unity magazine - winter 2011

WIN

TE

R 2

011 A NEW ERA BEGINS

President Stephen Mulkey Takes OfficeFocus on Sustainability Science Saving Cheetahs in NamibiaLargest Gift Ever Charts Way Forward

� | UNITY Summer 2009

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-

lenges of today and tomorrow. Climate change is preeminent among

these, requiring new approaches to conservation and environmental

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 gradua-

tion. 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.

Stephen Mulkey President, Unity College

From the President

The College will provide students with the

understanding to conduct what Thomas Berry

has called The Great Work of our time.

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.

AMERICA’SENVIRONMENTAL COLLEGE

YES! I want to become a Change Agent and this is how!

DONATE ONLINE at www.unity.edu

DONATE BY MAIL using the enclosed return envelope

DONATE BY CALLINGand speaking to a member in the Office of College Development at 207.948.3131 ext. 303

www.unity.edu

why Give?

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.

ADDRESSING

ENVIRONMENTAL

CHALLENGES FOR

THE 21ST CENTURY

UNITY FUND

90 Quaker Hill RoadUnity, Maine 04988your Support as a Change Agent

is an essential piece of our success in meeting these challenges.

Features16 Charting the Future PresidentStephenMulkeyAssumesDuties

21 Emphasis on Energy Efficiency StudentsAddressEnergyRealitiesof21stCentury

26 Addressing a World on the Brink TheValueofanEnvironmentalEducation

29 Searching for Environmental Careers AccidentalEnvironmentalistNoMore

In Our element33 Unity Welcomes New Trustees SupportforFutureisBright

34 Strengthening the Curriculum AcademicMasterPlanTakesShape

35 Celebrating Achievement and Embracing Change FriendsBidFarewellandSayHello

america’s environmental college

WINTER 2011

PersPectIvesNew Worlds and Opportunities 6

LearningtheMajestyandMagicofPandasSavingCheetahsisGoalforEliWalker’13

Travel Changes Hearts and Creates Connections 7 UnityGoesGlobalwithInternationalOpportunities

Seeing the Inspirational Qualities of Lacrosse 12

RickRoy’84isDriventoServe

Unprecedented Gift for Unity 14

UnityCollegeReceivesTransformative$10MillionGift

alumnI41 Alum Success Adds Value to Our Institution

41 Class Notes

Alumni Profiles

43 DanielleDyerTetreau’03

On the CoverPresidentStephenMulkeyandspouseMicheleLeavitttransitiontoanewhomeatUnityCollege.PhotobyMarkTardif

�|UNITYWinter 2011

FrOm the edItOr

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 TardifManaging Editor

unity magazinevolume �5, no. �

Managing Editor MarkTardif

Assistant Editors KateGrenierDeboraNoone

Student Editors FrancesRoth’14ZacharySmall’14

Student Photo Editor JonahGula’15

Designer SkaarDesign/AnneliSkaar

Class Notes Editors KateGrenier,DeboraNoone, DotQuimby

Editorial Assistants ReetaBenedict,RobertConstantine,JosephGalli,CynthiaSchaub

Contributing Writers ReetaBenedict,NicoleCollins’00,JosephGalli,AshleyKuplin’12,MicheleLeavitt,JacobMcCarthy,Dr.StephenMulkey,DeboraNoone,JessePyles,DotQuimby,MarkTardif,WilliamTrumble,SaraTrunzo’08,

Contributing Photographers DaveCleaveland,MaineImagingPhotogra-phy,NicoleCollins’00,JonahGula’15,OliviaHanson’11,InHisImagePhotography,ChrisKein,MollyLindh’12,MeganMallory’14,JacobMcCarthy,PRNewswire,JessePyles,FrankReske’13,TinaShute,ZacharySmall’14,Brit-tanySnyder’14,KellySwart’12,MarkTardif,SaraTrunzo’08

Board of Trustees Mr.WilliamZoellick,Chair;Ms.MargotKelley,ViceChair;Mr.DonaldFoster,Treasurer;Ms.JulietBrowne,Secretary;Mr.PeteDidisheim;Mrs.MarthaDolben;Mr.WilliamT.Hafford’08,Ms.SarahJeffords;Mr.RobertKelley;Mr.JeffreyMcCabe’00;Mr.FredericMcCabe;Mrs.NadineMort;Dr.StephenMulkey,President;Mr.JohnNewlin;Mr.BruceNickerson;Mr.WilliamRoesing;Mrs.ArleneSchaefer;Ms.GloriaSosa’83;Mr.RobertTonge;Mr.TravisWagner’83;Mr.C.JefferyWahlstrom;Mr.JamesHoran,Faculty;Ms.AmyKennedy’12,Student.

