Unity Magazine - Winter 2011

WINTER 2011

A NEW ERA BEGINS President Stephen Mulkey Takes Office Focus on Sustainability Science Saving Cheetahs in Namibia Largest Gift Ever Charts Way Forward

From the President Unity College is at an exciting crossroads. With the infusion of a major donation to our endowment, we embark on a new era of thoughtful development. I am honored and privileged as a new president to have this remarkable opportunity to collaborate with the people of Unity College as we expand and deepen our reputation for relevance.

Our community’s health and resilience is a product of careful planning and close attention to the needs of our people and our environment, and I am grateful for the dedication and talent of all who have helped to put the College on the path to institutional maturity. Our faculty includes some of the finest scholars of liberal arts colleges in New England, and we have a staff of highly talented, dedicated professionals which serve the College daily. Our innovative advances in sustainability, including the Unity House and TerraHaus, have received national awards. Over the next few months and years, I intend for the College to expand its commitment to the practice of sustainability through new structures and refined operations.

The people of Unity College inspire and nurture academic and professional achievement. We are a leader in meaningful service learning programs. Our graduates move forward with the flexibility and confidence that comes from an experiential, interdisciplinary foundation for personal success. They take charge of their own futures as conservation professionals, scientists, artists, educators, and policy makers.

We have an ethical imperative to provide our students with the tools to understand, mitigate, and adapt to the environmental chal-

The College will provide students with the

lenges of today and tomorrow. Climate change is preeminent among

understanding to conduct what Thomas Berry

these, requiring new approaches to conservation and environmental

has called The Great Work of our time.

stewardship. To this end, the College will expand its commitment

to the scholarship of sustainability, providing students with the understanding to conduct what Thomas Berry has called The Great Work of our time. Sustainability science and studies will become increasingly central to our curriculum.

Unity College is well positioned to be a leader in this ‘Great Work’. A curriculum centered on the scholarship of sustainability, combined with a solid foundation in the humanities, provides the context and meaning necessary for our students to create sustainable lives and communities. Our commitment to providing innovative classroom and field experiences gives our students a competitive edge after graduation. Unity College will continue to be recognized as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation as we expand our emphasis on careers in the sustainability professions of the 21st century.

| UNITY Summer 2009

Stephen Mulkey President, Unity College

america’s environmental college WINTER 2011

Features Charting the Future President Stephen Mulkey Assumes Duties 16

Emphasis on Energy Efficiency Students Address Energy Realities of 21st Century 21

Addressing a World on the Brink The Value of an Environmental Education 26

Searching for Environmental Careers Accidental Environmentalist No More 29

Perspectives New Worlds and Opportunities Learning the Majesty and Magic of Pandas Saving Cheetahs is Goal for Eli Walker ’13

6

Travel Changes Hearts and Creates Connections Unity Goes Global with International Opportunities

7

Seeing the Inspirational Qualities of Lacrosse Rick Roy ’84 is Driven to Serve

12

Unprecedented Gift for Unity Unity College Receives Transformative $10 Million Gift

14

In Our Element Unity Welcomes New Trustees Support for Future is Bright 33

Alumni

Strengthening the Curriculum Academic Master Plan Takes Shape

41 Alum Success Adds Value to Our Institution

Celebrating Achievement and Embracing Change Friends Bid Farewell and Say Hello

41

34

35

Class Notes

Alumni Profiles 43 Danielle Dyer Tetreau ’03

On the Cover

President Stephen Mulkey and spouse Michele Leavitt transition to a new home at Unity College. Photo by Mark Tardif

From the Editor

Unity Magazine Volume 25, No. 2

A Transformative Gift Validates Unity’s Past While Ensuring Its Future Transformation seldom occurs in a single flourish, a bright streak of inspiration across the heavens, one act of validation, or single burst of insight.

Rather, transformation is best identified and understood through the lens of reflection. That is the best way to take in the sum total of the shift from what was commonly understood to what is now a reality.

What was commonly understood is that Unity College is a very good, small environmental college of modest means training those with a passion for adventure and the natural world to pursue careers in service to both. With the August announcement of a transformative $10 million gift to Unity’s unrestricted endowment from an anonymous donor comes a natural impulse to reassess.

This issue of Unity Magazine delights Unity’s clarity of mission and many achievements that inspired a philanthropic individual to make this sort of commitment to the College. It can be viewed as nothing less than the highest form of validation for all that Unity has been, is at present, and aspires to become.

In the words of Unity’s new President Stephen Mulkey, this type of gift is a “game changer,” ensuring the College’s future in a challenging higher education marketplace.

What remains consistent is Unity’s rock solid environmental mission along with its emerging national aspirations to provide a strong measure of leadership in the field of sustainability science, while developing a cutting-edge curriculum that prepares graduates to address the greatest environmental challenge of this time: Global Climate Change.

Several profiles highlight the human capital, both alumni and current students, that validate the effectiveness of Unity’s curriculum each day.

Aside from being transformative in its own right, this gift comes at a critically important juncture that promises transformation, the changing of Unity’s top leadership.

President Mulkey and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. William Trumble have been on the job since July. Articles in this issue highlight the strengths and achievements of both men while President Mulkey’s letter articulates a bold vision for leveraging Unity’s strengths in service to its mission.

With all transformations come both opportunities and challenges. What was good and familiar about Unity College remains so, even as the College adjusts to capitalize on its good fortune.

The College is poised to answer the challenges of training professionals for a new and growing green economy through its exceptional leadership, vision, commitment to sustainability science, human capital, and insights.

Mark Tardif Managing Editor

| UNITY Winter 2011

Managing Editor Mark Tardif Assistant Editors Kate Grenier Debora Noone Student Editors Frances Roth ’14 Zachary Small ’14 Student Photo Editor Jonah Gula ’15 Designer Skaar Design/Anneli Skaar Class Notes Editors Kate Grenier, Debora Noone, Dot Quimby Editorial Assistants Reeta Benedict, Robert Constantine, Joseph Galli, Cynthia Schaub Contributing Writers Reeta Benedict, Nicole Collins ’00, Joseph Galli, Ashley Kuplin ’12, Michele Leavitt, Jacob McCarthy, Dr. Stephen Mulkey, Debora Noone, Jesse Pyles, Dot Quimby, Mark Tardif, William Trumble, Sara Trunzo ’08, Contributing Photographers Dave Cleaveland, Maine Imaging Photography, Nicole Collins ’00, Jonah Gula ’15, Olivia Hanson ’11, In His Image Photography, Chris Kein, Molly Lindh ’12, Megan Mallory ’14, Jacob McCarthy, PR Newswire, Jesse Pyles, Frank Reske ’13, Tina Shute, Zachary Small ’14, Brittany Snyder ’14, Kelly Swart ’12, Mark Tardif, Sara Trunzo ’08 Board of Trustees Mr. William Zoellick, Chair; Ms. Margot Kelley, Vice Chair; Mr. Donald Foster, Treasurer; Ms. Juliet Browne, Secretary; Mr. Pete Didisheim; Mrs. Martha Dolben; Mr. William T. Hafford ’08, Ms. Sarah Jeffords; Mr. Robert Kelley; Mr. Jeffrey McCabe ’00; Mr. Frederic McCabe; Mrs. Nadine Mort; Dr. Stephen Mulkey, President; Mr. John Newlin; Mr. Bruce Nickerson; Mr. William Roesing; Mrs. Arlene Schaefer; Ms. Gloria Sosa ’83; Mr. Robert Tonge; Mr. Travis Wagner ’83; Mr. C. Jeffery Wahlstrom; Mr. James Horan, Faculty; Ms. Amy Kennedy ’12, Student.

We want to hear from you.

Letters to the editor, story ideas, or address changes may be sent to: Email: editor@unity.edu Mail: Letters, Unity Magazine

90 Quaker Hill Road

Unity, Maine 04988 Web: www.unity.edu

We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, clarity, and style. Submissions should be no longer than 250 words.

Unity Magazine is printed by Franklin Printing, Farmington, Maine, an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified printer and printed on Rolland Enviro 100, a 100% post-consumer paper manufactured using biogas energy.

Successful Completion of Campus Renovations and Building Projects By any measure, the spree of projects on the Unity College campus that took place from commencement until the beginning of the fall 2011 semester were significant in scope.

The most high profile projects included the construction of the Thomashow Learning Laboratories attached to Koons Hall, adding three offices, a preparation area, and two laboratories, for a total of 2,600 square feet. New wood pellet boilers were installed in both the Thomashow Learning Laboratories and the Dorothy W. Quimby Library.

Two cottages were torn down to make room for TerraHaus, the 10 bed residence hall built to Passive House standards. A water retention pond was completed near the Maintenance building. The remaining cottages were power washed and a laundry room was added to serve SonnenHaus Village. Koons Hall was re-sided to complete a comprehensive campus makeover.

UNITY Winter 2011 |

Unity College Names Dr. William Trumble as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Well regarded bio medical scholar and college administrator Dr. William Trumble began his new position as senior vice president for academic affairs in July.

The appointment of Trumble comes after several years of academic restructuring and refinement, strengthening and refreshing the curriculum. The goal has been to make the environmental curriculum relevant, leading-edged, and responsive to the ever changing nature of modern global environmental challenges.

As an environmental college that places an emphasis on hands-on learning, Unity emphasizes sustainability as a core value and academic focus across disciplines. The College now boasts five centers for academic excellence that collaborate to provide a strong multidisciplinary experience for all majors.

The five centers are the Center for Biodiversity; Center for Environmental Arts and Humanities; Center for Experiential and Environmental Education; Center for Natural Resource Management and Protection; and the Center for Sustainability and Global Change.

“Unity College seeks to attain a legitimate place of recognition among the very best small environmental colleges in the United States.”

Trumble will help Unity College continue the progress it has made to strengthening both its curriculum and national profile.

“Unity College seeks to attain a legitimate place of recognition among the very best small environmental colleges in the United States,” Trumble stated. “Given the variety of successes that the College has achieved in recent years, such as being named to the Princeton Review’s Green Ratings Honor Roll, bolstered by its talented, committed faculty and staff, there is much cause for optimism that it will achieve its fundamental short, mid and long-term aspirations.”

Trumble says that ultimately Unity College seeks to weigh in on environmental issues of regional, national and global concern while training the next generation of environmental stewards and leaders.

“Unity College has a defined purpose and a great mission,” Trumble said. “It is small, and as such, can emphasize student success and develop the characteristics in its graduates that differentiate them from others with similar degrees. That allows Unity graduates to get jobs in the area in which they trained.”

His teaching and research experience also includes service as an assistant professor of biochemistry, department of bac | UNITY Winter 2011

teriology and biochemistry at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho; research scientist at Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs of Richland, Washington; and postdoctoral research fellow at the Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in Nutley, New Jersey.

Trumble holds a doctorate in medical physiology, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas, Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas; and a bachelor of science in biochemistry from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

CAMPUS Perspectives

Incoming Students Explore Nature

By Jacob McCarthy, Web Content Developer Ask any Unity student or alumni about Nova and you’ll get an earful, since every incoming Unity student has spent time in the great outdoors with classmates before beginning their first semester. Designed to support the transition to college life at Unity, by emphasizing personal growth, building social connections, and promoting environmental stewardship, Nova is also common experience all students share and remember through their Unity years and beyond.

Arthur Nerzig ’15 said, “It is a really good experience and it helps the transition to college because you get to meet people before school actually starts.”

Mathias Hellner ’15 agreed. “Definitely four days in the wilderness gets a group bonding.” That certainly seemed to be the case on a recent Nova trip to the Bigelow Preserve. “I’ve never gone canoeing before so it was a new experience and it was a lot of fun,” said Amy Armenti ’15. Backpacking for four nights by mountain ponds, along picturesque ridges, and within sight of moose and other wildlife, this group of nine students learned that no matter what their field of study or career goal, a little hard work and camaraderie was a great way to start the next chapter in their lives.

The experience was transformative for incoming students.

Benjamin Hepler ‘15 summed up the program. “The best benefit of Nova is being able to introduce yourself into the wilderness ... you actually get to be outdoors learning about what you’re going to be doing in your major.”

UNITY Winter 2011 |

Perspectives STUDENTS

Learning the Majesty and Magic of Pandas in China

By Nicole Collins, Career Consultant / Internship Coordinator Rebekah Selmanie’s ’12 lifelong interest in working with animals brought her to Unity College. “The captive wildlife care and education program was everything I was looking for,” Selmanie said. “It has been the best decision I have ever made in my life.”

While her studies filled her with a sense of confidence, it was the internship program that inspired Selmanie’s journey to the Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Research Base in China, an organization that works to successfully breed Giant Panda for reintroduction into the wild.

Selmanie’s day to day activities were similar to local keeper internships: preparing diets, cleaning enclosures, and monitoring behavior. She was, however, faced with the added challenges of language barriers and cultural differences. “One thing I learned that is most important in any country with any job, is that hard work still does earn your respect from fellow zookeepers,” Selmanie

said. And it did. By the end of her internship she was entrusted with the responsibility of training new volunteers.

In addition to Selmanie becoming more independent and confident in her skills, this internship helped her to pinpoint what would be her specific area of interest. “This experi-

ence has opened my mind to new worlds and opportunities. I want to expand my knowledge of conservation and animals in captivity in other countries, especially endangered animals,” Selmanie stated. “I want to be part of the efforts to save the animal kingdom and improve this world for the better.”

Saving Cheetahs is Goal for Eli Walker ’13

By Nicole Collins, Career Consultant / Internship Coordinator This past May, Eli Walker ’13 found himself eye to eye with the world’s fastest land animal. For years he has been following the work of the internationally recognized Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), reading articles and researching their website.

“The CCF is the world’s leader in cheetah conservation and truly is a model organization for other conservation organizations around the world,” Walker said. “Their work is extremely successful and I knew that I would experience and learn things there that I probably wouldn’t anywhere else.”

Walker notes CCF’s close relationship and partnership with the local people of Namibia.

“Working with an organization that focuses on the welfare of people as well as biodiversity was too good an opportunity to pass up.” As a double major in captive wildlife care and education and wildlife biology, and with a humanitarian calling, this highly competitive internship appealed to Walker on many levels.

Walker was responsible for feeding, maintenance, data collection, basic medical procedures, facilitating cheetah runs and working with the public. As he gained experience, Walker’s responsibilities progressed to becoming the primary caretaker for Ambassador Cheetahs in-training.

“Ambassador Cheetahs are what CCF calls education animals (cats used to help educate the public),” Walker noted. “Because of their purpose, it is very important for them to have consistent human contact so that they remain habituated to humans.”

This experience helped reinforce what Walker hopes to be doing for the long-term. “I loved the work, the people and the purpose,” Walker said. “A world without nature is a world not worth living in, so I will do everything I can to help preserve our natural world.”

| UNITY Winter 2011

GLOBAL Perspectives

Unity Goes Global with International Educational Opportunities

By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator As Unity extends its reach, the College is developing a community-wide educational plan.

The College enjoys excellent local community participation through arts and educational programs, sustainability immersion in the Unity gardens, and other area partnerships. In the spirit of extending the intellectual assets of the College, Unity plans to launch international educational adventure trips to the community at large.

In 2013, Unity will partner with Pack Paddle Ski to offer two unique and specially designed international expeditions, combining education and hands-on immersion. Unity alumnus, Rick French ’80, and owner of Pack Paddle Ski, devotes his career to guiding others in adventure travel and will lead both trips.

“People open up to what they already know,” French says. “These trips give them the tools and a chance to say ‘why not?’ to what their hearts tell them to dream.”

Pack Paddle Ski’s business focus is an example of global paradigm shifts in educa-

tional offering. The trips are a platform for community members to experience handson, out-of-classroom education; a norm for Unity students. They are an opportunity for Unity’s faculty to use their expertise by offering component programs to the trip agenda.

Participants will embark on a life-changing adventure, where they will be able to immerse themselves in a different culture, learn sustainable practices of other countries, and give back through a group project to the areas visited.

“Time spent close to the beauty of the earth reminds us of what is ‘real’ in our lives,” French says. “Too often we live in the illusion we are in control of earth and our lives. Sensitive travel changes hearts and creates connections between travelers, the people they meet, and the world they experience.”

When travelers return to the community, the College will showcase trip stories to the general public.

The presentations act as another vehicle with which to extend the Unity brand beyond our immediate borders, attracting more students from across the country, and building relationships with potential foundation and business funders, as well as individual donors.

Recently, Unity received prestigious awards and ratings. Now, in partnership with Pack Paddle Ski we can give community members a hands-on experience, highlighting Unity’s mission, its successes, and unique educational offerings. The summation of this shared experience is echoed in the words of Rick French.

“I’ve watched as a small hand reaching out across a boundary of cultures and oceans changed the heart of a woman who, in her 40’s, returned to the USA to go to nursing school so she could return to Africa and help.”

Mt. Everest trekkers: (left) Gazing at front of Everest under string of prayerflags. (top right) In front of Tengboche monastery after a blessing from the monks. (bottom right) Spinning giant prayer wheel in reflection of wonders of Khumbu.

UNITY Winter 2011 |

Perspectives COMMUNITY

Unity College Joins Launch of $1 Billion “Green Challenge” One of the most energy efficient colleges in the United States has signed on to one of the most ambitious initiatives in “green” history.

In September, Unity College joined with 31 other leading institutions to launch the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The goal is to invest a cumulative total of one billion dollars in selfmanaged green revolving funds that finance energy efficiency upgrades on campus.

Unity is in good company. Other colleges joining Unity include Harvard, Stanford, and Arizona State.

As part of the Founding Circle, Unity has the distinction of being the only institution in Maine to take the lead in making this commitment. The Challenge is inspired by the exceptional performance of existing green revolving funds, which have a median annual return on investment of 32 percent, as documented

by Greening The Bottom, www.GreeningTheBottomLine.org, a report published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

A bright spot in a rocky economy, these profitable investments are helping create green jobs in campus communities, while lowering operating costs on college and university campuses.

“We’re transforming energy efficiency upgrades from perceived expenses to high-return investment opportunities,” said

Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, which is coordinating The Challenge along with 13 partner organizations. “Unity College should be commended for rising to The Challenge and investing in energy efficiency improvements on campus.”

The Billion Dollar Green Challenge launched on October 11 at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) conference in Pittsburgh. With more than 2,500 participants, including representatives of Unity College, the conference is the largest gathering to date on higher education sustainability.

“The Challenge asks our higher education systems to invest in green revolving funds to support the campus sustainability movement,” said Paul Rowland, executive director of AASHE. Supporters of The Challenge include the David Rockefeller Fund, HOK, John Merck Fund, Kresge Foundation, Merck Family Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, and the Wallace Global Fund.

