College of the Atlantic
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1969 |
| Endowment | $19,500,000 |
| President | David Hales |
| Undergraduates | 300+ |
| Postgraduates | 7 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Rural |
| Avg. Class Size | 12 |
| Website | www.coa.edu |
The College of the Atlantic, founded in 1969, is a private, alternative liberal-arts college located on Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor, Maine. It awards a bachelor's degree and a master's degree solely in the field of human ecology, though with a variety of emphases. The college is relatively small, with approximately 350 students and a full-time faculty of 25. Its curriculum includes student-directed projects, community involvement, and interdisciplinary learning.
Curriculum
The school's curriculum is based on human ecology, 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 writing course. 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 anthropology, English, political science and peace studies, economics, ecology, biology, botany, environmental science, law, environmental studies, languages, philosophy, history, education, and music.
As a graduation requirement, all students must complete a final project in their last term of enrollment, in addition to a mandatory internship. Methods and content are decided by the students and approved by their academic mentors. Projects have included computer programs, scientific papers, ethnographic research, theatrical productions, and music compilations.
Students
Students have come from 49 states and 40 foreign countries. College of the Atlantic has the second highest percentage of international students of any college in the country, having an international population of 17%. These students primarily graduate from United World Colleges and are awarded full tuition scholarships through the Shelby Davis Scholarship.
History
College of the Atlantic was started by Mount Desert Island 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, the Acadia Peace College had been proposed, but the idea was quickly dropped and COA 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] In 2005 it was the first school to hold a zero-waste graduation. In October 2006, COA pledged to become carbon neutral, offsetting all of its carbon emissions, including those created by visiting students; they fulfilled the pledge in December 2007 by purchasing carbon offsets for their emissions through the Climate Trust of Oregon.[1]
New student housing is also touted as being some of the most sustainable in the northeast.[citation needed]
Notable Faculty
- William H. Drury Jr, author of Chance and Change