We want to hear from you.Letterstotheeditor,storyideas,oraddresschangesmaybesentto:

Email: [email protected]

Mail: Letters,UnityMagazine 90QuakerHillRoad Unity,Maine04988

Web: www.unity.edu

Wereservetherighttoeditsubmissionsforlength,clarity,andstyle.Submissionsshouldbenolongerthan250words.

UnityMagazineisprintedbyFranklinPrinting,Farmington,Maine,anFSC(ForestStewardshipCouncil)certifiedprinterandprintedonRollandEnviro100,a100%post-consumerpapermanufacturedusingbiogasenergy.

UNITYWinter 2011 |�

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 of-fices, 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.

Successful Completion of Campus Renovations and Building Projects


The appointment of Trumble comes after several years of academic restructuring and refinement, strengthening and re-freshing the curriculum. The goal has been to make the envi-ronmental 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 recogni-tion 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 con-cern while training the next generation of environmental stew-ards 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 dif-ferentiate 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-

Well regarded bio medical scholar and college administrator Dr. William Trumble began his new position as senior vice president for academic affairs in July.

Unity College Names Dr. William Trumble as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

teriology and biochemistry at the University of Idaho, Mos-cow, 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, South-western Medical School, Dallas, Texas; and a bachelor of sci-ence in biochemistry from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

PersPectIves

UNITYWinter 2011 |5

CAMPUS

Ask any Unity student or alumni about Nova and you’ll get an ear-ful, since every incoming Unity student has spent time in the great out-doors 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 stew-ardship, Nova is also common experience all students share and remem-ber 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 re-cent 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 actu-ally get to be outdoors learning about what you’re going to be doing in your major.”

Incoming Students Explore NatureBy Jacob McCarthy, Web Content Developer

PersPectIves


STUDENTS

Rebekah Selmanie’s ’12 lifelong interest in working with animals brought her to Unity College. “The captive wildlife care and edu-cation program was everything I was looking for,” Selmanie said. “It has been the best de-cision 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

Learning the Majesty and Magic of Pandas in China By Nicole Collins, Career Consultant / Internship Coordinator

This past May, Eli Walker ’13 found himself eye to eye with the world’s fastest land ani-mal. 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 organiza-tion 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 prob-ably 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 pro-cedures, 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 edu-cate 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.”

Saving Cheetahs is Goal for Eli Walker ’13 By Nicole Collins, Career Consultant / Internship Coordinator

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 knowl-edge of conservation and animals in captiv-ity 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.”

PersPectIves


GLOBAL

Unity Goes Global with International Educational OpportunitiesBy Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator

The College enjoys excellent local com-munity participation through arts and edu-cational programs, sustainability immersion in the Unity gardens, and other area part-nerships. In the spirit of extending the intel-lectual assets of the College, Unity plans to launch international educational adventure trips to the community at large.

In 2013, Unity will partner with Pack Pad-dle Ski to offer two unique and specially de-signed international expeditions, combining education and hands-on immersion. Unity alumnus, Rick French ’80, and owner of Pack Paddle Ski, devotes his career to guid-ing 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 hands-on, out-of-classroom education; a norm for Unity students. They are an opportunity for Unity’s faculty to use their expertise by offer-ing component programs to the trip agenda. Participants will embark on a life-changing adventure, where they will be able to im-merse themselves in a different culture, learn sustainable practices of other countries, and give back through a group project to the ar-eas 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. Sen-sitive travel changes hearts and creates con-nections 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 stu-dents from across the country, and building relationships with potential foundation and business funders, as well as individual do-nors.

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

“I’ve watched as a small hand reach-ing 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 monas-tery after a blessing from the monks. (bottom right) Spinning giant prayer wheel in reflection of wonders of Khumbu.

As Unity extends its reach, the College is developing a community-wide educational plan.

PersPectIves


COMMUNITY

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 self-managed green revolving funds that finance energy efficiency upgrades on campus.

Unity is in good company. Other colleges joining Unity in-clude 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 me-dian 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 low-ering operating costs on college and university campuses.

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

Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endow-ments 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 Foun-dation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, and the Wallace Global Fund.

One of the most energy efficient colleges in the United States has signed on to one of the most ambitious initiatives in “green” history.

