COLLEGE OFTHE ATLANTIC CATALOG 1981.1982 : In every age there is a turning-point, a new way of seeing and asserting the coherence of the world. Jacob Bronowski COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC Catalog 1981-82 College of the Atlantic is an accredited, four year college awarding the Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. 2 A Message From René Dubos In 1933 Chicago celebrated its hundredth anniversary with the World's Fair whose theme was how modern life depended upon scien- tific technology. I went to the Fair and I still own the guide book. That book is an extraordinary document because it states that all of the future depends upon scientific technology; a subtitle reads: "Science discovers, industry applies, man conforms. Human be- ings, societies, will all fall in step with the creations of modern technology." Now I believe that no one would dare write that today. Rather one would write that society must create a scientific technology that conforms to the fundamental needs of human beings and to ecological constraints. And I have a very strong feeling that this is human ecology. As we enter the eighties, the question is how can we use science and technology to create something that is com- patible not only with ecological constraints but also with human needs and aspirations. Oddly enough our society does not know how to educate for that. We have been immensely successful in educating experts of means, that is people who do things. But we have failed fundamentally in developing experts of aims, that is people who think creatively. Train- ing people so that they can think about human problems is extremely difficult. Nobody knows how to do it, and my suspicion is that it can- not be done unless we introduce into our educational system some kind of formula where students learn to deal with problem solving, for as soon as one deals with problem solving, or anything concerning human life, the solution is never only a technical one. Rather it is a solution that will demand that one have a sense of history, consider the socioeconomic forces and reflect the dreams of people. In other words problem solving has come to mean reintroducing into any kind of decision all those components that make people behave the way they do. To me this is what College of the Atlantic is about, and I have an ab- solute conviction that in our society we can no longer be satisfied with training technical experts. We have to be very much preoccupied with preparing people who can think about using science and technology toward some aims, and I hope College of the Atlantic con- tinues along that road, begun only a decade ago. College of the Atlantic trustee, René Dubos is professor emeritus at Rockefeller Univer- sity and a 1969 Pulitzer Prize winner. His works include So Human An Animal, Only One Earth and A God Within. 3 Introduction We live in an increasingly complex world. Critical decisions regard- ing the use of technologies, resource consumption and distribution, hazardous waste disposal, and economic development must be made by ecological thinkers if we are to have a viable planet on which to live. College of the Atlantic was founded in 1969 to help educate such people through a single degree program in human ecology. Such a study emphasizes the understanding of interrelationships specifically those between humans and the technological and natural environ- ment. The purpose of such a study is the fostering of attitudes and the acquisition of skills that enable people to live in the world in ways that respect and enrich it rather than consume and damage it. Although there are no departments at COA, the curriculum is divid- ed into resource areas in which students may concentrate in order to develop preprofessional skills. Students are free to design their own programs of study or follow interdisciplinary models in environmental science, environmental design, public policy, ecological education, writing or values and society. Regardless of the emphasis, each stu- dent's education works toward attaining a world view that combines the clarity of the sciences with the compassion of the arts and humanities. The natural resources of the earth are finite; human potential has not yet reached its limits. Our goal is to search for balanced alter- natives based on a broader understanding of the earth and the human predicament. This is the creative challenge confronting the human ecologist: to redirect ourselves with knowledge and imagination toward an improved quality of life without sacrificing individual in- tegrity or our life-supporting environment. 4 Edward Kaelber Intrigued with the idea of starting a small college that would be free to develop a fresh approach to education and operate out of a spirit of collegiality and common purpose, Edward Kaelber came to College of the Atlantic in 1970 and began working with a handful of dedicated people. From their efforts the College has grown to a community of 250. "It is not that we at COA devised a new philosophy of education, rather we took from Whitehead the idea that education should be the 'acquisition of the art of the utilization of knowledge. We coupled this basic theme with Plato's awareness that education has a social dimension and Rousseau's concept that a true education must be self-directed. What we aspire to is generating in our students a long-term commitment to society, the environment and the quality of life. Our priorities have been and will continue to be people, ideas and educational tools rather than bricks and mortar." Prior to joining COA, Ed was an Associate Dean at Harvard University. In this capacity, he organized a secondary school in Nigeria. Formerly he owned and operated a lumber business in upstate New York. 5