Professor Doug Fox and Hannah Kreitzer ’12 presented an overview of TerraHaus at the AASHE 2011 Conference, held October 9-12 in Pittsburgh, Penn. The subject was entitled Living and Learning in a Passive House Residence Hall.

| UNITY Winter 2011

COMMUNITY Perspectives

Sebasticook Regional Land Trust Flourishes with Unity College Affiliation When Jennifer Irving received the good news in January that the Packard Family of Unity had donated 180 acres off Route 9 in and around Kanokolus Bog in Unity to the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust (SRLT), she knew what her next move would be. She picked up the phone and called Jennifer Olin, Community-Based Learning coordinator at Unity College.

As executive director of the land trust, Irving is well aware of the expertise that the college is capable of providing. Over the past several years Olin has linked professors, students and classes with the land trust.

“The donors really wanted us to use the property for environmental education purposes,” Irving said.

Olin connected Irving with Tom Mullin, associate professor of parks, recreation and ecotourism. The result is that four students in a senior capstone class for the parks, recreation and ecotourism major taught by Mullin entitled Park Planning and Design are spending the semester working on a management plan for the property.

“This is a raw piece of land without trails,” Irving explained.

“Ultimately if we have the public use this piece of land we want to ensure that there is a good plan in place including safety precautions.” The plan the students write will also address other important concerns such as the optimal location for trails, ideal locations for education, and places that should be kept off limits because they are too environmentally sensitive.

Irving praised the project’s progress and track record of collaborations with Unity College faculty, staff and students.

“There certainly is a lot of enthusiasm at Unity and faculty really urge students to get outside and work with the community,”

Irving said. “It is tremendously beneficial to work with Unity College students because they bring in a new set of perspectives, new energy, and the expertise of the faculty is an added bonus.”

Mullin sees great benefits from an educational standpoint to working with SRLT. “Having the opportunity for students to work with the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust on such a unique property has been an outstanding learning connection between the classroom and the professional work environment,” Mullin stated.

“We are very fortunate to have organizations like the SRLT to work with,” Olin said. “They provide our students with the real world, hands-on learning and environmental problem solving experiences that our students need as they pursue various aspects of sustainability science through their degree programs.

SRLT brings the classroom learning to life.”

Ian Anthony Croci ’12 (left facing) and Riley Welch ’12 gathering information about the tract of land for which they will write a management plan. Also working on the project are Chelsea Vosburgh ’12 and Kathryn Nolan ’12.

UNITY Winter 2011 |

Perspectives SERVICE

Service to Community: An Engrained Value at Unity College

By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator Unity alumni are change agents. “By being active in our local communities, we develop a sense of accomplishment, pride, and caring for individuals,” said Peter Abello, A Unity alumnus. “This is what community is all about.”

Travis Collins ’00, Sara Trunzo ’08, and Peter Abello ’95 are but three of our alumni who show community pride and caring through action.

In June, Travis Collins received a 2011 Commissioner’s Recognition Award from the Maine Department of Education, after only two years of teaching alternative education at Mount View High School in Thorndike, Maine.

Travis used the sustainability skills and knowledge learned at Unity College to effectively impact lives of students who are in jeopardy of truancy or dropping out.

“Collins engages the most at-risk students in relevant project-based activities that lead students to gain the necessary credits to graduate on time,” said Commissioner Bowen. “Collins’ students built a greenhouse, and raised and sold seedlings, demonstrating entrepreneurship, construction skills, and sustainability of self.”

Trunzo demonstrated early commitment to service while at Unity College, winning several related senior awards.

Trunzo was recently recognized by college and community members for her work as Food and Farm projects coordinator in the College Sustainability Office, Unity Barn Raisers’ Veggies For All project coordinator, and Volunteer Regional Food Pantry board member.

“I like to see things grow. Whether it’s a volunteer network, a project plan, a field of squash, or a student’s skills—those events occur naturally,” said Trunzo.

“What excites me is the opportunity to ‘prune and trellis’ these processes, so they occur in interconnected, concentrated, and artful ways.”

Peter Abello is a board member of the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust, and 10 | UNITY Winter 2011

Travis used the sustainability skills and knowledge learned at Unity College to effectively impact lives of students who are in jeopardy of truancy or dropping out. volunteers for Unity Barn Raisers, Unity College, and as a citizen scientist for the Mountain Birdwatch Program.

“The diversity of courses and perspectives in the Unity curriculum, led me to analyze human beings’ ecological niche in the environment,” said Abello.

“The College provided a foundation for me to formulate a strong environmental ethic, leading me to be active in my community.”

“Service to community is an engrained value at Unity,” said Trunzo, encapsulating the concept that Unity alumni surely are change agents for the healthy future of this earth.

Travis Collins ’00 hiking in Bar Harbor.

Peter Abello ’95 at UCCPA lecture. Sara Trunzo ’08. Sara Trunzo ’08 and President Mulkey listen to community member accolades about Sara’s service to the College.

SERVICE Perspectives

Unity College Named to President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll For the second year in a row, Unity College has been named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The 2010 roll, released in May of 2011, awards colleges for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community. Unity was one of only two colleges in Maine to be named to the honor roll.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) honored Unity College as a leader among institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. ”Service is what we do here at Unity,” noted Community-Based Service Learning

Coordinator Jennifer Olin. “Teaching our students to effectively tackle environmental issues necessarily means working with and serving others who are carrying out similar work.”

The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists, and six received the Presidential Award.

A total of 851 institutions applied for the

2010 Honor Roll. With a nine percent increase over last year, it is a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.

Climate Change Event A Success in Raising Awareness, Advancing Dialogue

3:30 p.m. in the commons area of the Common Ground Country Fair and culminated in fair-goers flowing through a large scale number “350” at 3:50 pm.

“Climate change will not be solved by a single individual, single program, or single discipline,” Zavodny stated. “Similarly, the Moving Maine climate change action at Com-

mon Ground involved several organizations including Unity College, MOFGA, Transition Towns, and 350.org. Our event brought news attention to climate change, involved upwards of 30 Unity students in leadership roles, and we got to know our friends at MOFGA better by working on a meaningful and successful joint project.”

A well-known Unity College professor led a highly successful climate change awareness effort during the recent Common Ground Country Fair in Unity.

John Zavodny, director of the Center for Environmental Arts and Humanities at Unity College and WERU radio show host, served as primary planner for the 350.org “Moving Planet” climate action event. The rally was held on September 24, 2011 at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) grounds in Unity.

The number “350” refers to the amount of carbon that the atmosphere can safely contain. Current estimates put the amount of carbon in the atmosphere just above 390 parts per million. Zavodny says he got involved in the event because it seemed like a great opportunity for Unity College to take the lead in a climate change effort on the national stage.

Zavodny’s effort was tied to events across the country. The climate change action began at UNITY Winter 2011 | 11

Perspectives SERVICE

Rick Roy ’84

By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator Many Unity alumni live their lives in service to others. Rick Roy ’84 is one of them. As an Oregon Bureau of Land Management field manager, he safe-guards our natural resources.

Rick’s philosophy is “you are on Earth to serve and make a difference in other people’s lives, not to be selfish with your time, talents, or resources;” words he puts into practice every day.

He and his wife raise nine children. Three are adopted and three others are Northern Paiute brothers, wards of the state, each with in-utero drug exposure and behavior issues.

The Paiute tribe asked Rick to start a lacrosse program. Although it is the smallest in Oregon and the most remote in the U.S., the program gives native and non-native players an opportunity to participate in organized sports. The inclusive program incorporates traditional aspects of the game by holding a “Medicine Game” in the fall, reciting a “prayer of thanksgiving” as tribal leaders bless players and the field prior to each match, wearing the Iroquois emblem of Hiawatha’s belt on their helmets, and holding games in conjunction with the local powwow.

The high school and youth program gained national exposure by qualifying for post season matches and placing players on the All Conference and All State teams. Many players have gone on to play college lacrosse, as Rick did at Unity.

Voted 2011 Coach of the Year by his conference peers, Rick works to expand lacrosse in southern Oregon and in summer lacrosse camps in Oregon, New York, Idaho and Arizona. Rick’s advice to Unity College undergrads, “Anything is possible. You are the road to your future. Look where I ended up, over 3000 miles from Unity.” It is evident Rick is making a difference in his little corner of the world.

“You are on Earth to serve and make a difference in other people’s lives, not to be selfish with your time, talents, or resources.”

Former Unity College lacrosse player, Rick Roy ’84, voted 2011 Coach of the Year, coaches his Paiute team. Members of Roy’s 2011 lacrosse team.

12 | UNITY Winter 2011

CAMPUS Perspectives

A Campus Where Artistic Creativity Shines For several years unique works of art have been springing up about campus, leading to an interesting vista for the College community to enjoy. The works are affixed to buildings, hung from trees, and incorporated into a large ceramic mural at the Founders Hall South entrance near the art gallery.

Ceramic murals completed in a class taught by Adjunct Instructor of Pottery Randy Fein were first displayed in 2008. Fein and Professor of Art Ben Potter are strong proponents of displaying student art on campus.

“We live in a world where we want to look at things that are visually interesting and stimulating,” Fein said. “Many of these projects (on campus) have been completed through collaborative, cooperative efforts. To work together as collaboration is very harmonious.”

Fine added that the art displayed about campus mark the community as creative, thoughtful, and visual.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 13

Perspectives DEVELOPMENT

Unity College Receives Transformative $10 Million Gift In August, Unity College announced a gift of $10 million for unrestricted endowment from an anonymous donor. The gift is unprecedented in Unity’s 45-year history and more than triples its existing endowment.

Endowment gifts are really investments in the College’s future, noted President Stephen Mulkey, who announced the gift as part of his first State of the College address. Although this gift does not immediately impact our budget, over time the gift will create budget relief to the annual operating revenue, at approximately 4 percent of the College’s current budget. Such endowment resources are especially important at small colleges like Unity that rely so heavily on tuition each year.

“The donor’s intent to provide unrestricted support comes with great responsibility,” Mulkey said. “Climate change is one of the gravest challenges we’ve faced and we have an ethical imperative to provide a 21st century approach to sustainability science and to include this in our curriculum.”

While endowment gifts may not be as tangible as gifts for new buildings or other capital projects, they create unique opportunities for colleges like Unity that have the potential to implement change quickly. Unity’s small size, dedicated faculty, and relative youth make it a nimble and potentially leading-edge institution in this regard.

Mulkey stated that this gift is a tremendous vote of confidence in the College.

“A gift of this magnitude and purpose speaks highly to the work of everyone at Unity College,” Mulkey said. “It is a clear signal of the value of everyone’s efforts and the importance of the education Unity College provides.”

The Unity campus community celebrates the announcement of a $10 Million gift.

Extending the Reach Message from Joe Galli, Interim Vice President of College Development It is indeed

Giving Committee. These advisory groups

College’s fundraising efforts optimizing the

an exciting time

will bring a wealth of insight, ideas, and

College’s potential.

to be at Unity

volunteerism to our college community.

The growth of the fundraising efforts

College.

With

Members will review, recommend, and

at Unity is also marked by a sub-branded

growing recogni-

advise on annual campaign strategy; fos-

Unity Fund logo.

tion and national

ter, cultivate and represent development

identify the annual fund as a major tool

This logo will help to

reputation, fund-

opportunities to specific constituencies to

in meeting the College’s annual financial

raising for this outstanding College has be-

recruit, educate, and motivate volunteers.

needs.

come even more dynamic. As resources

Working closely with the director of annual

These committees extend the reach of

have increased, so has our ability to do the

giving and the Development Office, mem-

our fundraising efforts as well as solidifying

“good work.”

bers of each committee will help by ensur-

deeper working relationships with all con-

The Office of College Development an-

ing a successful annual fund program for

stituencies – alumni, parents, employees,

nounces the formation of the inaugural

Unity College. It is the purpose of these

and friends. We invite you all to keep up

Annual Fund Committee and the Student

committees to add scope and depth to the

with our progress as the year unfolds.

14 | UNITY Winter 2011

DEVELOPMENT Perspectives

Allen Insurance and Financial Announces Unity College Scholarship, Focus on Service and Sustainability In keeping with the company’s focus on

Financial and Unity College share a strong

community and service to Maine’s future,

commitment to sustainability and educa-

during the fall semester Allen Insurance

tion. Maine’s vibrant agricultural sector is

and Financial of Camden, Rockland, and

a strength for the state. Shayne exempli-

Southwest Harbor announced the creation

fies the future of agriculture and a sustain-

of an annual scholarship at Unity College.

able lifestyle through the work he is and

Each year, a $2K scholarship will be

will be doing. The future of the way we eat

awarded to a Unity College student study-

and live rests in the hands of students like

ing in the Center for Sustainability and

Shayne.”

Global Change. The first recipient of this scholarship is Shayne Van Leer ’13, an

“We are excited to be a part of Unity College’s mission in preparing young people for 21st century environmental issues.”

Photo: Left to right facing: Joe Galli of Unity College, Shayne Van Leer ’13, Richard Crossman and Sherree Craig of Allen Insurance and Financial

agriculture, food and sustainability major from Berlin, New Jersey.

“We are excited to be a part of Unity College’s mission in preparing young people for 21st century environmental issues,” noted Gilbert Fifield, president of Allen Insurance and Financial. “Unity College is a tremendous asset to the region. The education provided to the environmental leaders of tomorrow affects us all and we want to do our part by supporting their ongoing efforts with this scholarship. We are proud to support students with a passion for community and sustainability.”

“This relationship is an outstanding example of community leadership, commitment and social responsibility,” said Joe Galli, Interim Vice President of College Development. “Allen Insurance and

Davis Educational Foundation Grant The Davis Educational Foundation has

resources to assist with selected faculty sti-

As always, all that we do to improve our

awarded a $134,000 grant for the imple-

pends, professional development, and tools

infrastructure directly benefits our students.

mentation of the Academic Master Plan to

and technology costs.”

“Through this grant we will improve individ-

enhance our students’ education for 21st century environmental issues.

This grant promises specific outcomes

ual program structures, the efficiency with

including the establishment and implemen-

which they are executed, as well as tangible

William Trumble, senior vice president

tation of assessment plans for majors, an

classroom amenities. All of these enhance-

for academic affairs, explained “This grant

improved advising system, and the selec-

ments directly impact our students’ learn-

allows us to move quickly to further ad-

tion and piloting of technologies to support

ing experience in a positive way,” noted

vance Unity’s academic renewal with some

attaining and assessing learning outcomes.

Trumble.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 15

President Stephen Mulkey Assumes Duties and Charts Ambitious Course

By Mark Tardif, Associate Director of College Communication arrived on campus I felt a warm, open atmosphere and a connection with community. There is a boundless enthusiasm and sense of possibility linking all of those dedicated to this endeavor together. It will be a pleasure to serve this community and grow with it.”

Mulkey comes to Unity from his most recent position as director of the program in environmental science at the University of Idaho. He will lead a college that has achieved a number of milestones. During this period of time Unity has transformed from a quality, small environmental college with a regional reputation to a multi-award winning leader in cutting-edge, hands-on, experiential environmental programs and sustainability with a developing national presence.

A Global Perspective

In May, internationally-recognized scientist Stephen Mulkey was named President by the Board of Trustees. He and spouse Michele Leavitt arrived on campus on July 5th.

As they unpacked, their dogs Heather and Keeper happily set about digging up bones buried by the dog of the outgoing president.

Long before this scene played out at Unity House, Mulkey had articulated his bold vision for Unity College. It is a vision that capitalizes on key strengths of the College while comprehensively addressing how the curriculum matches the green job market of the 21st Century.

“There is a close knit community at Unity College that is dedicated, hands-on, collaborative and supportive,” noted Mulkey upon his appointment in May. “From the moment I

16 | UNITY Winter 2011

Given his three decades of scientific experience, including research on the functional ecology of forests in Eastern Amazonia, tropical forest canopies in wet and dry forests of Central Panama, and tropical alpine rosette species in East Africa, Mulkey brings a truly global perspective to the presidency.

Mulkey holds a bachelor of science degree in forestry, fisheries, and wildlife from the University of Missouri, Columbia; a master of arts degree in biology and ecology, also from the University of Missouri; and a doctorate in biology and ecology from The University of Pennsylvania.

Tim Glidden, who was chairman of the board at the time of Mulkey’s appointment in May, praised Mulkey’s extensive track record of success in the sciences, strong reputation in higher education, and ability to articulate a vision for attaining key goals.

“In some ways our tag line ‘America’s Environmental College’ expressed our collective aspirations,” said Glidden. “The scope of achievements that Unity has attained and measure of leadership it has shown in environmental education, particularly relating to sustainability, makes our tag line ever more relevant and accurate. With Dr. Mulkey set to assume the presidency of the College, Unity clearly has achieved a legitimate place among the best small environmental colleges in the United States.”

“There is a boundless enthusiasm and sense of possibility linking all of those dedicated to this endeavor together. It will be a pleasure to serve this community and grow with it.”

Building Upon Successes “This is an opportunity to lead Unity College to continue developing its strategic contacts within the higher education, philanthropic, and sustainability communities both regionally and nationally,” Mulkey stated. “We will form partnerships where appropriate with stakeholders working in business and sustainability science and technology, and position Unity College to attain a place of national prominence among the very best environmental colleges.”

There is much about Unity’s track record in recent years to bolster its credibility. Such credibility will come in handy when setting an ambitious agenda to assist the College as it seeks to attain a legitimate place among the very best, small environmental colleges in the United States.

In 2008, Unity House was constructed as the first campus residence of the college president. The net zero prototype home of the future achieved LEED Platinum designation, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating for environmentally sustainable construction.

Waking Up in Unity

By Michele Leavitt, Presidential Spouse

Tuesday morning, July 5, 2011 -- Stephen and I arrived at Unity House with our two dogs, Heather and Keeper, after three weeks on the road. Within what seemed like just a few minutes, Stephen was in his office and on-task with presidential duties, guiding Unity College on its path of continuous improvement.

Meanwhile, I got busy making Unity House into our home, with the occasional break to step outside into the warm summer air to meet our new neighbors.

Outside Unity House in July, the lupine and peony blossoms had gone to seed, but the daylily, coneflower, and daisy blossoms waved in the Quaker Hill breeze. The trees rustled with the activity of kingbirds, merlins, and finches. As I write now, at the beginning of September, the phlox, sedums and asters bloom, and the apples ripen. A pair of beavers cavort under the new bridge between the College and the town. Autumn promises a generous harvest.

The generosity of Unity has astonished us – the bounty of the farmers market, the friendliness of the town’s people, the warmth of faculty and staff, the bright and shining faces of new students. We wake up in Unity each day with a profound sense of gratitude for the natural beauty surrounding us, and for the opportunity to live and work alongside a community of remarkable people.

Keep up with what’s happening at Unity House by visiting our blog: livinggreenatunityhouse.blogspot.com

UNITY Winter 2011 | 17

The announcement of President Mulkey’s appointment was featured on the PR Newswire electronic board in Times Square.

