA graduate Dennis Bracale is about competition which supports indepen- also elected Chair-elect of the Maine to embark on the journey of his dent study and travel abroad for re- Academic and Research Libraries Divi- dreams. As a recipient of a Fellowship cent college graduates. Single Fellows sion of the Maine Library Association. from the Thomas J. Watson Founda- receive stipends of $13,000, while Steve Katona-recently gave a tion, he will spend a year studying Fellows accompanied by a dependent keynote address at a conference on gardens and landscapes in five coun- receive $18,000. Fellows are selected by right whale survival sponsored by the tries: China, Japan, Italy, France, and the Watson Foundation for their com- Cetacean Society International at England. mitment to a particular field of interest Hartford, CT in April. Steve, Beverly "For a long time it has been my and for their leadership potential Agler, Judy Beard, Lydia Barnes, dream to study the finest examples of within that field. The Foundation and Kim Robertson attended a garden design," says Bracale. "I can views the opportunity for such travel whale identification symposium in La- imagine no other experience that and reflection as a break from formal Jolla, CA in May. Steve presented a would better facilitate my growth as a schooling during which the Fellows talk on "Identification Studies of the landscape designer." may explore a deep interest, test their North Pacific Humpback Whales." Next year Bracale will undertake a aspirations and abilities, and view their Ted Koffman-is presently serving as cross-cultural comparative study of 56 lives and American society with a new President of the Maine Association of gardens in order to understand the perspective. Student Financial Aid Administrators uniqueness of past garden tradition, and continues to give lectures on the both artistically and culturally. "It's financial aid process to students and really going to enrich me as a land- parents at the MDI and Ellsworth high scape designer by coming to unders- schools. tand the ways in which past designers Anne Napier-was appointed to the have made choices about the use of Membership Committee of American different materials to create textures, Group Psychotherapy and to the color contrasts and patterns. I think Governor's (Maine) Task Force on that really great spaces make you Third-Party Reimbursement. She will realize all of a sudden what a whole be a panelist at the National Conven- culture was like. The way space in- tion of the American Nurses' Associa- fluences how you feel is a large part of tion in Louisville, Kentucky in June. why I am interested in gardens." Anne has also been invited to do a Bracale has maintained that interest week-long Transactional Analysis since childhood, spending much time Training Workshop for a group of Rus- exploring nature and being involved in sian psychiatrists in Leningrad, USSR, gardening projects. Two years ago he sometime in the future. devoted himself totally to the study of Vicki Nichols-will be leaving COA landscape design at COA, where he Dennis Bracale in the late summer to pursue a was able to study ecology and all the graduate studies program at Yale fields related to landscape design. "The University in Policy and Planning for a learning environment, the people I've Master of Environmental Studies met, the rich tradition to draw from News Notes degree. She recently led a field trip for on Mount Desert Island, being offered Maine Audubon's School Science a major job to restore the hillside in Project and presented a talk at UMO front of the Bluenose Motor Inn in on planning a non-profit organization. Bar Harbor-it has been a succession Skip Basso-presented a talk on Lou Rabineau-is working to com- of exciting events that all have made museum preparation techniques to an plete a third oral history on leaders in me feel 'yes' I can do landscaping and enthusiastic audience at the University higher education in America. Under a 'yes' I'm good at it." of Maine at Portland on April 15. grant from the Frost Foundation to Bracale is one of 75 graduating Recently, Skip also was elected to a the Academy for Educational Develop- seniors who were selected for the Wat- seat on the Bar Harbor town council. ment, the oral history is of Dr. Lyman son Fellowship from among finalists Bill Drury-attended an Interna- Glenny, recently retired Director of nominated by their colleges. He views tional Conference on Lowland Heath the Center for the Study of Higher his Fellowship as "a very important Vegetation May 5-8th in Nantucket, Education at the the University of step in my education. This experience Mass. He gave a talk on the effect on California, Berkeley. should enable me to design the land- heath vegetation of the people who John Visvader-was mentioned in a scapes that have been so much a part live on Maine islands. Bill used May Smithsonian article by John P. of my dreams and aspirations." research done by David Folger, Wiley, Jr. on