Unity College Joins Launch of $1 Billion “Green Challenge”

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.

PersPectIves


COMMUNITY

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, stu-dents 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 pre-cautions.” 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 col-laborations with Unity College faculty, staff and students.

“There certainly is a lot of enthusiasm at Unity and faculty re-ally 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 Sebas-ticook 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 solv-ing experiences that our students need as they pursue various aspects of sustainability science through their degree programs. SRLT brings the classroom learning to life.”

Sebasticook Regional Land Trust Flourishes with Unity College AffiliationWhen 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.

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

PersPectIves

10|UNITYWinter 2011

SERVICE

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, af-ter 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 ef-fectively impact lives of students who are in jeopardy of truancy or dropping out.

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

Trunzo demonstrated early commit-ment 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 coordi-nator in the College Sustainability Office, Unity Barn Raisers’ Veggies For All proj-ect 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

Service to Community: An Engrained Value at Unity CollegeBy Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator

volunteers for Unity Barn Raisers, Unity College, and as a citizen scientist for the Mountain Birdwatch Program.

“The diversity of courses and perspec-tives 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 environ-mental ethic, leading me to be active in my community.”

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

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.

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 acco-lades about Sara’s service to the College.

PersPectIves

UNITYWinter 2011 |11

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

SERVICE

For the second year in a row, Unity Col-lege 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 commu-nity. Unity was one of only two colleges in Maine to be named to the honor roll.

The Corporation for National and Com-munity Service (CNCS) honored Unity Col-lege 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 Com-munity 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 re-vitalization 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 in-crease over last year, it is a sign of the grow-ing 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

Unity College Named to President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

A well-known Unity College profes-sor 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 con-tain. Current estimates put the amount of car-bon in the atmosphere just above 390 parts per million. Zavodny says he got involved in the event because it seemed like a great op-portunity 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

3:30 p.m. in the commons area of the Com-mon Ground Country Fair and culminated in fair-goers flowing through a large scale num-ber “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-

PersPectIves

1�|UNITYWinter 2011

Many Unity alumni live their lives in service to others. Rick Roy ’84 is one of them. As an Oregon Bureau of Land Manage-ment 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. Al-though it is the smallest in Oregon and the most remote in the U.S., the program gives native and non-native players an oppor-tunity to participate in organized sports. The inclusive program incorporates traditional aspects of the game by holding a “Medi-cine Game” in the fall, reciting a “prayer of thanksgiving” as tribal leaders bless players and the field prior to each match, wear-ing 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.

Rick Roy ’84 By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator

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.

“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.”

SERVICE

PersPectIves

UNITYWinter 2011 |1�

For several years unique works of art have been springing up about campus, leading to an interesting vista for the College com-munity 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 Instruc-tor of Pottery Randy Fein were first displayed in 2008. Fein and Pro-fessor 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 visu-ally interesting and stimulating,” Fein said. “Many of these projects (on campus) have been completed through collaborative, coopera-tive efforts. To work together as collaboration is very harmonious.”

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

A Campus Where Artistic Creativity Shines

CAMPUS

PersPectIves


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.”

Unity College Receives Transformative $10 Million Gift

It is indeed

an exciting time

to be at Unity

College. With

growing recogni-

tion and national

reputation, fund-

raising for this outstanding College has be-

come even more dynamic. As resources

have increased, so has our ability to do the

“good work.”

The Office of College Development an-

nounces the formation of the inaugural

Annual Fund Committee and the Student

Giving Committee. These advisory groups

will bring a wealth of insight, ideas, and

volunteerism to our college community.

Members will review, recommend, and

advise on annual campaign strategy; fos-

ter, cultivate and represent development

opportunities to specific constituencies to

recruit, educate, and motivate volunteers.

Working closely with the director of annual

giving and the Development Office, mem-

bers of each committee will help by ensur-

ing a successful annual fund program for

Unity College. It is the purpose of these

committees to add scope and depth to the

College’s fundraising efforts optimizing the

College’s potential.

The growth of the fundraising efforts

at Unity is also marked by a sub-branded

Unity Fund logo. This logo will help to

identify the annual fund as a major tool

in meeting the College’s annual financial

needs.

These committees extend the reach of

our fundraising efforts as well as solidifying

deeper working relationships with all con-

stituencies – alumni, parents, employees,

and friends. We invite you all to keep up

with our progress as the year unfolds.

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

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.