18 | UNITY Winter 2011

“We will form partnerships where appropriate with stakeholders working in business and sustainability science and technology, and position Unity College to attain a place of national prominence among the very best small environmental colleges.”

In 2010, Unity College was named to the top 30 of the Washington Monthly college rankings, and was one of eighteen U.S. colleges and universities named to The Princeton Review’s Green Rating Honor Roll. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching also selected Unity College for its 2010 Community Engagement Classification. Unity College was among only two institutions of higher learning in Maine that were among the 112 U.S. colleges and universities named to the list.

In September, Mulkey participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting to herald the opening of TerraHaus, the first college residence hall in the United States built to the Passive House standard, the highest international standard for energy efficiency. TerraHaus is only the latest in a series of projects that have not only expanded the range of educational options available at Unity College, but have highlighted its clear, compelling national leadership aspirations.

“Unity’s successes go well beyond bricks and mortar,” noted Glidden. “There are no limits that we have placed on Unity’s future and this is precisely the kind of thinking and attitude that Dr. Mulkey believes to be true, and it is why his leadership will build upon the foundation that is already in place here.”

“I have been impressed for some time by the achievements of Unity College,” noted Mulkey. “From its vision for the creation of academic centers, to the focused and organized curriculum to meet the complex, ever changing needs of a natural world facing the crisis of climate change, to its leadership in sustainability, this college has reached a place where its promise really is coming to fruition. It is a distinct honor to serve Unity College at this time of growing national recognition and I am privileged to help continue the College’s transformation and growth.”

The Way Forward Seeking to develop effective programs in sustainability and environmental education propelled Mulkey to direct programs at the University of Florida and the University of Idaho, and now, the presidency at Unity College. Along with his significant science credentials, Mulkey brings experience in such high profile posts as serving on The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, the commission to envision the future of Florida.

President Mulkey has been engaged with every segment of the College community. In addition to offering several presentations on global climate change for both internal and external constituencies, President Mulkey has visited friends of the College off campus and attended the AASHE 2011 conference, held in Pittsburgh, Penn, from October 9-12.

Mulkey is a professional who flourishes in the big leagues of environmental policy and higher education. His arrival at Unity College coincides with a string of noted successes, and positions the College to achieve more.

Why would Mulkey leave the world of large, established university programs and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, for life as the president of a small environmental college that is younger than he is?

The answer is both simple and complex. Simply put, a small college such as Unity is more adaptable than larger institutions and can easily change course, and Mulkey viewed the close-knit culture at the College to be a powerful advantage for achieving such change.

The demands of the 21st century green economy adds to the complexity of guiding a college curriculum through frequent innovations and research discoveries that continually redefine the skill sets necessary for environmental professionals to flourish.

Mulkey believes Unity College is ideally positioned to provide leadership in the application of sustainability science.

During this decade, sustainability science emerged as a new academic discipline, first introduced as such in Amsterdam at the World Congress “Challenges of a Changing Earth 2001” Proceedings of the Global Change Open Science Conference.

Sustainability science has been on the rise ever since. As described on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) website, sustainability science research deals with “interactions between UNITY Winter 2011 | 19

natural and social systems … meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet’s life support systems.”

Interviewing with Central Maine Newspapers reporter Beth Staples, Mulkey shared his vision of how sustainability science would come to define Unity College.

“In this window of opportunity, when other institutions find it difficult to move and change, this smaller, more nimble institution, will position itself to be known nationally as one of the best places in the country to learn sustainability science,” Mulkey said. “Climate change is going to be the heart and soul of that.”

Mulkey believes that the concept of sustainability should not just be about composting and putting Solar photovol-

taic on the roof of the Presidents’ house.

“It’s an entire mindset or metaphor for how we see ourselves and how we interact with the planet,” Mulkey said.

“It includes a lot of science.”

Right Place, Right Time Forty-six years after its inception, Unity has ascended to a place of national esteem. Unity’s rural location is one of its greatest assets, given the College’s strong focus on hands-on experiential learning. Mulkey believes the time is right for Unity to define environmental leadership beyond the confines of Quaker Hill.

Mulkey understands the College’s leadership includes preparing students for the reality of work. Humanities education—learning to write—is crucial to being well rounded and ready for future workplace requirements. “I learned

critical thinking and logical analysis in English class,” Mulkey said.

Mulkey stresses that “green” approaches are gaining a foothold as part of the solution to America’s economic woes. “There’s money to be made in making the shift to the green economy,” Mulkey told a print news reporter.

In Maine, with an economy hard hit by the offshore outsourcing of textile and paper manufacturing, signs show green innovation is taking hold – from the growth of wind power and biofuel to the innovation at Sappi Fine Paper North America and Old Town Fuel and Fibre.

Given such developments, Mulkey’s message about economic opportunities addressing the environmental issues of the 21st Century is a good one upon which to build his presidency.

Life in Balance, Unexpected Turn Brings Stephen Mulkey and Michele Leavitt to Unity College

By Ashley Kuplin ’12 and Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator Pulling back the sliding glass door that first morning in Maine, Michele Leavitt, spouse of new President Stephen Mulkey, knew her transition to this new home and community would go smoothly. Leavitt has spent most of her life in Massachusetts, and the New England landscape feels like home to her.

“Unity has a good vibe,” Leavitt said. “It’s comfortable and relaxed and everybody has been wonderful and welcoming.”

Leavitt brings her own experience and expertise to Unity College.

She holds a juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School, a master’s of arts in literature from Salem State College and a master of fine arts in creative writing from Vermont College of Norwich University. A recipient of many grants and awards, she’s published over 50 pieces of poetry and short prose.

In September, Leavitt hosted the kick-off session of Director of Unity’s Writing Center Judy William’s Writing Circle. Unity House was overflowing with students, faculty and staff, enjoying pizza and reading from their own works. Leavitt also started a blog about her involvement in the Unity community and has profiled local Unity alumni.

Both Mulkey and Leavitt have expressed an interest in promoting the humanities on campus. Leavitt taught in the English department at the University of Idaho, and this spring will teach a creative writing class to include poetry. Future plans involve hosting a “poetry slam”

20 | UNITY Winter 2011

at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts. Leavitt says the act of competitively writing and performing your own poetry, and being judged by your peers, is “a vibrant way to experience poetry.”

It is obvious Michele Leavitt is passionate about her new role at the College.

“Unity walks the walk and allows all to talk the talk,” Leavitt said.

“Stephen and I are delighted to be here.” As Leavitt and her dogs Heather and Keeper take daily jaunts on the surrounding trails, be sure to say hello. With enthusiasm, Leavitt states, “I want to get to know everyone.”

Approaches to Energy Education Students Train to Address Energy Realities of 21st Century

By Jesse Pyles, Sustainability Coordinator Strolling around Unity’s booth in the Energy & Shelter area of September’s Common Ground Country Fair, a person gets a good sense of the College’s approach to energy.

Sustainable Design and Technology Program Director and Professor Mick Womersley built the new display this summer with help from his students. The booth demonstrates both construction and weatherization techniques, and insulation and air sealing materials that influence energy performance of a building.

The monitor hooked up to Womersley’s laptop is powered by the solar panels on the south wall of the booth. A Jimmy Carter Solar Panel - once atop the White House - is prominently displayed alongside a solar concentrator - that could roast marshmallows in moments - made from an old satellite dish and tinfoil. Though registered as a “vendor” at the Fair, Unity College isn’t there to sell or drum up business. Rather, Womersley’s display models sustainable energy and demonstrates Unity’s approach to sustainability education. What makes Unity College unique is not our use of building energy efficiency techniques and renewable energy technologies, but the educational impact of these efforts on our students and the broader community.

Our Energy Story The TerraHaus is a shining jewel in Unity’s energy crown.

The 10 student residence hall is a first-of-its-kind building designed to use only 10 percent of the energy of similar buildings in our area. Although, TerraHaus pushes the envelope in building energy performance, it is simply the latest energy story in Unity’s long sustainability narrative; not the final chapter.

Unity’s story begins in our classrooms and campus planning discussions. A community conversation focusing on environmental impacts of resource use in the classroom will naturally evolve into considering energy use in buildings. Of course, our budget and facilities committees are keeping a close eye on the cost implications of our campus energy use for space

UNITY Winter 2011 | 21

For the most part, the College has residential and small commercial scale energy systems and buildings, giving us flexibility and opportunity to pilot different approaches to energy use and performance with different applications.

Unity College Energy by the Numbers

By Jesse Pyles, Sustainability Coordinator Call it “Yankee thrift,” or “frugal sustainability,” or just “good sense,” but the Unity College community is, for the most part, a pretty energy conscious bunch. That is the finding from the energy assessment completed last spring by campus sustainability fellow, Dr. Anne Stephenson.

Stephenson’s grant-funded placement at Unity for over a year was a result of our involvement with the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Accelerating Campus Climate Change Initiatives program. Her report suggests that there is no silver bullet solution to significantly reducing campus building energy use.

Instead, it documents 180 energy conservation measures that taken together could save the school about 25 percent of our

22 | UNITY Winter 2011

current annual energy costs. You can find the full results of the energy assessment online at the Sustainability Monitor sustainabilitymonitor.wordpress.com/energy-plan/.

Stephenson’s energy plan has also given us a detailed look at building energy use that will be central to facilities and sustainability planning well into the future. While we have tracked campus energy use in the aggregate for many years, until now we have been unable to adequately track building-specific data.

The graph below shows the energy use intensity of our campus buildings. It documents oil, propane, and electricity use expressed in British thermal units (their common energy output) per square foot.

heating, cooking, and electricity. We have a record of making the best energy choices we can, given our financial resources and consideration of competing priorities.

Our energy story includes some public efforts. For more than a decade, Unity has purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) to support renewable energy production in Maine and elsewhere. Unity is steward of the Jimmy Carter White House solar panels which heated water in the cafeteria for 12 years. We’ve installed demonstration, smallscale wind and solar photovoltaic systems on campus. And in 2008 we partnered with Bensonwood Homes to build the country’s first LEED Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, is a building certification process developed by the U.S. Green Building Council), net-zero energy president’s home on a college campus – the Unity House.

The College’s emphasis on energy efficiency in recent construction has been less public. Great attention has been paid to insulation and energy systems in the Maplewood residence hall and the additions to the Allison M. Hall Welcome Center and Cianchette residence hall. Energy efficiency has been a central concern of builder Joe Bellerose ’77 on new constructions and other campus renovations in recent years. These efforts have contributed to relatively stable overall campus energy use despite the addition of built space.

Points of Entry As a small campus with a diverse building stock, Unity presents multiple points of entry for energy innovation. We don’t have a single heating system that would require a tremendous investment to upgrade or replace. For the most part, the College has residential and small commercial scale energy systems and buildings, giving us flexibility and opportunity to pilot different approaches to energy use and performance with different applications.

With a small amount of grant funding, the College replaced the fuel oil heating system in our library with a wood pellet system (see page 24). More blown-in cellulose insulation was added last summer in Constable Hall – an 1800’s farmhouse typical of many homes in Maine. Maplewood utilizes solar tubes, drawing sunlight into the interior of the building and reducing the need for electric lighting. Annually, the Unity House

The campus recycling crew; students building a root cellar on campus; Jesse Pyles chats at the ceremony to celebrate the opening of TerraHaus in September; Unity House illuminated at dusk; the creation of several meadows on campus has cut down on energy use for mowing.

produces more electricity with its 5.4 kW solar panel array than the house uses.

Because we have several small and medium-sized buildings, we can experiment with technologies and materials in ways that might not be possible for institutions constrained by larger facilities and single central power facilities.

Model Sustainability This diversity of building type and function also allows us to model sustainable energy in innovative ways. These various applications demonstrate approaches to our students and their families, the local community, other schools, and to other sectors.

For example, the design and construction of the TerraHaus explored and promoted building efficiency through public town lectures and outreach events that connected local residents to weatherization and efficiency incentives. Similarly, our campus library is a building comparable to many municipal and commercial buildings in the northeast and our brick and block Wood Hall and Student Activities buildings are not so different from many campus buildings from the era of cheap oil.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 23

As we address energy challenges in these and other buildings on campus, we can serve as a model for those with similar buildings in the broader community. Importantly, Unity College also advances the field with projects like the TerraHaus, declaring publicly that superior building performance and alternative energy are viable options in our cold Maine climate.

Additonally, the resources to achieve these projects are available in our region.

Energizing Sustainability Education As with all of our campus sustainability efforts, our approach to energy management on campus aims to involve students at every turn. The sustainability office developed two student energy internships to support the work of our campus sustainability fellow last year, culminating in policy and tracking recommendations and reports that have since aided energy and climate planning. That same energy assessment employed resident assistants to survey student energy use in residence halls.

Students in our sustainable design and technology program are studying energy use on campus and in the field. They’re restoring Carter Panels in their energy and energy efficiency labs and some are mapping wind energy resources in the state. These students are gaining technical experience in energy assessment and weatherization work with an emphasis on economic analysis of various energy approaches. Through the sustainability

series in the first-year Unity experience class, every entering student is introduced to building energy performance and campus use through tours, class presentation, and other interactive sessions.

Students at Unity are well represented on every governing body and influence administrative discussions about energy on the budget committee, leadership council, and building planning groups. Students were integral to the development of the TerraHaus, attending design charettes with the architects and developing outreach and communication materials for their peers about the house. Last spring Professor Doug Fox taught an environmental citizen section on the Passive House. Students in the class learned not just about the Passive House standard and Unity’s seminal project, but lessons about building energy concepts that can be applied to existing and new buildings in a number of settings.

In many ways, Unity College is unique: we have the first Passive House residence hall, the first LEED Platinum president’s house, a wood-fired library heating system, and the Carter Panels. In other ways, we’re just like everyone else: we’ve got some poorly insulated administrative buildings, leaky residence halls, aging energy systems, and limited resources with which to address these things. What makes us exemplary is our commitment to sustainability education through our approach to new and old energy challenges.

New Library Heating System Demonstrates Renewable Energy, Lowers Costs

By Jesse Pyles, Sustainability Coordinator Unity College was recently awarded over $43,000 in federal stimulus funds and $25,000 from the Stephan and Tabitha King Foundation to install a wood pellet heating system in the campus library.

The grant was awarded through Efficiency Maine’s Demonstration Projects program, intended to install and showcase renewable energy applications throughout the state.

The switch from fuel oil to Maine-made hardwood pellets is expected to cut annual heating costs for the library by more than half.

The 13,000 square-foot library, which serves the College and five surrounding communities, was the fourth largest fuel oil consumer on campus, burning nearly 6,000 gallons of fuel oil a year. According to a study conducted last year, the former 1968-model oil boiler, though reliable, was oversized and inefficient. That system was removed following the spring semester and replaced with a new OkoFEN automatic wood pellet boiler from Maine Energy Systems.

The College partnered with ReVision Heat to develop the proposal and reVision completed the installation – including the boiler itself and the 13-ton pellet silo now prominently displayed on the south side of the library.

24 | UNITY Winter 2011

Though wood pellets release greenhouse gas emissions when burned, the trees from which they are made sequester carbon throughout their growth life. This represents a significant reduction in emissions over the lifecycle of sustainably harvested wood fuels as compared to oil and other fossil fuels which cannot be regenerated. Our library pellet project supports Maine industry, lowers Unity’s heating costs, reduces harmful emissions, and demonstrates another viable energy option to our campus and the broader community.

The addition of a wood pellet boiler has changed the external appearance of the Dorothy W. Quimby Library, leaving no doubt about Unity’s commitment to sustainability. Some have praised the appearance of the pellet storage container outside the library, saying it possesses a style all its own.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 25

The Value of an Environmental Education William Trumble, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

26 | UNITY Winter 2011

This summer, I started a new job as the senior vice president for academic affairs at Unity College, in the beautiful state of Maine.

Our College uses the tag line: “America’s Environmental College” to describe the sustainability and environmental mission that focuses the education offered at this small, experiential, liberal arts institution.

While I was filling one of our reusable “take back the tap” bottles, given to every student to reduce the use of disposable plastic water bottles, I had a rather smug feeling of satisfaction that I was finally making a real effort to “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk” with respect to teaching and living the benefits of sustainability and an environment-friendly perspective. That got me thinking about what we teach, and do, at Unity College and led me to ask, “What is the value of an environmental education?” These thoughts represent only my personal view, but I think they apply to education at Unity College and other institutions as well.

The planet Earth has always been, and continues to be, a place of change. Some of these changes were pretty traumatic and rapid, such as asteroid strikes that formed our moon or killed the dinosaurs. Other changes have occurred on longer timelines. For example, the movement of tectonic plates and the volcanic building of new land mass. Of more immediate interest to me are the changes that potentially affect the planet, and its parts, that have been caused by people. In the lifetime of the earth, humankind has only been around for a very short period. However, we may now be poised to create environmental problems for the earth, risking the survival of our species, which could rival some historic catastrophes. If one thinks back only 20 years, the lifetime of many of our students, one finds a rather large number of environmental challenges. We have seen massive nuclear reactor meltdowns at Chernobyl, Ukraine, and at Fukushima, Japan; major oil spills in China, the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Yellowstone River; water contamination from “fracking” in Pennsylvania and Colorado; acid rain affecting lakes and fish in the Northeast; increased carbon dioxide in the air; and temperature zones moving north faster than trees can evolve. Moreover, it can be argued, with solid data, that these effects are the result of human activity.

How do we recognize and “correct” these problems? In a word, the answer is education. We need the ability to demonstrate resilience, adaption, and mitigation in dealing with environmental problems. We need interdisciplinary knowledge, creativity, teamwork, communication skills, and a willingness to adapt a sustainable approach to energy use and living in general. As a scientist, a past dean of agriculture, and a provost in my life before Unity College, I know we can teach these skills.

But why should we? Why should students put their passion and effort into education for jobs in the area of sustainability and the environment? What is the value of an environmental education?

Interestingly, I learned at the last “State of the College” address by our new president, that a Brookings Institute study has revealed that the total economic value of green industries has for the first time exceeded the economic value of the petroleum industry. It is almost universally accepted that burning fossil fuels increases the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere – contributing to global warming. So there are two obvious reasons to be educated for jobs in the green sector: 1) greater total value in the green market area, and 2) many folks say we have moved past “peak oil”, the point where 50 percent of the world’s supply of oil has been extracted. This suggests increasing future opportunities in green work and decreasing future opportunities in the petroleum industry.

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs William Trumble addresses a group gathered in Unity House. Trumble brings an engaging, high energy approach to his new post.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 27

But there are many more reasons that might not be so obvious on your first look. I once worked as an electrician, and even had an aptitude for the work, but I hated it. It was not satisfying and gave me no purpose. One quickly learns it is valuable to know what you do not want to do. So follow your passion, you always have the option to change. Suppose you knew how to save the whales from extinction, but it required keeping humans away from them. You might consider conservation law enforcement – it is part of the green industry.

Perhaps you want to help others use power that doesn’t pollute; you might want to consider sustainability energy management.

