College of the Atlantic
Encyclopedia
The College of the Atlantic, founded in 1969, is a private, alternative liberal-arts college located in Bar Harbor
on Mount Desert Island
, Maine
, United States
. It awards a bachelor's degree solely in the field of human ecology
, though with a variety of emphases. The college is small, with approximately 364 students and a full-time faculty of 27, and 15 part-time faculty. Its curriculum includes student-directed projects, community involvement, and interdisciplinary learning.
, and all freshmen are required to take an introductory core course in human ecology during their first term. Other requirements include two courses in each focus area (Environmental Studies, Arts and Design, Human Studies), one quantitative reasoning course, one history course, and one course that involves extensive writing. The intention is for students to explore and integrate ideas from different disciplines and to construct their own understanding of human ecology.
With its focus on interdisciplinary learning, College of the Atlantic does not have distinct departments, and all faculty members consider themselves human ecologists in addition to their formal specialization. Currently, there are professors of art
, art history
, anthropology
, creative writing
, political science
and peace studies, economics
, green and sustainable business, ecology
, biology
, botany
, environmental science
, sustainable food systems, film
, law
, environmental studies
, international policy, languages, philosophy
, history
, education
, music
and psychology
.
As a graduation requirement, all students must complete a term-long senior project and a human ecology essay in their final year, in addition to a mandatory internship sometime within their four years. For this senior project, students decide the methods and content which are then submitted for approval by their academic advisors. Projects are highly diverse and have included computer programs, scientific papers, ethnographic research, theatrical productions, educational curricula, complete novels, art exhibits, books of letters, garden renovations, and music compilations.
and are awarded full tuition scholarships through the Shelby Davis Scholarship
.
residents that wanted to stabilize the island economy by forming a year-round institution bringing educational opportunities, jobs, activities, and culture to the island during the seasons when tourist visitation was slim. First, they proposed the Acadia Peace College, but the idea was quickly dropped and COA as a school of human ecology was granted temporary approval on June 23, 1969, by the Maine State Board of Education. Most of the campus was purchased for $1 from the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate
Seminary, who used the site as a monastery. Parts of the campus were also donated by the Cough family (Bernard K. Cough I was one of the five founders of the school).
, offsetting all of its carbon emissions, including those created by visiting students; COA fulfilled the pledge in December 2007 by purchasing carbon offsets for their emissions through the Climate Trust of Oregon. The college currently offsets those emissions it cannot reduce or avoid via truck stop electrification through Carbonfund.org.
New student housing is also touted as being some of the most sustainable in the northeast, built partially from recycled materials and featuring compositing toilets, wood pellet heat, and superior insulation.
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
on Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island , in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 6th largest island in the contiguous United States. Though it is often claimed to be the third largest island on the eastern seaboard of the United States, it is actually second...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It awards a bachelor's degree solely in the field of human ecology
Human ecology
Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
, though with a variety of emphases. The college is small, with approximately 364 students and a full-time faculty of 27, and 15 part-time faculty. Its curriculum includes student-directed projects, community involvement, and interdisciplinary learning.
Curriculum
The school's curriculum is based on human ecologyHuman ecology
Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
, and all freshmen are required to take an introductory core course in human ecology during their first term. Other requirements include two courses in each focus area (Environmental Studies, Arts and Design, Human Studies), one quantitative reasoning course, one history course, and one course that involves extensive writing. The intention is for students to explore and integrate ideas from different disciplines and to construct their own understanding of human ecology.
With its focus on interdisciplinary learning, College of the Atlantic does not have distinct departments, and all faculty members consider themselves human ecologists in addition to their formal specialization. Currently, there are professors of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, creative writing
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and peace studies, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, green and sustainable business, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
, sustainable food systems, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
, international policy, languages, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
As a graduation requirement, all students must complete a term-long senior project and a human ecology essay in their final year, in addition to a mandatory internship sometime within their four years. For this senior project, students decide the methods and content which are then submitted for approval by their academic advisors. Projects are highly diverse and have included computer programs, scientific papers, ethnographic research, theatrical productions, educational curricula, complete novels, art exhibits, books of letters, garden renovations, and music compilations.
Students
Students have come from 36 states and 34 foreign countries. With international students comprising an average of 15 percent of its student population, College of the Atlantic is among the five liberal arts colleges with the highest proportion of international students. These students primarily graduate from United World CollegesUnited World Colleges
UWC is an education movement comprising thirteen international schools and colleges, national committees in over 130 countries and a series of short educational programmes. The UWC movement aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future...
and are awarded full tuition scholarships through the Shelby Davis Scholarship
Shelby Davis Scholarship
The Shelby Davis Scholarship is granted to graduates of the United World Colleges to study at universities in the United States. The Davis family's contribution to the United World Colleges, in scholarships and grants for building projects, represents the biggest contribution to international...
.
History
College of the Atlantic was started by Mount Desert IslandMount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island , in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 6th largest island in the contiguous United States. Though it is often claimed to be the third largest island on the eastern seaboard of the United States, it is actually second...
residents that wanted to stabilize the island economy by forming a year-round institution bringing educational opportunities, jobs, activities, and culture to the island during the seasons when tourist visitation was slim. First, they proposed the Acadia Peace College, but the idea was quickly dropped and COA as a school of human ecology was granted temporary approval on June 23, 1969, by the Maine State Board of Education. Most of the campus was purchased for $1 from the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
Seminary, who used the site as a monastery. Parts of the campus were also donated by the Cough family (Bernard K. Cough I was one of the five founders of the school).
Sustainability at COA
In 2004, COA was the first campus to make a multi-year commitment to be powered entirely by renewable energy, signing a 10-year contract with Endless Energy Corporation. In 2005 it was the first school to hold a zero-waste graduation. In October 2006, COA pledged to become carbon neutralCarbon neutral
Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference...
, offsetting all of its carbon emissions, including those created by visiting students; COA fulfilled the pledge in December 2007 by purchasing carbon offsets for their emissions through the Climate Trust of Oregon. The college currently offsets those emissions it cannot reduce or avoid via truck stop electrification through Carbonfund.org.
New student housing is also touted as being some of the most sustainable in the northeast, built partially from recycled materials and featuring compositing toilets, wood pellet heat, and superior insulation.
Notable alumni
- Amy GoodmanAmy GoodmanAmy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
, Journalist - Nell NewmanNell NewmanElinor Teresa Newman is a former child actress who performed under the name of Nell Potts. She is an environmentalist, biologist, and a prominent supporter of sustainable agriculture, who became an entrepreneur when she founded an organic food and pet food production company, Newman's Own...
, Environmentalist - Chellie PingreeChellie PingreeRochelle M. "Chellie" Pingree is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 2009. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.Pingree was a member of the Maine Senate from...
, US House of Representatives for Maine
External links
- Current Washington Monthly Liberal Arts Rankings
- College of the Atlantic from Princeton Review