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

DEVELOPMENT

PersPectIves


Unity College Receives Transformative $10 Million Gift

The Davis Educational Foundation has

awarded a $134,000 grant for the imple-

mentation of the Academic Master Plan to

enhance our students’ education for 21st

century environmental issues.

William Trumble, senior vice president

for academic affairs, explained “This grant

allows us to move quickly to further ad-

vance Unity’s academic renewal with some

resources to assist with selected faculty sti-

pends, professional development, and tools

and technology costs.”

This grant promises specific outcomes

including the establishment and implemen-

tation of assessment plans for majors, an

improved advising system, and the selec-

tion and piloting of technologies to support

attaining and assessing learning outcomes.

As always, all that we do to improve our

infrastructure directly benefits our students.

“Through this grant we will improve individ-

ual program structures, the efficiency with

which they are executed, as well as tangible

classroom amenities. All of these enhance-

ments directly impact our students’ learn-

ing experience in a positive way,” noted

Trumble.

In keeping with the company’s focus on

community and service to Maine’s future,

during the fall semester Allen Insurance

and Financial of Camden, Rockland, and

Southwest Harbor announced the creation

of an annual scholarship at Unity College.

Each year, a $2K scholarship will be

awarded to a Unity College student study-

ing in the Center for Sustainability and

Global Change. The first recipient of this

scholarship is Shayne Van Leer ’13, an

agriculture, food and sustainability major

from Berlin, New Jersey.

“We are excited to be a part of Unity

College’s mission in preparing young peo-

ple 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 on-

going 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, com-

mitment and social responsibility,” said

Joe Galli, Interim Vice President of Col-

lege Development. “Allen Insurance and

Financial and Unity College share a strong

commitment to sustainability and educa-

tion. Maine’s vibrant agricultural sector is

a strength for the state. Shayne exempli-

fies the future of agriculture and a sustain-

able lifestyle through the work he is and

will be doing. The future of the way we eat

and live rests in the hands of students like

Shayne.”

Allen Insurance and Financial Announces Unity College Scholarship, Focus on Service and Sustainability

Davis Educational Foundation Grant

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

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

DEVELOPMENT


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 compre-hensively 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

arrived on campus I felt a warm, open atmosphere and a con-nection 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 commu-nity and grow with it.”

Mulkey comes to Unity from his most recent position as director of the program in environmental science at the Uni-versity 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 cut-ting-edge, hands-on, experiential environmental programs and sustainability with a developing national presence.

AGlobalPerspectiveGiven his three decades of scientific experience, including

research on the functional ecology of forests in Eastern Ama-zonia, tropical forest canopies in wet and dry forests of Cen-tral 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, fish-eries, 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 attain-ing key goals.

“In some ways our tag line ‘America’s Environmental Col-lege’ expressed our collective aspirations,” said Glidden. “The scope of achievements that Unity has attained and measure of leadership it has shown in environmental education, particu-larly 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 legiti-mate place among the best small environmental colleges in the United States.”

President Stephen Mulkey Assumes Duties and Charts Ambitious CourseBy Mark Tardif, Associate Director of College Communication


President Stephen Mulkey Assumes Duties and Charts Ambitious CourseBy Mark Tardif, Associate Director of College Communication

BuildingUponSuccesses“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 Col-lege 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 environmen-tally sustainable construction.

“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.”

WakingUpinUnityByMicheleLeavitt,PresidentialSpouse Tuesdaymorning, July5,2011--Stephenand IarrivedatUnityHousewithourtwodogs,HeatherandKeeper,afterthreeweeksontheroad.Withinwhatseemedlikejustafewminutes,Stephenwasinhisofficeandon-taskwithpresidentialduties,guidingUnityCollegeon itspathofcontinuous improvement.Meanwhile,IgotbusymakingUnityHouseintoourhome,withtheoccasionalbreaktostepoutsideintothewarmsummerairtomeetournewneighbors.OutsideUnityHouseinJuly,thelupineandpeonyblossomshadgonetoseed,butthedaylily,coneflower,anddaisyblos-somswavedintheQuakerHillbreeze.Thetreesrustledwiththeactivityofkingbirds,merlins,andfinches.AsIwritenow,atthebeginningofSeptember,thephlox,sedumsandastersbloom,andtheapplesripen.ApairofbeaverscavortunderthenewbridgebetweentheCollegeandthetown.Autumnpromisesagenerousharvest. ThegenerosityofUnityhasastonishedus– thebountyofthefarmersmarket,thefriendlinessofthetown’speople,thewarmth of faculty and staff, the bright and shining faces ofnewstudents.WewakeupinUnityeachdaywithaprofoundsenseofgratitudeforthenaturalbeautysurroundingus,andfortheopportunitytoliveandworkalongsideacommunityofremarkablepeople.