If you love to teach others about outdoor activities, then adventure-based environmental education might be just your thing.

Perhaps you’ve read stories of black smokers, also known as under-sea hydrothermal vents that host life forms which do not utilize oxygen. If this fascinates you, you may find that general biology, marine biology, or wildlife biology feed your passions.

In addition, studies of policy, business, art, writing, and management can round out your abilities to create new businesses, successfully communicate your ideas, and assist in becoming a contributing participant of any green profession. The umbrella of green professions is a large umbrella indeed. This list doesn’t begin to include all of the jobs that contribute to a better world, jobs that we lump together as “green professions.”

The world is changing, and it will likely be up to a generation younger than mine to resolve the problems they will inherit from my generation. John Ruskins once said, “What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence that matters is what we do.” And I once saw printed on a T-shirt somewhere, “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.”

To conclude, the value of an environmental education can be seen in earning potential, personal satisfaction, a contribution to solving problems, helping to maintain the only world we have for future generations, and knowing that what you are doing is “right.” We can call it, “doing well and doing good.”

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Known for its hands-on, experiential approach to learning, the Unity College curriculum also features extensive work in the laboratory. (Below) Assistant Professor of Biology Erika Latty offers guidance to students who will be gathering data in the field.

Accidental Environmentalist No More

By Mark Tardif, Associate Director of College Communications

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(left) Daniel Saulnier ’12 spent the summer working as an intern for the Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) and Technology within the Executive Office of Energy Environmental Awareness in Massachusetts; at right is Rich Bizzozero OTA director; (middle) Danielle Floyd ’12 learned about invasive plants during two internships with the U.S. Department of the Interior; (right) Frank Reske ’13 on python duty at the Discovery Zoo, in Owatonna, MN.

Before environmental colleges and programs were firmly ensconced in the public’s consciousness, pursuing a career in service to the environment seemed to be as much an unexpected career turn as thoughtful choice.

Back in the 1970’s when Associate Professor Tim Peabody ’81 was a Unity College student, the word “environmental” was used infrequently and “environmentalist” was occasionally used as an epithet in certain contexts. Those days are long gone.

Take a stroll around campus and strike up conversations with students. A good number of incoming Unity College students talk not just about their search for an environmental program, but choosing to attend an environmental college.

Peabody was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed everything about hunting and fishing, and therefore, found himself drawn to a career in the Maine Warden’s Service (where he would go on to serve as colonel). Times have changed.

It is now common for first year Unity students not only to arrive on campus with the specific goal of pursuing an envi30 | UNITY Winter 2011

ronmental career, but with visions of exotic, résumé enhancing internships in places like China and Namibia (see internship stories on p. 6). They engage in spirited debate about environmental policy, think carefully about their personal environmental philosophies, and join environmental student groups.

Bill Livezey ’87 is a 21 year veteran of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Service and Maine Warden Service.

He is currently a Maine game warden investigator.

There are differences in perspective between newly minted graduates, current undergraduates, and mid-career environmental career professionals like Livezey that hint at the kind of future changes President Mulkey has stated will be on the way, both to manage resources in light of global climate change and in service to a “green” economy currently on the rise.

In conversation it is clear that Livezey loves nature but does

not subscribe to what he feels are extremist positions espoused by some.

“Unity has always respected student views no matter how conservative, liberal, or radical and for this reason: we will always attract a variety of students,” Livezey stated. “No matter what our students believe or what motivates them regarding environmental issues, Unity College will benefit and grow.”

Danielle Floyd ’12, a wildlife biology major from Stone Mountain, Georgia, found kindred spirits at Unity even before her first class.

She has gained valuable work experience that has given her insights into her interests and a leg up on life after graduation.

In 2010 she served as an intern for the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, in the George Washington Memorial Parkway just outside the District of Columbia. As an exotic plant management intern, Floyd helped to target invasive plants such as English ivy (Hedera helix) and Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle).

In 2011, she gained more field experience managing invasive plants as a summer intern, again for the U.S. Department of the Interior in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park.

Her experience targeting invasive plants gave her a focus for her Senior thesis, which is on the impact of wavyleaf basketgrass

“My environmental policy classes here at Unity have been thoroughly impressive. I am interested in the science, but I want to see the science taken seriously. Currently in today’s politics the science isn’t taken seriously. Big change happens on a political level.”

UNITY Winter 2011 | 31

(Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius), and Oriental Ladys-thumb (Polygonum caespitosum).

The future is quite focused for Floyd.

“I plan to attend graduate school,” she said. She is not sure her focus will continue to be on plants, though she is grateful for the experience.

“When you are in wildlife management you really do have to know your plants in order to understand the habitat,” she said.

Daniel Saulnier ’12, an environmental policy major from Peabody, MA, transferred from a large university to Unity.

At the university he was an aquaculture major. Once at Unity, he discovered environmental policy.

“I wanted to expand to much broader topics,” Saulnier said. By switching to environmental policy he has gained a broad understanding of humanities.

Though he considered majoring in political science at the large university, he also wanted an environmental focus.

Environmental policy has proven to be the right path to the kind of broad ranging skills he was seeking.

32 | UNITY Winter 2011

“I love Unity,” Saulnier said. “My environmental policy classes here at Unity have been thoroughly impressive.

I am interested in the science, but I want to see the science taken seriously. Currently in today’s politics the science isn’t taken seriously. Big change happens on a political level.”

Saulnier would like to pursue a career path, perhaps working in government or for a non-profit, that allows him to positively influence the political process.

Frank Reske ’13, a captive wildlife care and education major from Bourne, Massachusetts, was the type of child who needed adult supervision, lest he pick up the wrong kind of snake slithering across the front yard or trail. Some interests never fade, they merely mutate into internships.

During the summer of 2011, Reske worked as an intern at the Reptile and Amphibian Discovery Zoo in Owatonna, Minnesota. What might qualify as nightmare for many was a dream come true for Reske. Under the watchful eye of full-time employees, Reske was allowed to pin and hold a reticulated

“Just because an individual fears a particular animal doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a right to live on this earth, just as peacefully, and happily, in its own way, as you do.” python (Python reticulatus) while coworkers cleaned its enclosure.

“When I graduate I want to teach people about animals,” Reske said. “I’ve always had a dream of doing something like what Jeff Corwin (host of Corwin’s Quest, a nature show on Animal Planet) does.”

His central message is simple yet profound.

“Some people would kill an animal merely from fear, but everything, every animal, has its purpose,” Reske stated.

“Just because an individual fears a particular animal doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a right to live on this earth, just as peacefully, and happily, in its own way, as you do.”

campus news in our element

Unity College Welcomes New Trustees

By Reeta Benedict, Annual Giving Officer William T. Hafford ‘08 Hafford is a 2008 graduate of Unity College currently pursuing his doctorate at Antioch New England in Keene, N.H. He received a bachelor of science degree in adventure education leadership and adventure therapy and while a student at the College served on the Board during the two years he performed the duties as president of the Student Government Association.

Sarah Jeffords Jeffords is a past parent whose son Sam attended Unity for two years before transferring. Since his transfer, both have remained actively engaged with Unity College. She currently serves on several boards including National Audubon Society and is personally committed to the environmental and community mission of the College.

Robert Kelley Robert T. Kelley is an entrepreneur, technologist, and humanist. He is a is a founding partner of LiquidHub, a global systems integrator and technology consultancy.

He has helped found and run technology startups and mentored and invested in a variety of early stage companies. Kelley received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, and his masters and doctorate from Indiana University, where he investigated the cultural implications of virtual reality.

Amy Kennedy ‘12 Kennedy, a senior majoring in environmental policy, came to Unity College from Exeter, N.H. She is currently serving as Student Government Association president.

Some of her interests include running and biking.

Jeffrey McCabe ‘00 McCabe is a 2000 graduate of Unity College with a bachelor of science degree in environmental education. He is currently the director of Lake George Regional Park in Skowhegan, Maine and is serving his second term in the Maine House of Representatives representing District 85. McCabe serves on the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee.

While a student at the College he served on the Board during the two years he performed the duties as president of the Student Government Association.

John Newlin Newlin is the executive director of Maine International Center for Digital Learning. He has worked in education since 1984 as both teacher and school change facilitator. He received his master of science in teaching in environmental studies from Antioch University New England and his bachelor of arts in political science and certificate in global studies from the University of Iowa.

Bruce Nickerson Nickerson is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Bangor Savings Bank. He is a Maine native and a Mainelicensed CPA with over 25 years of financial institutions experience. Nickerson also serves on the advisory board of CEI Ventures, Inc., the board of the Bangor Region Development Alliance, the board of the Bangor YMCA and as the treasurer of The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor of science in business administration, he resides in Brewer with his wife Sharon and their three daughters Jordan, Hannah, and Gabrielle.

he is working on a book and is actively engaged in the community. During his career, he worked with several high-level political candidates including Governor Pete DuPont, Senator Howard Baker, and Newt Gingrich and was an advisor to the Seagram family.

Travis Wagner ‘83 Wagner, a Unity College alumnus is an associate professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Southern Maine. His research focus is on sustainable material use with a focus on innovative policy approaches to maximize waste prevention of electronic waste and fluorescent lighting. He is a 1983 graduate of Unity College with a bachelor of science degree in environmental science. Wagner received his doctorate in environmental and natural resource policy from The George Washington University and a master of public policy in environmental policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. While at Unity College, he was president of the Student Government Association and co-captain of the lacrosse team. Wagner resides in Portland with his wife Amelia Randolph and enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing, playing saxophone and enjoying the gourmet delights of Portland.

William Roesing Roesing is former president of Campaign Planning Inc. a political consulting firm. He recently retired to Camden, Maine where UNITY Winter 2011 | 33

in our element campus news

Academic Master Planning Strengthens Curriculum Development and Assessment Procedures

By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator Unity College undertook a three year process in academic renewal, known as an Academic Master Plan (AMP). Since 2008,

alternative delivery models, then select, pilot, and assess those models.”

much work has been accomplished to get us to this final stage of

Part of the overall plan calls for formalized meetings with advi-

implementation, including the creation of the five interdisciplinary

sors several times a semester. Additionally, the faculty will have

Centers and a comprehensive scan of 21st century environmental

posted scheduled advisor hours, making it easier for students to

challenges, opportunities, and careers, leading to the establish-

stop by and talk to their advisors in between formal appointments.

ment of a new set of College-Wide learning outcomes.

The faculty will be provided with advising handbooks. Students

The two-year grant totaling $134,000 that Unity College re-

seek out advisors for a variety of issues, both academic and per-

ceived from Davis Educational Foundation will be used to move the

sonal. Advisors are mentors and partners in planning a student’s

process from the planning stages of the AMP to the implementation

academic program, including the selection of courses, evaluating

stage.

internships and off-campus study opportunities, and helping stu-

The AMP’s core objective is curricular revision in light of 21st

dents to make the most of their education.

century environmental challenges and careers. The aim is to win-

Although the work of the foundation supported grant began dur-

now and consolidate majors. Additionally, Unity’s commitment to

ing the summer of 2011 and will conclude over the 2013 summer,

experiential pedagogy and the need to integrate assessment of stu-

the full rollout of the AMP changes are targeted to begin during the

dent learning will round out the implementation goals.

fall of 2012.

Grant dollars will be used by faculty to develop curricular details

“The campus is excited by AMP because it embodies Unity’s

for new and revised courses to include assessment planning. “Key

mission in sustainability, service, and ecological learning, and is

courses will be piloted and assessed,” explained William Trumble,

responsive to emergent environmental professions,” Trumble said.

senior vice president for academic affairs. “The goal is to research

“The process has been revitalizing and consensus-driven.”

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs William Trumble explains Academic Master plan at a community meeting in September.

34 | UNITY Winter 2011

campus news in our element

Coast Bids Farewell and Says Hello During the summer and fall of 2011, Unity College hosted two events in the mid coast region. The first, in June, bid farewell to outgoing President Mitchell Thomashow and his wife, Cindy, and welcomed President Stephen Mulkey and his wife, Cindy. The second welcomed President Stephen Mulkey and his spouse, Michele Leavitt.

On September 16, friends of the College joined together at The Summit at Point Lookout for an hors d’oeuvres and wine welcome reception for President Mulkey and Michele Leavitt.

Mulkey told those gathered about his background, relating his small town Missouri roots to the experience of living in Unity. He also shared the happy experience of receiving a most unexpected phone call shortly after beginning his duties as president, learning that Unity College was to receive a $10 million donation from an anonymous donor.

In his remarks, he praised Unity’s faculty and its focus on sustainability. Global climate change then took center stage. “I want to take a moment to plant a flag: climate change is real,” Mulkey stated. He expressed regret about the politicization of the issue and stressed that he draws scientific opinions from peer reviewed scientific journals, not from political pundits.

“Any academic leader has an obligation to address global climate change, it’s that important,” Mulkey said.

Friends of Unity College from the mid-coast region honored outgoing Unity College President Mitchell Thomashow and his wife, Cindy, on June 28 at the CellarDoor Winery in Lincolnville.

“We are so pleased to be joined by our friends on this occasion,” noted Joseph Galli, interim vice president for College Development. “Though we are sad that Mitch and Cindy are leaving us, we celebrate their achievements and the great friendships that they have nurtured with so many.”

Thomashow praised the support and growing commitment of mid-coast area community for Unity College, and pointed to the College’s growing national reputation as evidence of the good that such support has achieved.

“Every vibrant community is marked by the educational opportunities that are available to all interested, just as every educational institution benefits tremendously from its participation in its community,” said Rob Constantine, Unity College director of annual giving. “Unity College is thrilled to be part of this wonderful community. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on bringing our programs and students to the mid-coast area.”

Top to bottom: (Left to right facing) Bruce Cobb, Sherry Cobb, Charles Schafer, Michele Leavitt, and Robert Kelley; (Left to right facing) Mimi Edmunds, Barbara Goodbody, and Kathrin Seitz; (Left to right facing) Charles Altschul, Mitchell Thomashow, and Barbara Goodbody; (Left to right facing) Chip Laite, Unity College interim vice president for College Development Joe Galli, Tom Wilhite, and Williard Carroll; (Left to right facing) President Stephen Mulkey and John Newburn” UNITY Winter 2011 | 35

in our element NEWS & NOTEWORTHY

New Faculty for 2011-2012 Academic Year

Ellen Batchelder, assistant professor of cell biology. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Brandeis University, and a doctorate in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Batchelder recently returned from a four year postdoctoral appointment at the InstitutCurie in Paris.

36 | UNITY Winter 2011

Jeremy Cass ’03, visiting instructor of ad- Stephanie Wade, assistant professor of venture therapy. He holds a bachelors of arts in outdoor recreation and humanities from Unity College, and a master of education in counselor education from the University of Maine. He has served as a licensed clinician and as a guide and instructor in whitewater and sea kayaking in both educational and professional outdoor recreational settings.

writing / director of writing. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Weslyan University, a master of arts in creative writing from the City College of CUNY, and a doctorate in English from Stony Brook University.

Her approach to the teaching of writing is grounded in “permaculture pedagogy” from her considerable teaching experience in composition and interdisciplinary courses drawing upon history and environmental thought.

Brent Bibles, assistant professor of wildlife

George Matula, associate professor of

biology. He holds a bachelor of science degree in fisheries and wildlife from Utah State University, a master of science in wildlife and fishery science from the University of Arizona, and a doctorate in wildlife fisheries science from the University of Arizona. He formerly worked at Utah State University and in coordinating species recovery and reintroduction program for state and federal agencies.

wildlife biology. He holds a bachelor of arts in biology from Elmhurst College, a master of science in wildlife management, and a doctorate in forest resources with a psychology minor, both from Pennsylvania State University. He brings substantial professional experience in wildlife management through positions in the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife serving in leadership roles in big game projects, wildlife research, and endangered species coordination.

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY in our element

New Staff Bert Audette, director

Daniel LaForge, director

of information technology.

He holds a bachelor of science in business administration and master of business administration from Thomas College. He has served as a director of Information Technology in college settings, taught computer science at the college level, and runs his own information technology consulting firm.

of maintenance and public safety. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business management from the University of Maine at Augusta and master of business administration degree from Thomas College.

He has over a decade of experience managing facilities for Maine General Health, where he was a member of the environmental impact committee, and chair of the space planning committee.

He is a State of Maine master electrician.

Rosita Ayala ’11, admissions counselor. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in environmental writing. A recent Unity graduate, while an undergraduate she served as a work study student in the admissions department.

Christian Carlson, PC technician. He has broad experience in the computing world having served in a number of capacities including web design, computer troubleshooting, and maintenance.

Deborah Cronin, vice president for finance and administration. She is a graduate of Colby College and a certified public accountant. Cronin has held various positions as vice president for finance and chief financial officer at several Maine companies.

Heather Giroux, public safety officer. She holds an associate of science degree in justice studies from the University of Maine, Augusta. She completed the 100 hour pre-law enforcement course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro. Her law enforcement experience includes serving as an officer at Camp Keyes in Augusta, and as a security officer in the private sector.

Stacey Hachey, administrative assistant to the senior vice president for academic affairs. She has pursued business courses toward earning a bachelor’s degree from Thomas College. She has over a decade of experience in several different positions in the retail banking industry.

Martin Maines, campus recycler. He holds a bachelor of science degree in conservation biology from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and a master of arts in teaching with endorsements in 6-12 Math and Science from the University of Alaska Southeast. Prior to this post, Maines was Unity’s sustainable food production assistant in the campus gardens.

He possesses secondary-level teaching experience, having taught in Alaska before recently returning to his home state of Maine with his family.

Jacob McCarthy, web content developer.

He holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Lawrence University, and a master of arts in digital rhetoric and professional writing from Michigan State University. He has worked in communications and as an editor for a peer reviewed science journal, both at Michigan State University.

Heather McAnirlin, assistant registrar. She holds an associate degree in business management from Hesser College, a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from Johnson State College, and a master of business administration degree from Husson University. She has extensive experience in the higher education setting most recently at Husson University, having held positions there as an adjunct instructor, senior marketing specialist, and assistant director of the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business.

Kimberly Sheff, receptionist / secretary in the president’s office.

She holds an associate of science degree from the University of Maine at Augusta. Her experience includes having served at the KVCC Foundation, and as executive secretary for the executive director of the Maine State Legislature. She also held several positions with MBNA in Belfast.

Emily Valli, admissions counselor / visit coordinator. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English with a minor in secondary education from Assumption College, and a master of business administration in leadership from Franklin Pierce University. She was a residence director at Cazenovia College and experience director at Franklin Pierce University.

