College of the Atlantic MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, MAINE AN ANNOUNCEMENT Introduction THIS brochure announces the formation of This is an announcement rather than a the College of the Atlantic, an institution com- prospectus as important alternatives remain mitted to the broad study of human ecology. in the development of this curriculum. It does The college will be unique in that faculty and describe the ideas and ideals which will be the students will engage in a single curriculm. basis for further refinement before the college's It will focus on problems and studies most re- opening in 1972. levent to the understanding of man's depen- Consider this an invitation to share our dence upon and responsibility to his environ- ideas and enthusiasm. ment. The problem orientation of the curriculum will by its very nature necessitate the active participation of residents of Mount Desert Island and surrounding communities. Origins its curriculum. After extensive assessment, the president and the Board of Trustees projected an The College of the Atlantic was incorporated opening date for September of 1972. in July of 1969 as a non-denominational, private, coeducational, four-year college to be located on Goals and Philosophy Mount Desert Island, Maine. The idea of the The College of the Atlantic will be distinguish- college was conceived by the original trustees, a ed by its focus on human ecology, defined as studies group of men resident on Mount Desert and in- pertaining to man's dependence upon and respon- terested in higher education. Early in the plan- sibility to his environment. ning, the study of human ecology was decided upon The problems caused by man's interaction with as the unifying theme of the curriculum. A large his environment are not new, though recently signs estate on Frenchman's Bay was leased as a site for of the stress he has inflicted upon it have become the college, and a local fund raising drive began to more obvious. It is clear that our society and the gather support. A president, Edward Kaelber, educational system have failed to develop the at- formerly Associate Dean of the Harvard Graduate titudes and values which tend to protect and en- School of Education, was appointed in January hance rather than deplete and destroy our environ- of 1970 to begin actual planning for the college and ment. Neither have we learned to anticipate the environmental consequences of particular activities The impersonality and disorganization of our cities, nor to use our technology effectively. the automaton quality of many aspects of modern To quote Barry Commoner, " we are in a life, the lack of concern for aesthetics, the disregard period of grace. We have the time, perhaps a for human rights, and the difficulty of pursuing generation, in which to save the environment from meaningful lives are all aspects of this stress. the final effects of the violence we have done it." In the words of Pogo, "We have met the Immediate disaster, perhaps, with a summon- enemy, and he is us." ing of will and effort can be staved off. We have the resources and skills, for instance, to control THE QUALITY OF LIFE most types of pollution. But we have lacked the That the decline in the quality of human life appropriate values and attitudes to make use of cannot be reversed by the mere accumulation of them. more technical knowledge is a concern of Rene Concurrently, we have allowed our created en- Dubos, a College of the Atlantic trustee. In So vironments to grow unmindful of human consider- Human an Animal, he wrote: "Contrary to what is ations. Our buildings, cities, organizations and generally claimed, increased knowledge of natural institutions have evolved in such a way as to put forces and the growth of technology have not im- stress upon the human qualities of our existence. proved man's control over the environment. While the rate of environmental change has immensely INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH accelerated, the social and biological responses We consider bodies of knowledge interdepen- have not kept pace with the new situation thus dent. Extreme specialization is incompatible with created. As a result, technicized societies may be close to the threshold beyond which it will be im- an ecological point of view. The technologist who possible to evaluate, let alone control, the effects tries to operate detached from his culture is like a on human life by the new environments created writer with a huge vocabulary but no sense of the by technological innovations." use of nuance. Both are likely to be misunder- College of the Atlantic takes the position that stood and to create destruction. to avoid losing touch with ourselves, we must study We will attempt an interdisciplinary approach; man as a product of a cultural as well as a biolo- but we will recognize the danger of dilettantism. gical past. The humanities and social sciences Thus we will expect some students will want to must serve to temper and guide scientific discovery if we are to enhance our human existence. As en- achieve depth in an least one area. This compe- vironments become ever more man-created, the tency, however, must be related effectively to other task of relating man to himself will become more disciplines. Otherwise, it risks becoming pedan- difficult and vital. tic and irrelevant to real problems facing the world.