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


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


“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 effi-ciency. TerraHaus is only the latest in a series of projects that have not only expanded the range of educational options avail-able at Unity College, but have highlighted its clear, compel-ling 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 cur-riculum 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.”

TheWayForwardSeeking 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 signifi-cant 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.

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 Insti-tute, 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 institu-tions 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 flour-ish.

Mulkey believes Unity College is ideally positioned to pro-vide 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, sus-tainability science research deals with “interactions between

President Mulkey has been en-gaged with every segment of the College community. In addition to offering several presenta-tions 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.

�0|UNITYWinter 2011

Pulling back the sliding glass door that first morning in Maine,MicheleLeavitt,spouseofnewPresidentStephenMulkey,knewhertransitiontothisnewhomeandcommunitywouldgosmoothly.Leavitthasspentmostofher life inMassachusetts,and theNewEnglandlandscapefeelslikehometoher. “Unityhasagoodvibe,”Leavittsaid.“It’scomfortableandrelaxedandeverybodyhasbeenwonderfulandwelcoming.” Leavittbringsher ownexperienceandexpertise toUnityCollege.SheholdsajurisdoctorfromSuffolkUniversityLawSchool,amas-ter’sofartsinliteraturefromSalemStateCollegeandamasteroffineartsincreativewritingfromVermontCollegeofNorwichUniversity.Arecipientofmanygrantsandawards,she’spublishedover50piecesofpoetryandshortprose. InSeptember,Leavitthostedthekick-offsessionofDirectorofUni-ty’sWritingCenterJudyWilliam’sWritingCircle.UnityHousewasover-flowingwithstudents,facultyandstaff,enjoyingpizzaandreadingfromtheirownworks.Leavittalsostartedablogaboutherinvolve-mentintheUnitycommunityandhasprofiledlocalUnityalumni. BothMulkeyandLeavitthaveexpressedan interest inpromotingthehumanitiesoncampus.LeavitttaughtintheEnglishdepartmentattheUniversityofIdaho,andthisspringwillteachacreativewritingclasstoincludepoetry.Futureplansinvolvehostinga“poetryslam”

attheUnityCollegeCentreforthePerformingArts.Leavittsaystheactofcompetitivelywritingandperformingyourownpoetry,andbe-ingjudgedbyyourpeers,is“avibrantwaytoexperiencepoetry.” ItisobviousMicheleLeavittispassionateabouthernewroleattheCollege. “Unitywalksthewalkandallowsalltotalkthetalk,”Leavittsaid.“Stephen and I are delighted to be here.” As Leavitt and her dogsHeatherandKeepertakedailyjauntsonthesurroundingtrails,besuretosayhello.Withenthusiasm,Leavittstates,“Iwanttogettoknoweveryone.”

LifeinBalance,UnexpectedTurnBringsStephenMulkeyandMicheleLeavitttoUnityCollegeByAshleyKuplin’12andDeboraNoone,AlumniandParentRelationsCoordinator

natural and social systems … meeting the needs of present and future genera-tions while substantially reducing pov-erty and conserving the planet’s life support systems.”

Interviewing with Central Maine Newspapers reporter Beth Staples, Mulkey shared his vision of how sus-tainability 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 sustain-ability 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.”

RightPlace,RightTimeForty-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 environmen-tal leadership beyond the confines of Quaker Hill.

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

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

Mulkey stresses that “green” ap-proaches 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 opportuni-ties addressing the environmental issues of the 21st Century is a good one upon which to build his presidency.

UNITYWinter 2011 |�1

Students Train to Address Energy Realities of 21st Century

Approaches to Energy Education

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 demon-strates 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 promi-nently 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 demon-strates 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.

OurEnergyStoryThe TerraHaus is a shining jewel in Unity’s energy crown.

The 10 student residence hall is a first-of-its-kind building de-signed to use only 10 percent of the energy of similar buildings in our area. Although, TerraHaus pushes the envelope in build-ing 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 environ-mental 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

��|UNITYWinter 2011

heating, cooking, and electricity. We have a record of making the best energy choices we can, given our financial resources and con-sideration 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 pan-els which heated water in the cafeteria for 12 years. We’ve installed demonstration, small-scale 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 effi-ciency in recent construction has been less public. Great attention has been paid to insu-lation and energy systems in the Maplewood residence hall and the additions to the Alli-son 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 ren-ovations in recent years. These efforts have contributed to relatively stable overall cam-pus energy use despite the addition of built space.