Jennifer Whelan ’03, administrative assistant to the faculty. She holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental studies from Unity College. Her professional experience includes serving as a dispatcher with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and working in customer service for a Club Med resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 37

in our element FACULTY AND STAFF NOTES

Tim Peabody ’81 Oversees Creation of Successful Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program In November, law enforcement in Maine

“This has been in the planning since

Conservation law enforcement has tradi-

took a step forward thanks to a program or-

2008,” Peabody noted. Retired Professor

tionally been one of the largest and best-

ganized by Tim Peabody ’81, associate pro-

of Conservation Law Dr. G. Patrick Stevens

known degree programs at Unity College,

fessor of conservation law enforcement and

had long wanted to found such a program

so forming the program made sense as a

director of the Center for Natural Resource

for Unity students, many of whom pursued

logical step forward, essentially creating

Management and Protection.

this type of training elsewhere.

an “in-house” opportunity for Unity stu-

On Friday, November 4, the closing cer-

As fate would have it, Bill Zoellick, chair

emonies were held for the first graduating

of the Unity College Board of Trustees, and

class of the National Park Service Seasonal

education program director for SERC, a non-

“It’s just a win for Unity students and

Law Enforcement Training Program, a new

profit organization that partners with Aca-

others because they get this advanced law

program available in Maine through Unity

dia National Park to manage the Schoodic

enforcement training and as a result have

College. The closing ceremony was held in

Education and Research Center, solicited

the chance to take a summer position with

Moore Auditorium at The Schoodic Educa-

training program ideas from Unity faculty.

the National Park Service,” Peabody stated.

tion and Research Center Institute (SERC).

Peabody immediately championed the idea

“Well qualified students will be sought

Beginning in September of 2011, Unity

of beginning a seasonal law enforcement

after.”

College, through its conservation law enforcement program, began offering a seasonal law enforcement training program in conjunction with the National Park Service at the SERC just outside Winter Harbor, Maine. Successful graduates of the program are eligible to obtain a federal Level II law enforcement officer certificate, the requirement to attain a seasonal law enforcement ranger position with the National Park Service.

The program is accredited through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board as part of the National Park Service seasonal ranger training program.

The National Park Service and Unity College received final accreditation approval by the board on November 16th in Annapolis, Maryland.

“Individuals that successfully complete this training will be qualified to hold a seasonal law enforcement position at Acadia National Park (Maine) or any other national park in the United States,” said Peabody.

He helped to plan the accredited law enforcement program which is sanctioned through the National Park Service and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia.

38 | UNITY Winter 2011

training program at Schoodic.

dents who frequently pursued this training elsewhere.

FACULTY AND STAFF NOTES in our element

Assistant Professor Carrie Diaz Eaton had a held from October 9-12 in Pittsburgh, contributed paper accepted to the Undergraduate Mathematical Biology Education Session at the 2012 Joint Mathematics Meetings, to be held January 47 at the Haynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She will present the paper on Thursday, January 5, during the Mathematical Association of America session on Trends in Undergraduate Mathematical Biology Education. Entitled “So, why do you require calculus?,” the abstract on the session web site reads: At Unity College, a small environmental sciences college, Calculus I is required by several programs: wildlife, wildlife biology, aquaculture and fisheries, environmental biology, environmental science, and marine biology. It is also highly advised for promising students who wish to pursue graduate studies. Faculty advising students in these and other natural resource and sustainability related majors readily recognize and champion statistics as a need, but why do they require calculus? What are they expecting from us, and how do we best serve these students? Cross disciplinary survey and interview results are presented as well as resulting modifications to curricular approaches for both Calculus I and Calculus II.

Professor Doug Fox and Hannah Kreitzer ’12 (see photo, p. 8) offered a presentation about TerraHaus, Unity’s new residence hall built to passive house standards, at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2011 Conference and Expo,

Penn. As a nod to the idea that TerraHaus can be heated with the energy equivalent of a hair dryer, Fox and Kreitzer’s presentation involved hair dryers as illustrative devices.

Assistant Professor Cheryl Frederick had a paper approved for inclusion in the April 2012 Journal of M a m m a l o g y.

The manuscript is entitled “Reproductive Timing and Aseasonality in the Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus).” The Journal of Mammalogy is described on its web site as being: the flagship publication of the American Society of Mammalogists since 1919 and was voted one of the top 100 most influential serials in biology and medicine of the 20th century. This highly respected international scientific journal is produced 6 times per year and promotes interest in mammals throughout the world by the publication of original and timely research on all aspects of the biology of mammals.

Professor Kathryn Miles saw the publication of her essay, “Killing Laughter,” rise to national acclaim. It was named one of the 25 most notable essays for 2010-2011 by Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Essays 2011, an annual anthology that celebrates outstanding writing and publishing. The essay examines the distinctions that individuals make between wild and domestic, and what that has to say about one’s own relationship with the natural world.

Director of the Dorothy W. Quimby Library Melora Norman offered a presentation on the state of academic freedom in 2011 at the Maine Academic Libraries Day, held on April 11 on the campus of Colby College in Waterville, ME. Her program reviewed the state of free speech and free expression on college and university campuses. She serves as the Co-Chair of the New England Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Sustainability Coordinator Jesse Pyles was named to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Com m itment (ACU PCC ) Implementation Liaison Support Committee.

The ACUPCC web site describes the committee as existing: To provide peer-to-peer support to individuals responsible for implementing the ACUPCC at signatory institutions. It is currently comprised of 15 volunteers who believe that peer-to-peer conversations will leverage the ACUPCC network’s efforts to accelerate the collective learning towards climate disruption solutions. On November 3, Pyles participated in an the ACUPCC 2011 Northeast Regional Collaborative Symposium hosted by Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, MA. He participated in the change agent forum.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 39

in our element FACULTY AND STAFF NOTES

Professors Gerry Saunders organized two major professional projects that were conducted

by Unity College teacher education majors during the fall semester. On September 16, a group of nine teacher education and adventure education leadership students led a community day for over 140 6th graders at Mount View Middle School in Thorndike, ME. Activities led by Unity College students helped to build a sense of belonging to the school community and encouraged community values, and group problem solving. On October 7, six students from the Methods of Teaching Secondary Science class presented “20 demos in 60 minutes” to an overflow audience at the Maine Sci-

ence Teacher Convention held at Gardiner High School in Gardiner, ME. The session was attended by over 60 science teachers from across Maine.

Associate Professor Kevin Spigel , along with students Kelly Barber ’12 and Marc Daigle ’13, have been working on a coring project based in Acadia National Park examining lake sediments for signs of rapid climate change and reconstructing environmental patterns in coastal Maine.

Progress from this research was presented by Spigel at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting 2011 held in Seattle, Washington from April 12-16.

Director of the Writing Center Judy Williams, spent a week in June as a volunteer for Safe Passage in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Safe Passage is a nonprofit organization started in 1999 by the late Hanley Denning, a Bowdoin College alum. The organization works to empower the Director of the Writing Center poorest at-risk children whose families live in the Guatemala City garbage dump community by creating opportunities and fostering dignity through the power of education. Williams was part of a team of ten American mothers and daughters helping Guatemalan children from kindergarten through six grade with English language instruction.

In her role as the Geological Society of Maine (GSM) treasurer, Professor Lois Ongley hosted the GSM 2011 Annual Fall Meeting at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts. Pictured at left is Ongley (right facing) with Alice Kelley, president of the GSM. Left to right facing is Tim Godaire ’12, Maine State Geologist Robert Marvinney, and Ongley.

40 | UNITY Winter 2011

class notes alumni

By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator

Following the Beat of a Jazzy Community Jazz. Mellow or strident, lyrical or cacophonous. The unique paradigm of jazz exists when each musician creates their own interpretation of the arrangement, combining their musical talent and experience with others to create a collaboratively unique sound.

As with each jazz piece, every school year brings a diversity of individual experiences. Each year, as a collective whole, our students, faculty, and staff compose a new musical interpretation. These layers of new experiences, friendships, and contributions add to the lifetime of past experiences of each student.

The culmination of each experience and each year at Unity carries forth beyond the class affiliation and academics of Unity. Students become alumni. Alumni travel forth, adding to what they learned at Unity to accumulate more layers from their experiences as professionals, family members, and community volunteers. As alumni move forward in life, they carry to each new experience a strong presence and message stemming from their experiences at Unity. Experiences that stay with them for a lifetime.

Every day we hear about the successes of our alumni. Each story highlights the worth of a Unity education. Every alumni success also adds value to our institution. When alumni give back to the College, they too share their wisdom and experiences with students, faculty, and staff alike. Each alumni story told, each dollar raised, each phone call to say hello, adds to the whole—adds to the music of what makes Unity a unique and exceptional college to current students and our alumni.

69

73

Mark Alter, an educational psychology professor at New York University, was the founding chairman of the Department of Teaching and Learning, serving as its chair for 14 years. He teaches special education and has published articles and book chapters. Mark and wife Amy have three children.

Jim Allen does architectural rendering and 3D computer modeling in Chino Valley, Ariz.

70 Jay Faust owns a restoration business in Florida.

He and wife Shelley have one daughter and one son, who passed away five years ago.

Jerry Harding and Juanita, both retired, are restoring an old family farmhouse in North Dixmont where they spend summers. They spend winters in Mississippi.

David Lary retired from farming, now enjoys his hunting and fishing camp. He and Peggy (Kelleher) ’71 have been married for 40 years and have five grandchildren.

71 Tony Lambert retired as an engineer from Verizon Wireless. He enjoys traveling.

72 James “Mike” McIntyre, a retired 16-year firefighter for the Pinellas Park Fire Department, also worked for the state of Georgia, retiring in 2009. Married for 38 years, he has three children and four grandchildren.

Dana Miller was gate attendant ranger at Matagamon Gate in Baxter State Park for 25 years. He and wife Teri-Ann have a home on a hillside in Ludlow where they have views of Canada and Katahdin.

Brenda Littlefield, a Merchant Marine chief mate, plans to work in the field for another five years.

Pam (Hume) Partridge hopes to retire next year after 25 years of teaching a grade 3-4 combination in North Anson. She plans to volunteer at the school. She has enjoyed membership in the National Science Teachers Association and the Maine Congress of Lake Associations.

Seth Warner builds custom furniture in his spare time. He has two daughters.

74 Kevin Dyer, a UPS driver, and wife Jan, have three sons, two grandsons, and a new granddaughter.

75 Mary Guariglia was an environmental planner with Lakes Region Planning Commission in New Hampshire, attended Harvard School of Design for landscape architecture, and lived in an Ashram for 20 years. She works in the alternative health and nutrition field for Vitamark International. She has two daughters.

Charles Knight is a building manager for a community center in Boston. He will undergo hip replacement. Charlie has three children.

John “Jack” Krumm has a 1979 bachelor of arts in criminology and law enforcement from the University of Maryland and a 1985 master’s in aviation management. Until 1985 he served in missile operations in the Air Force, then worked for the U.S. Department of Transpor-

tation in logistics management and computer science. Widowed in 2008, he will marry high school classmate, Mary Ellen in October, 2011.

Gordon McLaren received a liver transplant in February, and he urges alumni to sign up as organ donors. He volunteers for the New England Organ Bank, the Red Cross, and the local hospital, and umpires baseball in the local Babe Ruth League.

Tyler Schueler owned an Illinois medical supply company. He and his wife, married 30 years, now live in Florida. They have a daughter.

76 Eric Foss, retired from the mental health field, is now a dog breeder. Involved in reenactments, he conducts lectures on the 5th Maine Battery with full scale 6 pounder cannon. He and wife Donna married in 1987.

David Govatski, retired from the forest service, serves as the volunteer secretary of the Weeks Act Centennial Coordinating Committee, authorizing the Federal Government to acquire land for national forests Rick Trudeau retired after 27 years of wild land firefighting for the Quinault Indian Nation. He and wife Vicki live in Quinault Valley, bordered by a National Park, a National Forest, and Washington State Forests. They have adult children.

77 Mark Edwards and wife Melanie have moved to Auburn, Wash. Mark was pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Eastport.

Sandy Gnidziejko and her partner are the owners UNITY Winter 2011 | 41

alumni CLASS NOTES of Little River Antiques and Collectibles. They exhibit in Maine and throughout New England and run Ruby Lane, an online business. Sandy worked with the Maine Apprenticeship Program before receiving a master’s in educational administration. She served as assistant principal at Gorham High School for eight years.

Mark Maynard, an automotive editor, updates website news, and works in the advertising department at the San Diego Union-Tribune. He has a weekly internet radio show, Maynard’s Garage. He has prepared work for Consumers Digest. He and wife Kitty, married for 12 years, have a daughter and a son.

John Otis retired from the Maine State Police Crime Scene Investigation Section and is currently an educator with the Maine State Museum. He and wife Barbara, have one son.

Paula Meiers is associate director of admission/ information analyst at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. Paula is continuing her mother’s work on her family genealogy. She plans a trip to Germany and Poland.

Louise “Spanky” (Paquette) Furman owns Critter Caravan offering pony rides, a petting zoo, and an on-the–road service to birthday parties, schools, and churches in Loxahatchee, Fla. She has a son and a daughter.

78 Jon Andrew earned a master of science in wildlife management from Frostburg State College in Maryland. Most recently, he has served two tours of duty in the Washington DC office, first working as the Chief of Migratory Bird Management for the agency and now as the coordinator of Department of Interior activities along the border-especially on the southwest border with Mexico. Jon now has a North American list of 754 species of “life birds”, creeping toward his goal of 800.

Gary Gansereit retired and lives in Missouri. He graduated from Thomas College and earned a master’s in history from the University of Missouri.

Marcia Johansson is a registered nurse with the Veterans Administration. She has one daughter.

Doug Koehler is a lead analyst at Barnes & Noble.

He is married and has a son.

Brian McQuarrie retired from the Army after 25 years and retired from the federal government in May 2011. He lives in California.

Barry Middleton is vice-president-east for Sage Products. He is now responsible for half of the U.S. and half of Canada. He recently spoke at University of Mass/Boston’s 4th year marketing class, and is on the advisory board for the Western New England College School of Business (where he earned his master’s in business administration in marketing). Barry and wife Joanne have two children.

Bruce Murchie has worked for Hannafords for 32 years. He is divorced, with two children. He and Nate Clark ’79 get together every year.

Eleanor Nettleton owns a massage therapy business. She is married to Art. 79 Michael Lavender, an attorney, owns Center for Divorce Mediation in Barnstable, Mass. He is married to Faith.

Peter Leishman lost his New Hampshire state legislature seat after five terms. He has a railroad line from Milford to Bennington. He has two children.

42 | UNITY Winter 2011

Don Miller is a nurse at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.

He and wife Jennifer have two daughters.

Trenetta (Saba) Pelletier, a pharmacy technician at Rite-Aid in Fairfield, is working towards a 2012 degree in photography at the University of Maine at Augusta. She has four children.

Debbie (Sawyer) Welch owns a quilt shop - the largest in New Jersey. She and husband Jim became grandparents in June 2010. They have one daughter and two sons.

80 Kathy (Higgins) Doolan has worked for 18 years at New Hampshire Emergency Medical Services.

She has six beautiful grandchildren. Kathy keeps in touch with Craig and MJ Nelson.

Cheryl (Dierna) Montana enjoys being homebody. Husband Rick works at Unity.

a

Randy Wildes plans to retire this year as aircraft maintenance supervisor with the California Air National Guard. He and wife Bev, married 35 years, have two sons and two grandsons.

Alan Przybyiski is director of Global Programs with Hartford Technologies and travels to Thailand and Shanghai several times a year. He and wife Lynda have a son and a daughter.

81 Bruce Arral is a chef in a Mexican restaurant, and has three daughters.

Bill Cremin owns a small family farm where he raises beef, pork, lamb, and poultry and many vegetables. He and wife Diane, married 20 years, have two sons. Bill restores old houses and owns a custom cabinetry shop.

Bob MacGovern works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-civilian as a crew chief in the Hydrographic Surveys Unit of New England’s Federal Navigational Channels. Tammy (McBreairty) is retired. Bob and Tammy live in New Milford, Conn., have a home on Messalonski Lake in Belgrade, and have a daughter and a son.

Doug Stover has 30 years in the National Park System, and gives White House garden tours. He was on special assignment with National and Ocean Atmospheric Administration, taking samples of plants growing in Antarctica, and worked with Park Canada on the 100th anniversary of the Canada National Parks at the Bay of Fundy National Park.

Matt Mattus is director of Visual Design in a high concept development group called HasLAB at Hasbro.

Leo Paquette owns The Employment Times with his wife Jeanne. They have one son.

Karin Sousa-Racicot and George Racicot married in October, 2010. She has been a medical transcriptionist for 15 years.

82 Jim Boone has been an entomologist for over 22 years at the Field Museum in Chicago. An author of two books, he has a third on migration coming out later this year.

David Caldwell has been recreation supervisor for the City of Portland Recreation Department for 30 years. He and wife Joan have two sons.

Kevin Firmin, a geospatial analyst for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency in Fort Belvoir, Va., works on defining and implementing data standards across the Department of Defense and with international partners. He and wife Cindy have a daughter.

Richard Littlefield is a Maine Guide and a boiler engineer at Verso Paper in Bucksport. He and wife Lisa have four children.

Dale McGee, a psychotherapist in private practice working primarily with veterans, has worked outreach in Washington County with combat veterans for the Veteran’s Administration since 2008. He and Donna (Gray) ’76 married in 2004.

Donna is a substance abuse counselor and a long term care social worker.

Beth (NeHalsingh) Freiberger is a pediatric emergency room nurse in Neonatal, Intensive Care Unit and IV Home Care. She earned her RN degree from Westbrook College in 1985. Beth has two children.

Roland Perry is head pro and director of Golf Operations at the Mars Hills Country Club and lives in Arizona during the winter. He has two sons and a daughter.

Michael Roosa is a real estate agent for Caldwell Bankers in Metuchen, N.J. He has one son.

Amy Strum is an emergency room nurse at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.

83 Robyn (Fillmore) Graham, a pharmacist, is pharmacy manager of the CVS in Lenox, Mass. She and husband Tim, married 23 years, have two sons.

Jeremy Johnson was director of service at a Clearwater, Fla. hotel. He enjoys playing golf and riding his Harley Fat Boy. Phil Macneill owns a home repair business, Macneill Enterprises in Massachusetts.

Linda Ouderkirk-Rempe owns Kirkgardens in Flanders, N.Y., selling seasonal pots and perennials and installing and maintaining vegetable gardens. She and husband Stephen live in Flanders. In the winter, Linda volunteers with

class notes alumni a local animal rescue group.

Tim Page is a paramedic in New Haven, Conn.

He and wife Sheryl have a daughter.

Doug Saball won first and third prizes with two Chinese Brush paintings in a contest offered

by Oriental Art Supply of Huntington Beach, California. He takes Ti Chi classes and has lost over 100 pounds since starting this program.

John “Steven” Verkouteren lives in rural West Virginia and worked as a physical therapist. He takes care of his two children.

with Mark Hersey ’84, Steve Ouellette ’84 and Pete Liebig ’84 Maureen Winters is a project manager for Normandeau Associates in Bedford, N.H. 86 Karen (House) Appleton earned her associate’s degree in nursing and works at Dartmouth Hitchcock. David ’85 owns a forestry business, Appleton Enterprises. They have two daughters.