the San Diego conference Bracale will be accompanied by his Peter Wayne and Linda Gregory on the Gaia Hypothesis. John and his wife Emily (Gloger), also a COA stu- in his talk, which was in conjunction wife, Susan, are now the proud parents dent, who, he says, is "a wonderful ar- with a paper done by George Putz on of a baby boy. 6 more and were reluctant to return to One of the best aspects of the class. The energy level in the gym was Outreach Practicum is how well it A Whale of a high as children continued to ask epitomizes what we like to refer to as questions, touch, look, and read. And the COA approach-"hands-on educa- Program all this without breaking any bones! tion." Five weeks ago I knew almost This experience had proved, once nothing about whales. Today I am again, that the Outreach Practicum is teaching fifth graders the difference one of the best preparations for between the bottlenose dolphin and We're "on the road" again. Destina- anyone interested in becoming a the right whale. And what's more tion? Penobscot Elementary School. teacher. Planning, organizing, manag- amazing is how inspired I have become Our objective? To present the Whales- ing, facilitating, involving, inspiring, to learn on my own about these on-Wheels Program to a class of motivating, are skills teachers need to creatures. When children ask me ques- elementary schoolchildren. develop. As we are thrown into each tions to which I don't know the We arrive with plenty of time and new situation we cannot help but ask: answer, I immediately want to go out are pleased to see that the gym offers What is the role of the teacher? The and find an answer. lots of space. We set up the frame for student? As presenters we must learn The Outreach Practicum serves a our minke whale and place all the to read situations so that we may number of functions in relation to the bones on the floor in front of it. adjust to the flow of learning already Mount Desert Island community as Posters of different whale species, established with the students. For well. In many college towns, the col- anatomy, and feeding habits are hung those COA students seriously con- lege students and the "townies" are up behind the frame. Books and sidering going through the Teacher often segregated. Programs like the dolphin skulls are set out on boxes. Education Program, the Practicum of- Outreach Practicum can help dissolve The demonstration samples of krill and fers a great opportunity to test that barrier. When college students go baleen lay by our sides. "Good Morn- strengths and weaknesses before the into schools, meet children, then see ing," we say as the group of children teaching internship. However, it also them on the weekends playing in the enters. offers the opportunity for others only park or grocery shopping with their So begins Whales-on-Wheels, one of slightly interested in teaching to get a parents, a sense of community evolves. the programs offered by the Natural taste of what's involved with teaching. A meaningful and responsible relation- History Museum, under the direction Those students who may feel uncertain ship between town citizen and college of Vicki Nichols and her seasonal core are given the chance to explore an in- student emerges through a sense of of Outreach Practicum students. From terest in teaching. While participating concern for future generations. this point on, the program adopts dif- in the Practicum, many students have Vicki Nichols, Director and teacher ferent characteristics, varying with decided to pursue teaching careers. of the Museum and Outreach Prac- each presenter's style, outline, and the We work in pairs much of the time ticum, has helped develop the Prac- audience. As educators, the Outreach in the Outreach Program. This is ticum from its early beginnings as a students are given the freedom to another aspect of communication student-created workshop. She sees the make each program their own. which teaches us how to deal with dif- Practicum as an excellent opportunity The learning opportunities for ferences. When you have two different for the Practicum students and the creating curriculum and carrying out teaching styles, two different per- teachers to combine administration ideas are extraordinary. At the end of sonalities, and two different program skills, natural history, and education our presentation at the Penobscot outlines and one program to present, School I felt positive about our presen- there are no better virtues than com- -Julianna Lichatz tation. The children wanted to know promise and understanding. Janet Christrup explains to children the function of a whale backbone in COA's "Whale-on-Wheels"" program. 7 COA NEWS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZ. COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC U.S. POSTAGE PAID Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 BAR HARBOR, ME PERMIT #47 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED HAPPINESS IS GRADUATION.!! 8