PointsofEntryAs 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 tremen-dous 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 opportu-nity to pilot different approaches to energy use and performance with different applica-tions.

With a small amount of grant funding, the College replaced the fuel oil heating sys-tem in our library with a wood pellet system (see page 24). More blown-in cellulose in-sulation 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 elec-tric lighting. Annually, the Unity House

UNITYCOLLEGEENERGYBYTHENUMBERSByJessePyles,SustainabilityCoordinator

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.

Callit“Yankeethrift,”or“frugalsustain-ability,”orjust“goodsense,”buttheUnityCollegecommunityis,forthemostpart,aprettyenergyconsciousbunch.Thatisthefindingfromtheenergyassessmentcom-pletedlastspringbycampussustainabilityfellow,Dr.AnneStephenson.Stephenson’sgrant-fundedplacementatUnityforoverayearwasaresultofourinvolvementwiththeRockyMountainInsti-tute’sAcceleratingCampusClimateChangeInitiativesprogram.Herreportsuggeststhatthereisnosilverbulletsolutiontosignifi-cantlyreducingcampusbuildingenergyuse.Instead,itdocuments180energyconserva-tionmeasuresthattakentogethercouldsavetheschoolabout25percentofour

currentannualenergycosts.YoucanfindthefullresultsoftheenergyassessmentonlineattheSustainabilityMonitorsustain-abilitymonitor.wordpress.com/energy-plan/.Stephenson’senergyplanhasalsogivenusadetailedlookatbuildingenergyusethatwillbecentraltofacilitiesandsustainabilityplanningwellintothefuture.Whilewehavetrackedcampusenergyuseintheaggregateformanyyears,untilnowwehavebeenunabletoadequatelytrackbuilding-specificdata.Thegraphbelowshowstheenergyuseintensityofourcampusbuildings.Itdocumentsoil,propane,andelectricityuseexpressedinBritishthermalunits(theircommonenergyoutput)persquarefoot.

UNITYWinter 2011 |��

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.

ModelSustainabilityThis 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 li-brary 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.

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.


As we address energy challenges in these and other build-ings on campus, we can serve as a model for those with similar buildings in the broader community. Importantly, Unity Col-lege also advances the field with projects like the TerraHaus, declaring publicly that superior building performance and al-ternative energy are viable options in our cold Maine climate. Additonally, the resources to achieve these projects are available in our region.

EnergizingSustainabilityEducationAs 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 en-ergy internships to support the work of our campus sustain-ability fellow last year, culminating in policy and tracking recommendations and reports that have since aided energy and climate planning. That same energy assessment employed resi-dent 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 re-storing 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 anal-ysis 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 cam-pus 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 plan-ning 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 Pas-sive House residence hall, the first LEED Platinum president’s house, a wood-fired library heating system, and the Carter Pan-els. 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 ad-dress these things. What makes us exemplary is our commit-ment to sustainability education through our approach to new and old energy challenges.

UnityCollegewasrecentlyawardedover$43,000infederalstimu-lusfundsand$25,000fromtheStephanandTabithaKingFounda-tion to installawoodpelletheatingsystem in thecampus library.The grant was awarded through Efficiency Maine’s DemonstrationProjectsprogram,intendedtoinstallandshowcaserenewableenergyapplicationsthroughoutthestate. Theswitch fromfueloil toMaine-madehardwoodpellets isex-pectedtocutannualheatingcostsforthelibrarybymorethanhalf.The 13,000 square-foot library, which serves the College and fivesurroundingcommunities,wasthefourthlargestfueloilconsumeroncampus,burningnearly6,000gallonsoffueloilayear.Accordingtoastudyconductedlastyear,theformer1968-modeloilboiler,thoughreliable,wasoversizedandinefficient.Thatsystemwasremovedfol-lowingthespringsemesterandreplacedwithanewOkoFENauto-maticwoodpelletboilerfromMaineEnergySystems.TheCollegepartneredwithReVisionHeattodeveloptheproposalandreVisioncompletedtheinstallation–includingtheboileritselfand the13-tonpellet silonowprominentlydisplayedon the southsideofthelibrary.