84

Kim McKenzie was a land surveyor, and is now enrolled in a local junior college. She and her partner have been together for 17 years.

Dan Despard and Lynda (Paquette) have a son, an adopted daughter, and two grandchildren.

David Perry is a self-employed carpenter in Johnson, Vt.

Donna Harmon-Randall is a nursing assistant, visiting patients in their homes. She is a free lance writer and photographer. She range, block, and clay shoots. She and husband Tim have two daughters.

Cheryl Salvati, an independent sales agent for Zip Zap Express, sells shipping for the U.S. Postal Service. She runs a small concierge business. She and her partner volunteer for animal rescue.

Mark Hersey has worked 26 years in the design section of the Vermont Agency of Transportation. He and wife Robin have a daughter.

Marie “Waz” Wasilefsky drives a long-haul truck, working for a company based in Bangor, Maine.

Crystal (Lanman) Boston is a special educator in southern Maine. Crystal, engaged to be married, has one son from her first marriage.

Kevin White is in risk engineering insurance at Zurich Financial Services in Rocky Hill, Conn.

Dodi Marvell was named Special Education Teacher of the Year 2010/11 for Oregon. Retired due to cancer, she has one son.

Steve Ouellette sells industrial power transmission equipment in New Hampshire and Vermont for Eastern Industrial Automation of Manchester. He is married with two children.

Judy Parker owns a housecleaning business, babysits, and home schools her 12 year old daughter.

Rick Roy is a field manager for the Bureau of Land Management and oversees approximately 1.35 million acres of sagebrush-steppe and transitional ponderosa pine habitats. He and wife Cammie have nine children, three biological, three adopted, and serve as guardians for three Northern Paiute brothers.

85 Donna Bancroft and Kevin Dow will marry on October 8, 2011 at the Whitehall Inn in Camden.

Kevin is a forester at Prentice and Carlyle. Donna works as education director for the Sunshine Ladies Foundation at the Maine State Prison in Warren.

Cathy (Docktor) Wolfe is an oncology nurse at the Danbury, Conn. hospital. She and husband Dave installed solar panels in their backyard, and are working to retrofit the house to be wholly passive.

Heather (Dolloff) Klinger is a sonographer doing ultra-sound examinations at the Berwick Hospital in Berwick, Pa. She has two children.

Rob Watts is vice president of business development for Accelerated Care Plus, a national medical device company. He has been married 18 years and has two children. He keeps in touch

87 Kathy Dixon-Wallace teaches grade six math and science in the Milo Elementary School. She has two sons. Peter ’86 builds wood canvas canoes and works on two ambulance crews. He leads summer Outward Bound canoe trips.

Corey Francis has worked for 22 years as a field biologist for Normandeau Associates. He is married to Sandy. Corey, Brian Chikotas ’89 and Scott Downs ’88 plan to visit campus while deer hunting in Maine.

Jennifer Johansson is manager of Best Friends Pet Care Resort offering boarding, grooming, training, and day camp for pets in Wheat Ridge, Colo.

Mitch Jordan is a corrections officer for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections for 19 years. He and wife Donna have three children.

Bill Livezey, a game warden for 21 years, is currently an investigator for the North-East Division. He received an Exemplary Service Award at the April 2011 Maine Wardens dinner. He and his wife have four children.

Michael Lockett, previously in special education is now a stay-at-home dad. He and wife Clarissa have four children and live in Meriden, Conn.

Carolyn Jo (Bowker) Meserve owns an insurance business serving both individuals and small businesses in health/life/liability in the Maine and New Hampshire area.

Chris Misavage has taught grade five in Moultonborough, N.H. for 14 years. He and wife Nancy have two sons. Chris goes climbing and adventuring several times a year with Unity alums.

Danielle Dyer Tetreau ’03 Finds Balance Between Environmental and For Profit Worlds Consulting, a career choice Danielle (Dyer) Tetreau ’03 never thought about while at Unity.

After graduation, she consulted at a night-time radar survey for birds and bats at a proposed wind farm in Western New York. Now she is a project scientist/botanist at Stantec, a for-profit engineering and environmental consulting firm in the Topsham, Maine office.

“Consulting paid me a good wage to do good science for a good cause,” Tetreau said.

“Who wouldn’t do that?”

As a wildlife conservation major, Tetreau took a broad range of coursework. But, it was in Professor John Zavodny’s philosophy class, Eastern Thought for Western People, where she found something she least expected; “personal and professional balance.”

Academics at Unity thoroughly prepared Tetreau for her for-profit positions. Internship opportunities provided invaluable hands-on experience. “I learned to speak to instructors as people rather than professors,” Tetreau said of the small class experience for which Unity is known. Both the internships and one-on-one with professors gave her a step up when meeting with regulators, clients, and other professionals.

Tetreau conducts wetland, vernal pool and rare plant surveys, collecting and mapping natural resource information.

“Conducting scientific research and doing surveys, to provide the best possible data for state and federal permit applications, benefits the clients most interested in developing projects with minimal impact,” Tetreau said.

“It’s the best balance of economic development and natural resource conservation.”

Danielle works with many who do not know much about the College. “I always feel a sense of pride when I tell people I went to Unity (“Where’s that?” And I reply “Well, it’s in Unity, Maine”), where tree huggers and foresters live peacefully together,” Tetreau said. In her profession as a consultant, that philosophy of harmony and collaboration has served Tetreau well in her dealings with both regulators and clients.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 43

alumni CLASS NOTES Eric Nelson works for the University of Delaware Ice Arena in Newark, Del. Judy Palmer teaches preschool children in the Head Start Program and trail rides horses competitively. She and husband Tom have one son.

Max Schwartz is the New York City territory manager for Eastern Marketing Corporation.

He and wife Julia have two daughters.

Nancy Vosburgh-Zane homeschooled her boys for fifteen years and has since returned to work at Unity College. She is coordinator for the Women’s Leadership Environmental Program (WE Lead), program coordinator of the Outdoor Adventure Center, and manager of the Willard Climbing Wall. She and husband Gary ’83 have two sons, one attended Unity College.

88 Tim Brunemeyer, office manager for a custom flag, banner, and flagpole shop in Beachwood, N.J., enjoys skiing and hiking.

Joanna (Clifford) Magoon is a consultant for the New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association and Bruce ’86 is a triage team lead for Wellpoint, Inc. They have one daughter. Joanna underwent five years of chronic Lyme Disease treatment and is feeling well.

Bonilee Derlien works as an executive assistant for the two top executives of Google and the company Google bought out. She has one daughter.

Cindy Madura, a research specialist at the University of Arizona Animal Care, married Bradley Ronsick in September 2011.

Anna Dillane (Lauren Rappel) has lived in New Mexico for over 20 years and owns Boomerang Thrift Boutique. In 2005, she earned a degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University. She is divorced with two children.

Eric Swindell gave up his locksmith business because of an injury. He and wife Beth have three children.

John Wales, a sergeant at White Clay Creek State Park, has worked as a Delaware State Park Ranger for 20 years.

89 Tad Bassett is owner and president of Triangle Wildlife and Pest Control in Raleigh, N.C., handling nuisance wildlife removal and structural pest control. Tad graduated from North Carolina State University in 1990 with a bachelor of science in fisheries and wildlife.

Chris Brennan has worked for Generation Fifth Applications for 13 years and is now operations manager. She owns a barbecue catering business, Shady Maple Barbecue, specializing in authentic 100% wood-fired Carolina pulled pork. Chris umpires baseball for Babe Ruth Baseball and Western Maine Board of Umpires.

44 | UNITY Winter 2011

Scott Davis is a fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and owns Fish N Fowl Guide service. He is married and has two children.

Cindy Dick is program manager for EarthScope at Arizona State University.

Rhett (Hutto) Huttman is a grant writer while staying home with her son.

Jesse Jaycox is a biologist for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and is responsible for natural resources stewardship in two state parks regions, Taconic and Palisades.

Beth (Kester) DeCorte joined the Air Force after college and worked as a police officer for eight years. Currently she is a nurse, and will return to school to specialize in geriatrics. She and husband Chris, married 16 years, have 23 nieces and nephews.

Ethan Lashlee works for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry at the Altoona Unemployment Service Center. Injured on the job as a journeyman electrician, he is active in his local union, serving on statewide union committees. He and wife Jeannie have two daughters.

Carla (Peterson) Churchill, a district coordinator at Sherwin-Williams in Portland, is married to Rick and has three step daughters and a grandson.

Tatsuhiro “Sho” Shojima has lived in California for eight years. He is president of Internet Technology Company in both Japan and the U.S. He visited Unity last fall and saw Leigh Juskevice ’92 and Eric Holmes ’90. He and wife Hiroko have three children.

John Van Hillo is a product specialist and salesman for Central Massachusetts Aquatics in Fitchburg, wholesaling tropical fish all over northern New England.

Andrea (Wallens) Powell continues with her photography, art, and music and hopes to go back to school for writing and healing arts. She volunteers for an elementary science class at her daughter’s school. She has two children.

Chris Werhane is program director for Adaptive Adventures, a non-profit agency with outdoor programs for people with disabilities in Arvada, Colo., and this year spent 100 days on the snow teaching clients to ski. He and wife Lynn have two children.

90 Peggy Ainslie has served 23 years as national park service fire operations specialist at New River Gorge National River in West Virginia.

In 2013, she plans to return to school to become an electronic mechanic. She spent several days with Carla (Peterson) Churchill ’89 when they happened to be vacationing in Florida at the same time.

Steve Campbell drives a tractor trailer, hauling drilling mud for the natural gas drilling in-

dustry in northeast Pennsylvania. He has two grandchildren.

Tammie (DeGrasse) Stammers is earning a certificate in medical coding at Lebanon College. She and husband Scot have two children.

Melissa (Graves) Sikes, an education assistant at the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District, is also an office manager for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fairbanks. She and husband Derek have three daughters.

Matt McClintock, a Coast Guard reserve environmental police officer, was recently promoted to senior chief. After service in Kuwait, he lives in Massachusetts. He has a daughter.

Mike Miller owns Nazareth Barbell Power, trains the local high school baseball team and coaches Little League football. He and wife Deborah have six children and a grandson.

Beaux Slockbower graduated from nursing school in May 2011 and is studying for her boards.

91 Ken Broskoskie does contract work for Emtec, Inc. in Jacksonville, Fla. Rod Clergy is controller at the Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. He and Gabriella married in 1994.

Ernie Hall started his own photography business, after attending the Rocky Mountain School of Photography.

John “JJ” Jamieson left his position as head of research at Austin Ventures to set up his own business with his wife, Nan. They use demographic data helping clients (dentists, vets, realtors, etc) find the best place to set up their businesses. JJ also does woodworking and light carpentry. lives in Whitney (Messersmith) Foskey Colorado. She and husband Brian have two daughters.

Todd Papianou teaches physical education, coaching boy’s soccer and tennis at Mountain Valley High School in Andover. He is a Registered Maine Guide and part owner of Northern Waters, a whitewater rafting and livery business.

Kerri (Preble) Godfrey moved to Juneau, Alaska with husband Dave, and their son and daughter.

Ralph Preston was an outreach worker for a mental health center, and is now applying to work in the Forest Service or the National Parks seasonally. He has two sons and a baby due in October 2011.

Lori (Schwarz) Murphy is training to become a certified personal trainer in Washington, D.C. Cyndey Smith owns Mompreneur Wellness Community, an online wellness and health coaching company. She married Chris Cotton ’95, who owns Inner Connections, a nationally recognized life coaching and monitoring program. They have two daughters.

class notes alumni Norman Forder is facilities services assistant at Shenandoah National Park and wife Missy is the Park’s fire ecologist. They have two daughters.

Heather Francis and husband Christopher have a son and a daughter. Heather is school program director at Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Lincolnville.

Rob and Michelle (Snyder) Grahn bought a laundromat in Worcester and Michelle manages the business. Rob works for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Jeff Duguay ’92 studies wild hog diseases for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

92 Tami Bill is a year-round Maine State park ranger at Bradbury Mountain State Park. She and partner Jason live in Portland.

Lucia (Borodko) Picard has been office manager for Hidden Valley Camps in Montville for 22 years. She and Matthew have been married for 15 years and she has a stepson.

Rob Davis has worked at Ruger Firearms Company in Claremont, N.H. for 16 years. He has a son.

Jeff Duguay is the research and survey program manager, as well as the mourning dove and American woodcock program manager, for Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

John and Deborah (Farnham) McMillen have two children. John is a corrections officer at the Suffolk County House of Correction.

Bruce McNicholas, a supply chain management supervisor at CMC Biologics in Everett, Wash., is married to Kora.

Dawn (Mikulski) Cluskey, an office manager for a wire and cable company, graduated from Rutgers with a bachelor of arts in sociology, and has a paralegal degree.

Cathy (Pendleton) Powell, worked as a substance abuse counselor. She has one daughter.

Rob St. Hilaire is director of a franchise of Abrakadoodle, which runs both integrated and after school art education classes for local schools and recreation programs. He was rope course facilitator. He and wife Amy have two sons.

Karen Stinson lives on the family farm in Richmond, Va.

Chuck Eaton is executive director of the Boston Minuteman Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Tony ’92 and Maria (DePetta) Tur, both wildlife biologists working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have three children.

Wendy (Jamieson) O’Malley and husband Chuck, who serves in the Army in Afghanistan, have three children.

Crystal (Weston) Rider is a school bus driver, limo driver and CPR and first aid instructor for AA Transportation in Worcester, Mass. She is widowed.

Stephen Pate is a financial advisor for Edward Jones. He visited New Zealand in February.

Brian Richardson runs Alaska Raft Connections, a river trip service offering outfitting and guiding raft, canoe, kayak, and powerboat river tours out of Anchorage, Alaska.

93 Jonathan Aragones works for Education Connections, providing before- and after-school care for school-age children.

Sean Bowen is food safety and aquaculture specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Ed Hageman ’76 works in the same department. Sean and wife Shelley have two children.

Todd Clement, has been a landscape manager for 19 years at Foxwoods Resort and MGM Foxwoods in Connecticut. While visiting North Carolina, he saw Elizabeth Berney ’95 and Keith Kinkead ’91.

Joe Davis and Robin Wight married on September 11, 2010. Joe is arborist representative for Bartlett Tree Experts.

Christa Wood is a naturalist and environmental educator for the Somerset County Park Commission in Basking Ridge, N.J. She taps her own trees and makes maple syrup.

94 Denise (Beach) Buckley is a fisheries biologist at both Craig Brook and Green Lake National Fish Hatcheries. Jim ’92, a sergeant with the Bangor Police Department, is commander of the tactical team and on the bomb team. They live in Bucksport.

Jeffry Chase, an agriculture specialist at Good Will-Hinckley in Hinckley, Maine, has one son.

Mike Chasse has been program director at Harbor Family Services in West Rockport for five years. For the last two years, the Unity College Adventure Therapy students have participated in community service projects with Mike’s students. He has two children.

Joshua Feldman is a property manager at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm in Athol, Mass.

Marc Goldberg is a certified arborist at Green Horizons in Escondido, Calif. He and Farrah have two daughters and a son.

Mike Santos is a smuggling interdiction and trade compliance officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He and his wife have a son.

95 Jim Bandelin is manager at GE Health Care/Maternal Infant Care Division in Baltimore, Md. He and wife Jill have two boys.

Stephanie Barrett lives in Belgrade and works for the Maine Office of Child and Family Service, managing contracts for children’s residential treatment programs. She officiates ice hockey in the small college league at Sukee.

Richard Bicknell was promoted to supervising ranger for the City of Palo Alto, Calif.

Baylands. He attempts to be in the field daily.

Robin (Brown) Dyer is a wildlife biologist and district supervisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services in Augusta. She and husband Chris have a daughter.

Kelly Canney will marry Raymond Sachs in September 2012. They have a daughter.

Tammey Chase, an office and shop manager at Sergeant Lock and Safe in Rockland, lives in Warren, across from a wildlife preserve.

John Drost has been a correctional officer for the State of Connecticut since 1996. Joe “Salty” Saltalamachia ’94 stays at his house when he’s on recruiting trips for the College.

Tom Hammond is an account executive, surviving a corporate merger when Wachovia became Wells Fargo. He and wife Robin built a new home outside of Charlotte, N.C. They have one daughter.

Alek Juskevice works in historic preservation and as a property manager. He owns a former engraving factory near the Yale campus. The four-year project will develop the property into housing, with green roofs, geo thermal heating, and other new technologies. He has one son.

Kim (Kuntz) Gogan teaches high school biology and environmental science in Newport, N.H. She, Chris, and their two children live on 14 acres.

Rachel Matthews is an environmental quality analyst for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and joined a team conducting SCAT (Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Team) work on an oil spill on the Kalamazoo River, surveying the area, making recommendations for the clean-up, and reassessing clean-up progress. Rachel has one daughter.

Robert Mulvey owns Pleasant View Tree Farm, an 80,000 tree Christmas tree farm, in Hodgdon. He and wife Tammie have three children.

Rob St. Germain and Pamela Arguello of Costa Rica married on June 25, 2011. For 12 years, UNITY Winter 2011 | 45

alumni CLASS NOTES Ann Labonte is a nurse at Beaumont Skilled Nursing and Rehab. She and Trent have two daughters.

Melissa (Stakun) Mason is director of outdoor programs for Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida.

She lives in Sarasota.

Scott LaVerdiere ran a tissue culture lab for Avian Farms, breeding fish. He is currently one of the top bull’s-eye pistol shooters in the state.

Leigh Stansfield married Tyler Schmitt on February 8, 2011. They both work in the national park service at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Heather (MacNeill) Falconer works as a scientific grant writer for John Jay College/CUNY, building an undergraduate research program. She is working on Sommelier certification, and hopes to get into a doctorate’s program in English literature in 2012.

Mike Martin ’96 (left) stands with Jason Reynolds ’06 (right). Both work for G·O Logic and were on the TerraHaus construction team. Other alumni working on TerraHaus were from ReVision Energy: John Luft ’93, general manager and one of the designers, Brett Irving ’02, who supported the project from the ReVision shop, and Matt Wagner ’02, project manager.

Rob has been a team leader and 401K administrator at Mercer. In February 2011, Rob visited his Peace Corps host family in Panama.

96 Kevin Anderson, a Maine Game Warden, received an Exemplary Service Award at the annual dinner in April, 2011.

Daniel Brooks is a police officer for the Durham, N.H. police department. He and wife Melinda have two children.

Candice (Creech) Travers is a registered nurse in the trauma ICU at the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington. She is married with two sons.

