COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 350:STUDENTS 10/1: STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO 12: AVERAGE CLASS SIZE 100% OF STUDENTS DESIGN THEIR OWN MAJOR IN HUMAN ECOLOGY COA's students bring knowledge, culture, and tradition from 36 countries & 43 states. 6% 37% 2% 22% 7% 1% 7% 18% INTERNATIONAL 3 Welcome & Overview 11 Academics 40 Community 54 Life After COA 58 Getting In (Admission) COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 2015 VIEWBOOK WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOU LOOK OUT ACROSS THE WATER? For College of the Atlantic students, a view like this is commonplace and yet never ordinary. Our campus sits on 38 acres on the coast of Maine, with views across the rocky islands of Frenchman Bay to Schoodic Mountain in the distance. When we look across the water we see ecosystems to study, economic enterprises to develop, policies to pass, lesson plans to teach, food systems to sustain, landscapes to paint, resources to steward, space to think, and beauty to inspire. Students come to COA because they want to be part of creating a more sustainable and humane world. They want to be inspired and challenged by a close-knit community of faculty and peers, and they want to dig into complex questions in the classroom and laboratory, but also in the woods and waters of Acadia National Park, the conference halls of UN climate negotiations, and the corn fields of rural Mexico and Guatemala. Some students come here knowing exactly what they want to do and be; others are drawn in because our academic program allows and encourages the exploration of multiple subjects and interests. All COA students will study across different disciplines and learn to approach each topic from perspectives they previously hadn't considered. View across Frenchman Bay from the Deering Common Community Center. 3 THE M MCMLXIX MISSION College of the Atlantic enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy-human ecology. A human ecological perspective integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to investigate- and ultimately improve-t the relationships between human beings and our social and natural communities. The human ecological perspective guides all aspects of education, research, activism, and interactions among the college's students, faculty, staff, and trustees. The College of the Atlantic community encourages, prepares, and expects students to gain the expertise, breadth, values, and practical experience necessary to achieve individual fulfillment and to help solve problems that challenge communities everywhere. Construction of the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Community Center. A History of College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic was chartered in 1969 by a small group of local community members and educators who saw in Mount Desert Island a great year-round location for learning. COA admitted its first class in 1972. There were only four full-time faculty members that first year (selected from 1800 applicants), and 32 students. The educational philosophy was clear: COA would be the first college in the US to have the relationships between humans and the environment as its primary focus. Learning was going to be active. Together, faculty and students explored the oceans around Mount Desert Island as well as the woods and mountains of Acadia National Park. Together, they studied whales in the Gulf of Maine and discussed the texts of such passionate naturalists as Henry David Thoreau and Rene DuBois. They continued their discussions over coffee in town, and dinner at each other's homes. Over forty years later, the college's focus on exploration and community has not changed. COA's 35 faculty members continually update and change courses to meet students' interests and adapt to a changing world. Our 350 students are encouraged to explore their passions and challenged to think in new ways. As Nell Newman, co-founder of Newman's Own Organics, says of her COA years, "When Pop asked me 'What do you do with a human ecology degree?' I answered him, 'As my student advisor said, human ecologists make their own niche in the world.' To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what that meant at the time, but it is what I feel I have been able to do. My environmental interests go beyond organic food to an awareness of worldwide environmental issues. The foundation for this was laid at College of the Atlantic, where I was given the tools to continue to explore and contribute in my own way." 6 A-marine mammal rescue from the 1980s. A class discussion in COA's early days. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Creativity In all endeavors the ability to imagine and construct novel approaches or perspectives, to be innovative, and to invent. Critical Thinking Dirigo The ability to not only interpret and evaluate information from multiple sources, but also to induce, deduce, judge, define, order, and prioritize in the interest of individual and collective action. Community Engagement A deep understanding of oneself and respect for the complex identities of others, their histories, their cultures, and the ability to lead and collaborate with diverse individuals, organizations, and communities. VILLAGE G Communication The ability to listen actively and express oneself effectively in spoken, written, and nonverbal domains. Integrative Thinking The ability to confront complex situations and respond to them as systemic wholes with interconnected and interdependent parts. Interdisciplinarity The ability to think, research, and communicate within and across disciplines while recognizing the strengths and limitations of each disciplinary approach. 8