Thoughwoodpelletsreleasegreenhousegasemissionswhenburned,the trees from which they are made sequester carbon throughouttheirgrowthlife.Thisrepresentsasignificantreductioninemissionsoverthelifecycleofsustainablyharvestedwoodfuelsascomparedtooilandotherfossilfuelswhichcannotberegenerated.OurlibrarypelletprojectsupportsMaineindustry,lowersUnity’sheatingcosts,reducesharmfulemissions,anddemonstratesanotherviableenergyoptiontoourcampusandthebroadercommunity.

NewLibraryHeatingSystemDemonstratesRenewableEnergy,LowersCostsByJessePyles,SustainabilityCoordinator


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 appear-ance of the pellet storage container outside the library, saying it possesses a style all its own.


WilliamTrumble,Ph.D.,SeniorVicePresidentforAcademicAffairs

The Value of an Environmental Education


WilliamTrumble,Ph.D.,SeniorVicePresidentforAcademicAffairs

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 perspec-tive. 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 pe-riod. 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 mas-sive nuclear reactor meltdowns at Chernobyl, Ukraine, and at Fukushima, Japan; major oil spills in China, the Gulf of Mex-ico, 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 demon-strate resilience, adaption, and mitigation in dealing with en-vironmental problems. We need interdisciplinary knowledge, creativity, teamwork, communication skills, and a willingness to adapt a sustainable approach to energy use and living in gen-eral. 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” ad-dress 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 – contrib-uting 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 sup-ply of oil has been extracted. This suggests increasing future opportunities in green work and decreasing future opportuni-ties in the petroleum industry.

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.

The Value of an Environmental Education

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


But there are many more reasons that might not be so obvi-ous 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 con-servation 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 adven-ture-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 man-agement 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 gen-eration 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 contribu-tion 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.”

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


By Mark Tardif, Associate Director of College Communications

Accidental Environmentalist No More


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 occasion-ally 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 envi-

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 envi-ronmental policy, think carefully about their personal environ-mental philosophies, and join environmental student groups.

Bill Livezey ’87 is a 21 year veteran of the Department of In-land 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 environ-mental 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

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.

(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 Massachu-setts; 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.


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 al-ways attract a variety of students,” Livezey stated. “No matter what our students believe or what motivates them regarding en-vironmental 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 Me-morial 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.”


(Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifo-lius), and Oriental Ladys-thumb (Po-lygonum caespitosum).

The future is quite focused for Floyd. “I plan to attend graduate school,” she said. She is not sure her focus will con-tinue to be on plants, though she is grate-ful for the experience.

“When you are in wildlife manage-ment you really do have to know your plants in order to understand the habi-tat,” she said.

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

At the university he was an aquacul-ture major. Once at Unity, he discov-ered 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 rang-ing skills he was seeking.

“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. Cur-rently 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 posi-tively 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 in-ternships.

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

python (Python reticulatus) while co-workers 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 pro-found.

“Some people would kill an animal merely from fear, but everything, every animal, has its purpose,” Reske stated. “Just because an individual fears a par-ticular 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.”

“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.”

In Our element


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 adven-ture 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 JeffordsJeffords is a past parent whose son Sam attended Unity for two years be-fore transferring. Since his transfer, both have re-mained actively engaged with Unity College. She

currently serves on several boards includ-ing National Audubon Society and is per-sonally committed to the environmental and community mission of the College.

Robert Kelley Robert T. Kelley is an en-trepreneur, technologist, and humanist. He is a is a founding partner of Liq-uidHub, 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 Uni-versity of Missouri-Rolla, and his masters and doctorate from Indiana University, where he investigated the cultural impli-cations of virtual reality.

Amy Kennedy ‘12 Kennedy, a senior major-ing in environmental pol-icy, came to Unity College from Exeter, N.H. She is currently serving as Stu-

dent Government Association president. Some of her interests include running and biking.

Jeffrey McCabe ‘00 McCabe is a 2000 gradu-ate of Unity College with a bachelor of science de-gree in environmental education. He is currently

the director of Lake George Regional Park in Skowhegan, Maine and is serv-ing 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 Inter-national Center for Digital Learning. He has worked in education since 1984 as

both teacher and school change facilita-tor. 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 Uni-versity of Iowa.

Bruce Nickerson Nickerson is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Ban-gor Savings Bank. He is a Maine native and a Maine-

licensed CPA with over 25 years of finan-cial 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 ad-ministration, he resides in Brewer with his wife Sharon and their three daugh-ters Jordan, Hannah, and Gabrielle.