Bob Daly is recovering from major surgery, and has enjoyed visits with Kelly Maloney ’95 and Elizabeth Berney ’95. He lives in Charlotte, N.C. Richard “Grey” Gritzmacher works for a landscape designer as an AutoCAD drafter and consultant. He also works as a PC repair technician.

Grey is married to Wendy.

Jon Ploski received his building analyst license and now does home energy upgrades and residential energy audits. He is married to Moira.

Mark Richardson works for Lewis Tree Service and owns Black Cat Garage, a motorcycle parts business in New Britain, Conn.

Jason Seiders is a fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

He and wife Heather have two sons.

Jody Simoes earned his master’s of science from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University and started work on his doctorate in August 2009. He and wife Katie have a son.

Char-lin Williams is an account manager at Northeast Bank Insurance Division. She has two daughters.

97 Amy (Burke) Bandolo is an early childhood teacher. She and Tony have two children.

Lori Chapdelaine worked in an office for seven years. Now unemployed, she enjoys being a rock-hound, searching for Herkimer diamonds. She enjoys hunting, fishing and kayaking.

Terry Johnson, in the military security forces, is serving in Afghanistan. He has three children.

Mike O’Connor is natural resources officer and harbormaster for the town of Eastham, Mass.

Rich Imbeault is harbor master and shellfish warden for the town of Yarmouth. He and wife Barb have two children.

Jennifer Potter graduated from Johnson Wales with a degree in baking and pastry arts in 2008.

She is a stay at home mom with one son.

Ernie Kabert is superintendent of Worthington State Forest and Jenny Jump State Forest for the New Jersey State Park Service. He and wife Beth (Jones) ’98 have a daughter. Beth is an environmental coordinator/wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service.

Todd Rinaldi has been a research wildlife biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game since 2007. He and wife Jennifer married four years ago.

Scott Kemp is a wildlife technician for the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. He has one son.

Bryon Salladin received his master’s in forest and natural resources management from SUNYESF in 2006. He is an environmental scientist at Biohabitats in Baltimore, Md.

Joe Kibbin is a construction inspector for Jacobs Engineering in Colorado Springs, Colo. He acts as a consultant materials tester for the Colorado Department of Transportation, testing soil, concrete, and asphalt. He and wife Angie have two sons.

46 | UNITY Winter 2011

Jessica (Ruggles) Sherman is director and librarian at the public library in Monroe, N.H. She and husband Steve have one daughter.

Neal Sleeper, a program director for the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department, recently became a certified registered Maine Guide in hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreation. He and wife Gillian have two sons.

Mike Wisniewski is captain of his own sport and commercial fishing boat, Jigged-Up Sports Fishing Charters, out of Truro, Mass. He is an officer in the Worcester County Sheriff ’s Department.

98 Matt Bennett teaches special education at Mount View High School in Thorndike, and works in the family-owned maple sugar operation, growing Christmas trees and selling firewood.

He and wife Adrienne have two daughters.

Wayne Cronin is a detective sergeant with the Wells Police Department and is adjunct faculty of York County Community College teaching criminalistics.

Cindy (Liszka) Dionne has been a vet tech for 11 years at the Acadia Veterinary Hospital in Bar Harbor. She is married to Joe. Paul Farrington, a Maine Game Warden, and his dog Koda received the K-9 Conservation Care of the Year Award at the annual dinner in April, 2011.

Patrick Hickey is an operator at the North Conway, N.H. Water District. He has a daughter.

Michael Jack is assistant principal and athletic director at Winthrop middle and high schools.

He has a son.

Andrew LaBonte is a biologist working with deer and moose for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Andrew led a recent moose capture that was filmed by National Geographic Wild. He and wife Kristen (Sauer) ’99 have one daughter and expect a baby in September.

Matt Martines, in the Navy, is stationed in the D.C. area. Prior, he served part of his 12 year career in Japan where he met his wife. They married over two years ago.

Kyle Rosenberg and wife Alison had their third child in April, 2011. They have a son and a daughter. Kyle is production manager at Well Tree Inc. in Brunswick.

Denise Thorn is working on her master’s in social work at the University of New England. Her job at Community Concepts in Norway was eliminated. She has been with her partner and his son for four years.

Tony “TJ” Vinci and wife Melody own Finns and Flowers Handmade Toys in Palermo, Maine, where they make a large variety of wooden toys to sell on their website. They have three children.

Bill Waite is program director at Oswegatchie Educational Center in Croghan, N.Y. He and wife Robin have a son.

class notes alumni Ray Webster ran the Boston Marathon in May 2011. He is a physical therapist at On Track Physical Therapy in Burlington, Vt. Jamie Woods works for Specialty Minerals, where they make and sell maple syrup. Jamie and wife Melinda have two children.

99 Jonathan Audet is a transmission lineworker for Vermont Electric Power Company. He and wife Annie have three children. Jon and Scott Philbrook both attended Tim Follensbee’s ’00 wedding.

Cristin Bailey is trails manager and volunteer coordinator for the U. S. Forest Service in Conway, N.H. Michael Braudis was promoted to contracting officer’s representative/sales administrator with the White River National Forest in Colorado.

He and wife Shelly have two children.

Korey Doyle earned an associate’s degree in 2009 in clinical lab science from Bristol Community College. He married Cheryl Dionne in October 2009.

Ausilia Evans is at the University of New England studying for a doctorate in pharmacy. Between classes she works in Portland, skis, su Ann Harrie, in her last semester of law school at the University of Montana, took the Montana bar exam in July 2011.

Miro Morikoshi is a stay at home mom with two sons. She lives in Estes Park, Colo. and gives sushi community cooking classes.

Ben King works raising barramundi at Australis Aquaculture in Turners Falls, Mass.

Fred Mason is a fire operations and fuels technician in Acadia National Park Fire Management.

Melissa May works at Fedco Seeds and Trees. She administers GED tests for the adult education program at Mt. View High School in Thorndike and runs the PLATO (technology-based learning) lab. Melissa has two children.

Jackie (Ottino) Graf is a dyemaster at Swans Island Blankets, a new state of the art natural dyehouse for fine organic merino knitting yarn. She and Lee ’03, a building contractor, have three children.

Barbie (Poirier) and John Wilmot had their third daughter, in February 2011. John, a football coach at University of Maine, accepted a new position at Harvard. They live in Malden, Mass.

Thomas “Brandt” Ryder finished his post-doctoral work and is a research ecologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C. He married Julia in July 2010.

Rebeccah Schnaffer-Tousignant married Peter Tousignant in July 2009. She is regional planner for the Greater Portland Council of Governments.

Deidre Schneider is state shoreland zoning coordinator for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in Augusta.

Norman Budd Veverka is a farmland wildlife research biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife. During the spring of 2011, he was featured on the Indiana Outdoor Adventures program showing the process of radio collar banding and tracking bobwhite quail.

Jeff Wazenegger is a USDA Forest Service Forester with the Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Unit in St. Paul Minn. at the University of Minnesota. He is married to Cassandra.

00 Jeff Anthony married Amber on June 18, 2010.

They had a baby in the spring of 2011. He works for the U.S. Postal Service in Springfield, Mass.

Jeff “Fonzie” McCabe was reelected to the Maine State Legislature. He is executive director of Lake George Park in Skowhegan. Jeff serves as a new member of the Unity Board of Trustees.

His wife Sara (Colburn) ’99 teaches in Norridgewock. They have two children.

Marcie (Pierce) Wistar teaches science, is chair of the science department, and assistant director of the middle school program at Kildonan School. She and husband Roger have three sons.

Sarah (Starbird) Marshall, back from Alaska, is a registered nurse in the oncology department of the Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth, N.H. She and husband Chase have a daughter.

Sarah Redmond studies marine biology in graduate school at the University of Connecticut.

Travis Collins received a 2011 Commissioner’s Recognition Award from the Maine Department of Education after only two years of teaching alternative education at Mount View High School in Thorndike.

Ames Quimby is senior designer/construction manager for CES Inc. in Brewer, working on landfill design and construction, sometimes with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. He has three children.

Andrew “Boots” Davenport has served 10 years as a member of the Yosemite National Park Service Helicopter Crew. He and wife Echo have a son.

Bennett Short is senior scientist with the Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Group in Salem, N.H. He and wife LeAnn have two children.

David Ellis is a fisheries biologist for the State of Connecticut working in the Diadromous program. He is married to Kris.

Julie (Giguere) Frost finished her 10th year teaching third grade at Mt. Charter School in Flagstaff, Ariz. With the school’s environmental focus, she is able to incorporate a lot of gardening and outdoor field trips. Julie competes in triathlons and running races during the summer. She has a daughter.

Michael Klubek has been a national park service law enforcement ranger since 2001. He works at Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area in Buskill, Penn.

Andrew LeFrancois has been teaching middle school biology in Milford, N.H. for eight years, after one year teaching special education.

Amber (Lyons) Faucher works in an afterschool program in Enfield, Conn. and landscapes. Jeremy ’99 is in the accounting department at Fender.

They have two children.

Shaun Oshman owns a carbon-neutral IT support company, ISupportU, in Boulder Colo. He has 11 employees and they bike to their clients. Shaun received the 2011 “Young Business Person of the Year Award” from the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. He is married to Anabel.

Michael Pratt is a sergeant first class after nearly 11 years in the Army. He and wife Jessica have lived in Germany for almost three years.

Jason Provencher, a civil engineer at MACTEC Engineering and Consulting in Portland, focuses on environmental engineering and environmental remediation. He earned his engineering degree from the University of Maine in 2005. He and wife Emily have two children.

Kimberly (Ross) LaMarre is library director at the Greenville Public Library.

Jason Townley is a housewright and furniture and cabinet maker in Kalispell, Mont, and started a second company with a partner in Bigfoot. He and wife Courtney have a son.

Neil Ward, director of the Androscoggin River Alliance, has been asked by the U.S. State Department to provide professional appointments for eight foreign visitors to learn about natural resource conservation. The visitors are from Burma, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

01 Nicole (Brazeau) Swenson and Thor are job-hunting and volunteering at the Brooks Preservation Society, which runs trains on the Belfast & Moosehead line. They have two sons.

Brad Clark is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park ranger in the Hopkinton/Everett Lakes District of New Hampshire. Heather Shea-Clark ’99 is a dispatcher and patrol officer for the Newport police department and a deputy sheriff. Married five years, they have a son.

Rob Davis is an electrician in the Boston area.

Michelle Day is an insurance agent for Derwin Long Agency in Mooresville, N.C. Jeremy Drake is a lead arborist for Central Maine Power Company. He and wife Melissa have a son.

Janelle Duncan is research assistant in the Department of Zoology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She earned her master’s in zoology from Miami in 2006.

Michelle Fisher is a registered nurse at the Birth Center at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

She and husband Thomas Burt have a son.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 47

alumni CLASS NOTES Laura (Hill) Bermingham and Dan ’00 have twin sons. Laura is a lecturer and research assistant at the University of Vermont and Dan owns Small Axe Landcare.

Brenda (Maddox) Perry is laboratory manager for Micro Technologies Inc. in Richmond, Va. She has two step children, and she and John have twin daughters.

Sharon Hupe works at a boutique in North Conway, N.H. She has a daughter.

Tom Magarian, a field biologist for New Jersey Audubon, worked on a project on Monhegan Island through July 2011. Earlier this winter he spent a month in South America trapping shore birds, and helped Professor Dave Potter with the Christmas Bird Count.

Andy Jones is a nurse at the University of Virginia Cardiothoratic Surgery ICU. He and wife Beth have a daughter.

Kelly Martin and Mike Gold have two children.

Kelly works at Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Leah Mitchell is a computer programmer, working from home for Appletree Company. She has purchased nine more acres for her animals.

Yolanda Mosonyi is an emergency vet tech at the Emergency Center in Manchester, N.H. She attends school to become a registered dietitian. She married Christopher Little in December 2010.

Zeb Murray is a captain in the Maine Army National Guard as an “Active Guard Reserve.” He was in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-2005 at Abu Ghraib cleaning up after the scandal. In 2009-2010 he was part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Zeb married Amber on January 22, 2011 in Ogunquit.

Peter Olinski works for Red Rose Limos. He is engaged to Laura Glover and has a son. Jon Hawkins ’02 is his neighbor.

Matthew Pinkham owns a satellite TV business, Kineo Video Electronics, in Greenville. He and wife Kate have a son and a daughter.

Allison Poussard is a biohazard facility lab animal technologist in the Biosafety Level 4 high containment lab at the Galveston National Lab at the University of Texas.

Sarah Redmond is studying for a master’s in marine botany at the University of Connecticut School of Ecology.

Matt Shejen and wife Kristen have a daughter.

Matt is a director in MetLife’s International area.

Amber (Wade) Dent will become a registered nurse in May. She and Robert Dent married on October 24, 2009.

Paul Meinersmann is an ITT specialist for Harbor Family Services in West Rockport, and Becky (Moore) teaches rock climbing at the YMCA in Camden. They have two daughters.

Ben Naumann is a fisheries biologist for the Maine Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Steve Nutting has been an outreach educator for the Family Planning Association of Maine for 3 1/2 years. After his wife Elizabeth finishes her nursing training, he will home school his two daughters.

Burch Owens is a recreation leader for the City of San Diego, Calif. and a nanny for two children. She has a son.

Clayton Pope is in law enforcement with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. He earned a master’s of science degree in administration of justice from Wilmington University in New Castle, Del. in January 2010.

Brock Sainsbury is manager of one of the hottest restaurants in Hermosa Beach, Calif. He enjoys rock climbing at Joshua Tree. He and Alissa Crowley ’01 are partners.

Melanie (Tuley) Cole and Stephen have a daughter born on March 14, 2011. Melanie is studying pharmacology.

Asa Wagner has his own builder/general contractor business in Eliot. He and wife Errin had their fourth child in March.

Matt Wagner is project manager at ReVision Energy in Liberty, and installed the solar items in the new TerraHaus at Unity College. He is married to Caitlin.

03

Greg Wilson works in lift maintenance and Maura Olivos ’02 is sustainability coordinator at Alta, Utah Ski Lifts. They celebrated their fifth anniversary in August.

Steve Agius is assistant manager for the Northern Maine Complex of National Wildlife Refuges for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Erin (Twombley) ’04 is a high school biology teacher.

02

Jeremy Cass married Danielle in August 2010.

In April he went to Slovenia to participate in an “Alpine River Leader” training on the Soca River. (see Faculty Notes)

Yusuke Hamada works in sales and marketing for Danisco in Tokyo. He has a daughter and lives in Tokyo.

John Hawkins is a central profile representative at the corporative headquarters of Clean Harbors Environmental Services in Horwell, Mass.

Amy “Blue” MacLeod is the violence prevention and outreach coordinator for the Sublette County Sexual Assault/Family Violence Task Force in Wyoming. Gregg Shedd is a wildlife biologist/project manager for Wyoming Wildlife Consultants.

48 | UNITY Winter 2011

Rebecca (Coles) Duckett, a stay at home mom, has two sons. She plans to return to work as a National Park law enforcement ranger.

Greg Colligan is a National Park Service bear specialist at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Michele Fafara works for Great American Dining while she starts her own wildlife business.

She and Chris Brison ’04 are engaged. Chris is a

wetlands specialist for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

Colleen Gauthier was promoted to inventory manager for the Massachusetts region at Ferguson Enterprises. She earned her master’s of business administration from Salem International in 2009.

Heather (Gerken) Fox is an education tech at the Troy school, and Randy ’02 is a Waldo County corrections officer. They have two sons.

Ken Grey is a youth program specialist for the 4H/Military Youth Program Partnership’s Operation: Military Kids initiative promoting and supporting community based youth programs for children of military service members. He and wife Michelle have a son.

Jarod Hjort is in his eighth year working as a fish culturist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Morgan Holbrook is completing requirements for veterinary school at Indiana University at South Bend, and is applying to veterinary school for fall 2012. She conducted organic chemistry research during the 2011 summer.

Brett Irving works at ReVision Energy in Liberty and raises dairy goats in Troy.

Vinny Marotta works in carpentry and tile/stone, and on deck jobs. He is the 2011 Casco Bay Island caretaker for the Maine Island Trails Association.

Jesse Morris is a wildlife biologist for the USDA. He and wife Elisha have two children.

Shelley Spanswick is a wild bird rehabilitator at Avian Farms in Freedom Seth Walker is a wilderness ranger at Zion National Park in Utah.

Lindsay Ware is a project manager at the Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor. She and Ben Naumann ’02 are together.

Jessica Welsh is a naturalist for the Medina County Park District in Ohio and is working on her master’s in early childhood education at Cleveland State University.

Joey Werner and Katie Clay-Wakefield were married on June 20, 2009. Joey was a wilderness counselor before North Carolina closed the Woodson Wilderness Challenge Program. He searches for a new position. He and Katie bought a home in Asheville, N.C. 04 Erin Amadon and Rob Hogg were married on August 20, 2011.

William “BB” See graduated from the Land Management Police Training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Complex in Gylnco, Ga. on December 2, 2010. He is working in Death Valley National Park as a full time law enforcement ranger for the National Park Service, He often sees Seth Walker ’03 who works at Zion National Park.

class notes alumni Rehabilitation and Living Center in Hartland.

She is a personal care assistant for her mother-inlaw and sister-in-law. She and husband Edward have two children.

Tim Welch is a fisheries/wildlife biologist for Nextera Energy, formerly Florida Power and Light.

Ben Wurst is a habitat program manager for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

Ben spoke on television about osprey nesting platforms he is erecting in the Forsythe National Wildlife Preserve.

William “BB” See ’04 receives his diploma from Don Usher, Superintendent of the National Park Service Law Enforcement Training Program, after graduating from the Land Management Police Training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Complex in Gylnco, GA on December 2nd, 2010.

Jason Demers drives a 70 foot bucket truck for Asplundt Tree Company, cutting trees infringing on power lines. He will be working as a National Park law enforcement ranger this season.

Jonathan Dumais and wife Amanda have a son.

Jonathan is a park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Danielle Dyer and Thomas Tetreau married in September 2010. Danielle is a botanist for Stantec Consulting Service in Topsham.

Emily (Jones) married Kristopher MacCabe, a Maine State game warden in the Farmington district. Emily is public relations representative for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Jennifer Knight owns Spirit Light and Luna Herbals in Blue Lake, Calif. She teaches classes on Reiki, herbalism and Shamanism. She surfs in her spare time.

Scott Maddox and Kimberly Cyrway married in 2010. Scott is a Maine State forest ranger.

Todd Mahler is project manager for RED Technologies in Bloomfield, Conn. He is married with two children.

Carol Moulton is an environmental investigator for the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality, Water Division. She lives with her partner, Dustin.

Jennie (Roy) Froment was married in 2010. She teaches grade six science in Plaistow, N.H. She earned a master’s of science teaching degree from SUNY/Potsdam in Secondary Education.

Brooke Simpson is a Maine State park ranger at Mt. Blue State Park in Weld, and waitresses at Sugarloaf in the off-season.

Tyler Staples is a fisheries biologist for National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration in Woods Hole, Mass.

Andrea Wakeman-Kitchen works at the Sanfield

Jason York earned his master’s of science degree in environmental studies/conservation biology from Green Mountain College in 2010. He works in Asheville, N.C. in the ecological restoration industry, controlling invasive plants and insects in the southeast.

05 Courtney Blodgett is studying for a master’s in education at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

Brett Bowser is a Wildlife Inspector for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Refuge at Ft. Niobrara/Valentine Complex in Nebraska.

Brian Donaghy is a northeast fisheries observer for East-West Technical Services in New Britain, Conn. He hopes to touch base with Josh Guyer.

Matthew Holmes, a game warden for New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, owns a house in Whitefield, N.H. Brian Mayhew is in Australia working for Outdoor Education Group. Prior, he worked with troubled youth for Outward Bound in Maine and for two months in Hong Kong.

Jamie Pacheco teaches biology and one class of wildlife at Durfee High School in Fall River, Mass.

Darrell Pardoe is a foreman of a crew at Nelson Tree Service, maintaining utility poles for power companies. He and wife Stacey have a daughter.

Matthew Rohrbaugh earned his juris doctorate from Vermont Law School and is an attorney with Shlansky and Co. Lyndsey Smith and Mark Savage both work for the Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Bryant Pond, Maine.

Corree Seward is a U.S. Forest Service interpretive ranger in Wrangell, Alaska. She will marry this fall.

Wes Verrill is a federal law enforcement officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Columbia, Mo. He owns Everything Outdoors Video, which films and produces outdoor videos. His first educational wildlife high definition DVD “Discovering Nature” focuses on whitetail deer, bison, and elk. Wes is completing his master’s in criminal justice administration.

06 Michael Bradford and Ashley Ackroyd-Kelly ’07 married in 2009. Michael is testing for the City

of Rochester Police Department and Ashley is an owner/trainer of Wicked Way Stables in East Bloomfield, N.Y. Marcus Gray is the coordinator of conservation and research programs for the Safari Club International Foundation in Washington D.C. Jayme Haverly is a baker for Highland Farms in Narragansett, R.I., and will attend culinary school this fall.

Casey Mealey is senior naturalist at the Greenville office and Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins for the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Wilderness Lodges.

Conal O’Keefe is lead educator for living classrooms of the National Capital Region/Shipboard Department. He works aboard the Mildred Belle conducting experimental programming.

Dan Rinell is in the Coast Guard. His unit was the first responder in Haiti after the earthquake.

He attended Marine Enforcement School in Charlestown, S.C. during the 2011 summer.

Matt Wyman and Danielle married on July 9, 2011. They have a daughter. He is a Maine Marine patrol officer.

07 Brenda Abel drives a school bus in Cassadaga, N.Y. Mike Bjork married Lauren Mackey in April 2011.

He works as an inventory arborist for Davey Tree Experts, surveying trees for Asian Longhorned Beetles in Bradford and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania.

Phil Catanese is field teacher at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond and a program coordinator for the Mahoosuc Kid Association in Bethel.

Jacob Day will marry Amanda MacPheters in October, 2011. Amanda is a pharmacist in Ellsworth.

Jacob is a police officer in Bar Harbor.

Brian Farrell and his father are builders. Brian breeds and raises pythons and three species of geckos. He is one of a few to breed in captivity the giant leaftail gecko, an endangered species.

Chad Gadsby is a service forester in Bradford and Sullivan counties for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources/ Bureau of Forestry.

Katie Haase has her “dream job” as a wildlife research associate with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, Mont. She works on various projects with wolves, elk, and moose in Yellowstone National Park, focusing on thermal biology.

Christopher Hilton is a Maine Marine patrol officer.

Mike Kalkstein works at an after school program at Zhang Sah Martial Arts in Philadelphia and trains in four martial arts at the same facility. He has completed one year of his master’s in secondary education with content in English at LaSalle University.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 49

alumni CLASS NOTES Linda Wyler worked as lead instructor and course director for Outward Bound Discovery in Florida. In June, she and her boyfriend, recently returned from Afghanistan, visited her family in Switzerland. Linda will work on her masters in school counseling this fall.

08 Lisa Bates is in her fifth year as a wildlife technician on the black bear monitoring project for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. During the winter of 2010-11, they visited 80 dens and handled about 190 bears.

Alice Chase is working security at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. She lives with her sister, Tammey ’95.

Bruce Currie is a Dextrin operator at Tate and Lyle in Houlton. He converts tapioca and potato starch into specialized starches. He owns Currie Tree Care.

Katie Haase ’07 is meeting with the Yellowstone Wolf Project to discuss her new role as Wildlife Research Technician as she helps with their database management as well as with a future field project involving wolves and the occurrence of mange.

Danielle Kane is a coordinator for at-sea and dockside monitors for the Northeast Fisheries Branch of the Marine Resource Assessment Group in the Gloucester and Boston areas.

Meredith Kellogg is working on her master’s degree in American and New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine. She is the public outreach and education coordinator for the Maine Wolf Coalition, and volunteers at Wolf Park, a captive wildlife education and research center in Battle Ground, Ind. Glen Lucas will marry in August 2011. He is a game warden for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Will Davis was a seasonal park ranger at Lyman Run State Park. He is enrolled in a 27 week course at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy.

Matt Dedes is a part-time postmaster relief at Locust Dale,Va. Andrew Fleming earned his master’s in geography and environmental resources, with a thesis on forest carbon mapping, from Southern Illinois University in May 2011. Sam (Chisholm) is a federal refuge officer at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Md. Ben Giroux is a border agent for the Department of Homeland Security in the Big Bend area of Texas.

Will Hafford and Eileen McCue welcome Lillian Frances, born on June 22, 2011. Will soon finishes his psychology doctorate program at Antioch in New Hampshire and serves as a new member of the Unity Board of Trustees.

Brittany Jenkins is a wilderness instructor of Outward Bound and a trail crew leader for the Student Conservation Association.

Clayton Kern is a marine science instructor at the Catalina Island Marine Institute in California.

He will begin earning his master’s in environmental and marine biology at Nicholls State University in Louisiana.

Julie Ladd is a national park law enforcement officer at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. She worked in national parks in the Midwest region from Arkansas to Michigan on special event/security details.

Emma McAllister is a vet tech in Woodstock, Vt., and married Dan Harrington in September 2011.

Chris McGrath is a fish culturist III for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Nicole Monkiewicz is an assistant manager at The Nature Place in North Fort Myers, Fla.

Nathan Olson is a fish culture specialist in Roxbury for the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Peter Newcomb is a seasonal national interpretation park ranger at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. During winters he is a sales representative for L.L. Bean in Mansfield, Mass.

Jeremy Pelletier is director of the adventure based counseling facility at George Junior Republic in Grove City, Penn. He married on 2011 Memorial Day weekend.

Sarah Ogden is wildlife program coordinator at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray.

Ben Turati is working for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado as a recreation ranger (forest protection officer II) and trail crew manager in the South Park Ranger District.

50 | UNITY Winter 2011

Jenna Jasiukuewucz is a vet tech in Chelmsford, Mass. She and Drew Mutlick married on September 16, 2011. Drew is manager of Scott’s Lawn Care Service.

Clayton Norwood is a residence hall director and judicial affairs coordinator at Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C. He married Virginia Parker in June 2010. Clayton will serve as an Army intelligence analyst.

Joe Martignetti plays guitar and writes music for his own band, Sunrunner, which released its first record this spring. Joe works as a stone mason, building walls, chimneys, and walkways.

Nicole Vinci is a customer greenhouse associate and floral designer at Robertson’s Flowers in Philadelphia. She works at a retirement community teaching horticulture therapy in their greenhouse and gardens. She and Mike Kalkstein are engaged and plan an August trip to Park City, Utah.

Lillian Frances born to Will Hafford ’08 and Eileen McCue on June 22, 2011.

Krystal Reddy is a wildland firefighter on an engine crew for the Bureau of Land Management in Illinois.

Angel (Rohrback) Martin married Michael Martin on June 11, 2011.

Raymond Stuart is a burned area rehabilitation technician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alamo, Texas.

Angel (Rohrback) Martin ’08

class notes alumni Brandon Warstler is a corrections officer for the Maine Department of Corrections. He and Erin married on January 1, 2011 and bought a home in Dover-Foxcroft.

Jeremy Watts is working at The Brewer’s Apprentice, a brew-on-premises/home brew supply store, in Freehold, N.J. He plans to become a professional brewer.

Luke Wroblewski owns an English academy and art gallery in El Penol, near Medelin, Columbia. He is writing a book on the life story of a friend’s participation in gang and drug warfare in the poor neighborhoods of Medelin.

09 Mickey DiPesa works at Johnny’s Selected Seeds in the research department. She lives in Unity.

Andrew Durgin works as a corrections officer for the Cumberland County Sheriff ’s Department and part-time as a police officer for the Old Orchard Beach Police Department.

Bradley Eklund owns Entwood Crafts, making wooden puzzles, and a landscaping business. He recently joined an artist co-op where he sells his work in a fine arts gallery. He and Hazel have a son.

Ryan Feener lobsters in Spruce Head and bought a house in Owls Head. He recently traveled through Italy.

Jake Harr is a technical service engineer for Remcal Products Corporation in Warrington, Penn.

He is upgrading his U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license to a masters license. In 2010 he became a certified sustainable building advisor, and became a certified tree tender through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Andrea Heim is a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica. She has worked with a farmer’s group, on organic gardening, teaching, building and organizing a solar dryer, and worked with community, government and non-government organizations.

Alexander Koch runs an online record label, releasing experimental folk and ambient music.

Julie Kozak is in the Peace Corps until May 2013, as a community environmental development volunteer in the Dominican Republic.

Jennifer Lane works for Think Pacific in Fiji, leading 10-week trips for gap year volunteers who experience the culture and help build projects in needy villages.

Michael Lewis is an environmental chemist at Connecticut Testing Labs in Meriden, Conn.

Dana Mark works as the outdoor classroom instructor during the school year and leads wilderness trips during the summer for Chewonki. This summer she will lead the Boat Builders Expedition; building wooden kayaks at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklyn for two weeks, and sea kayaking from Chewonki to Mount Desert.

Quentin McKinley is a seasonal park ranger for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Rec-

reation at Woodford State Park in Bennington, Vt. Kelli Meyer will earn her RN in May and her master’s in the fall at the University of New Hampshire. She and Andy Walker married on August 13, 2011, and honeymooned in Iceland.

They plan to go to Nepal and Southeast Asia in November.

Brent O’Brien is a machinist for New Hampshire Ball Bearing, Astro Division which makes astrospace bearings. He and his partner have a daughter.

Andrew Smart is a Maine game warden in the Clayton Lake district.

Jill Travisano returns for her fourth year in a seasonal job with the Raptor Trust, a bird rehabilitation center in Basking Ridge, N.J. In the winter she is a kennel technician at Toms River Animal Hospital and an animal health technician at the Ocean County Animal Shelter. She is enrolled in an online vet tech program at San Juan College.

Danielle (Warner) Cilley owns a landscape company with her father. Andrew ‘09 is working at Cabelas in fishing.

Felicia (Medeiros) Mahoney and John married on September 18, 2010. She is an off track betting pari mutuel teller at Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway in Bangor. John is the shift leader at the Bangor Blockbusters.

Justin Oser completed his master’s course to get a captains license giving him a Masters License for a Motor or Steam Vessel not over 100 gross tons in near coastal waters.

Elyse Porter, at Unity from 2006-08, graduated from Plymouth State University with a bachelors of science in psychology with a special focus on mental health. This fall, she plans to begin earning a graduate degree in school counseling at Plymouth State University.

Cailan Yorton is working in a day care center. She lives with Josh Miller ’10.

11 Kate Aucoin is a park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Peterborough, N.H. In September 2011 she started graduate school at the University of Southern New Hampshire.

Rosita Ayala is an admissions counselor at Unity College.

10 Ethan Buuck married Vanessa Martin August 6, 2011. A Maine game warden in Aroostook County, he participated on the Admission alumni panel for potential Unity students in 2011.

Devin Case is finishing his animal care internship at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb. Jonathan Cooper has a six-month position as a national park ranger at the Fort Union Trading Post Historic Site in western North Dakota.

Jessica Curtis is a carnivore keeper at the Little Rock Zoo in Little Rock, Ark. She works with bears, lions, and tigers.

Shilo Cushman is a veterinary assistant at Windsor Veterinary Clinic in Windsor, Maine, and is enrolled in the vet tech program at the University College of Bangor.

Tim Dorsey is a field instructor with Second Nature, a wilderness therapy program in Utah.

Chris Gerhard, a registered Maine Guide, has his degree in adventure education and leadership.

He works year-round for the River Source Rafting Company in Montana, guiding raft trips and dog sled adventures.

Lincoln Holt is a member of the farm crew at Sparrow Arc Farm in Unity from May to November, and works in Montana the rest of the year.

Dan Kinch is a California Condor internship biologist for the Coastal Humane Society.

Michael Lagueux is a corrections officer at the Maine State Prison in Warrren. He is married and lives in Rockland.

Jennifer McClain works in a new hotel/casino in Las Vegas, and plans to enroll in a performing arts school.

Rob Bentley ’11, logistics coordinator at Camp Marston in Julian, California.

Rob Bentley has a full-time seasonal job as a logistics coordinator at Camp Marston in Julian, Calif. He is working on a trail marking and restoration process and is helping in the mountain biking and rock climbing teen program.

James Benvenuti was sworn in as a game warden with the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game in June 2011.

Meredith Collins is a night security park ranger at Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, N.H. Ryan Falkenham has a summer position as assistant harbor master on Cape Cod.

UNITY Winter 2011 | 51

alumni CLASS NOTES Nate Morris works as a trainer for Natural Encounters Inc. in Winter Haven, Fla., training birds for live free flight shows to promote conservation. He worked the biggest show in Dallas, Texas in August 2011.

Amanda Nelson is a field technician working in Montana for the University of Notre Dame. She is working on a 30-year research program testing the survival rate of grasshoppers in a grassland habitat. She plans to go to grad school.

Patrick O’Roark is working in construction as he job hunts.

Shelley Peasley is searching for a new position.

Alison Renaud is a wildlife intern at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Dartmouth, Mass.

Alicyn Ryan began working on a doctorate in plant medicine at the University of Florida in the fall of 2011.

Kayla Bubar ’11, former Unity Sustainability Monitor contributor and Sustainability Tech, meets up with Jesse Pyles, Unity Sustainability Coordinator, when they both attended a LEED Green Associate workshop at University of Southern Maine in August 2011. Kayla serves as the Sustainability Coordinator for Aramark Dining Services at the University of Southern Maine.

Joanne Kellner worked at Lake George Regional Park this summer and is now an intern for sixth grade residential programming at Acadia National Park.

William Knight will start work on his juris doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law in fall 2011.

Trevor Lewis is working for Lucas Tree Experts and living in Unity.

Cayce Salvino is a summer intern working for the Bureau of Land Management in Alturas, Calif.

She started graduate school at the University of Maine in the fall of 2011 and will study forest soils.

Erin Schoppmeyer was featured in a news article about her new position as a park ranger at the Statue of Liberty where she guides visitors to the ferry.

Joy Sheehan was a volunteer with gopher tortoises in Florida and a wildlife director for a camp on Cape Cod during the summer of 2011. This fall she and Mike Paulsen travel to Central America, and will volunteer for various organizations on the way.

Leslie Van Niel works for Bat Conservation and Management in central Pennsylvania, a private consulting company conducting preconstruction surveys.

DEATHS Vicci Dwyer ’99 died May 4, 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer. She worked at the College in the cafeteria and as director of the Student Center from 1990 to 2002. For the last four years she worked at Last Chance Ranch Horse Rescue in Troy. A gathering in her memory was held at CrossTrax in Unity on July 9, and attended by a large number of alumni, former and present faculty, staff, and friends.

Family and friends of Brian Wheeler ’81 gathered on June 18, 2011, at low tide on Swans Island around a hand-painted boat containing Brian’s ashes for a celebration of his life, in a Viking funeral he had requested. The boat was set on fire just as a huge rainbow lit up the sky; a magical moment for a colorful person. Unity College alumni attending were: David Leaming ’78, Helen Sahadi ’83, Jeff ’81 and Sandy (Fletcher) Ritter ’81, Robin Starchak ’82, and Phil Pouech ’79.

Michael David Wolrich ’70 passed away in Warwick, Penn. on July 19, 2011. Known as ‘Dr. Mike’ by many of his patients, he practiced as a

52 | UNITY Winter 2011

Erin Schoppmeyer ’11 getting ready to greet visitors to the Statue of Liberty in her new position at the National Park Service.

Daniel Vasquez enlisted in the Air Force as a combat control officer. He fishes semi-professionally on the FLW (Forest L. Wood fishing tournaments) and B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) circuits and hopes to turn pro.

Sean Wieboldt was an instructor at High Trails Outdoor Science School in the San Bernardino Mountains in California through May 2011.

FORMER FACULTY and STAFF Pam Proulx-Curry is the academic dean at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. She and Steve live in Unity.

clinical psychologist for more than 39 years. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Unity College and his master of science degree from Kansas State College of Pittsburg. Upon graduating with his master’s degree, Mike moved to Pennsylvania to secure a position as a clinical psychologist. It was during a job interview at Eastern State School and Hospital when he met his loving wife of 37 years, Ruth L. (Schmidt) Wolrich.

Alexander L. Rine died at his home in Greeley, Colo. He taught forestry for one year at Unity College. He worked for seven years for the National Park Service, serving at Yellowstone National Park, Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, and Acadia National Park. His last job, which he held for 20 years, was as assistant park superintendent at Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania.

Jacqueline A. (Currier) Mortland died on August 12, 2011 in Waldo County. She pursued a career in library science and worked in the Dorothy Webb Quimby Library at Unity College and the Carver Memorial Library in Searsport. Private services were held on August 15, 2011.

ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FOR

UNITY FUND

THE 21ST CENTURY

YES! I want to become a Change Agent and this is how!

why Unity?

Unity College provides relevant curriculum to prepare students for pressing environmental issues of the 21st century.

why Now? Unity College is invested in preparing students for careers that meet the growing challenges of climate change.

why Give?

DONATE ONLINE at www.unity.edu DONATE BY MAIL using the enclosed return envelope DONATE BY CALLING and speaking to a member in the Office of College Development at 207.948.3131 ext. 303

THE UNITY FUND PROVIDES up-to-date classrooms, labs and equipment.

THE UNITY FUND GIVES students the opportunity to be educated through scholarships.

THE UNITY FUND ENSURES that our world will have dedicated environmental leaders prepared to meet the career demands of the 21st century.

AMERICA’S ENVIRONMENTAL COLLEGE

your Support as a Change Agent

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is an essential piece of our success in meeting these challenges.

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