William RoesingRoesing is former president of Campaign Planning Inc. a political consulting firm. He recently retired to Camden, Maine where

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 environmen-tal science and policy at

the University of Southern Maine. His research focus is on sustainable material use with a focus on innovative policy ap-proaches to maximize waste prevention of electronic waste and fluorescent light-ing. He is a 1983 graduate of Unity Col-lege with a bachelor of science degree in environmental science. Wagner received his doctorate in environmental and nat-ural resource policy from The George Washington University and a master of public policy in environmental policy from the University of Maryland, Col-lege 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 hik-ing, cross-country skiing, canoeing, play-ing saxophone and enjoying the gourmet delights of Portland.

Unity College Welcomes New TrusteesBy Reeta Benedict, Annual Giving Officer

CAMPUSNEWS

In Our element


CAMPUSNEWS

Academic Master Planning Strengthens Curriculum Development and Assessment Procedures

By Debora Noone, Alumni and Parent Relations Coordinator

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

Unity College undertook a three year process in academic re-

newal, known as an Academic Master Plan (AMP). Since 2008,

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

implementation, including the creation of the five interdisciplinary

Centers and a comprehensive scan of 21st century environmental

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

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

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

ceived from Davis Educational Foundation will be used to move the

process from the planning stages of the AMP to the implementation

stage.

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

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

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

experiential pedagogy and the need to integrate assessment of stu-

dent learning will round out the implementation goals.

Grant dollars will be used by faculty to develop curricular details

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

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

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

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

models.”

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

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

posted scheduled advisor hours, making it easier for students to

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

The faculty will be provided with advising handbooks. Students

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

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

academic program, including the selection of courses, evaluating

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

dents to make the most of their education.

Although the work of the foundation supported grant began dur-

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

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

fall of 2012.

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

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

responsive to emergent environmental professions,” Trumble said.

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

In Our element


CAMPUSNEWS

During the summer and fall of 2011, Unity College hosted two events in the mid coast region. The first, in June, bid fare-well 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 hon-ored 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 oc-casion,” noted Joseph Galli, interim vice president for Col-lege 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 op-portunities that are available to all interested, just as every edu-cational institution benefits tremendously from its participation in its community,” said Rob Constantine, Unity College di-rector 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.”

Coast Bids Farewell and Says Hello

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”

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 Uni-versity, and a doctorate in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Batchelder re-cently returned from a four year post-doctoral appointment at the InstitutCu-rie in Paris.

Jeremy Cass ’03, visiting instructor of ad-venture therapy. He holds a bachelors of arts in outdoor recreation and humani-ties 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 kayak-ing in both educational and professional outdoor recreational settings.

Stephanie Wade, assistant professor of 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 writ-ing is grounded in “permaculture peda-gogy” from her considerable teaching experience in composition and interdis-ciplinary courses drawing upon history and environmental thought.

Brent Bibles, assistant professor of wildlife biology. He holds a bachelor of science degree in fisheries and wildlife from Utah State University, a master of sci-ence in wildlife and fishery science from the University of Arizona, and a doc-torate in wildlife fisheries science from the University of Arizona. He formerly worked at Utah State University and in coordinating species recovery and rein-troduction program for state and federal agencies.

George Matula, associate professor of wildlife biology. He holds a bachelor of arts in biology from Elmhurst College, a master of science in wildlife man-agement, and a doctorate in forest re-sources with a psychology minor, both from Pennsylvania State University. He brings substantial professional experi-ence 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 spe-cies coordination.

In Our element


NEWS&NOTEWORTHY

Bert Audette, director of information technology. He holds a bachelor of science in business ad-ministration and master

of business administration from Thom-as College. He has served as a director of Information Technology in college settings, taught computer science at the college level, and runs his own infor-mation technology consulting firm.

Rosita Ayala ’11, admis-sions counselor. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in environmental writ-ing. 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 com-puting world having served in a number of

capacities including web design, com-puter troubleshooting, and mainte-nance.

Deborah Cronin, vice president for finance and administration. She is a graduate of Colby Col-lege and a certified pub-lic 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 stud-ies 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 offi-cer at Camp Keyes in Augusta, and as a security officer in the private sector.

Daniel LaForge, director of maintenance and public safety. He holds a bach-elor of science degree in business management

from the University of Maine at Au-gusta and master of business adminis-tration 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 electri-cian.

Stacey Hachey, admin-istrative 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 posi-tions in the retail banking industry.

Martin Maines, campus recycler. He holds a bach-elor 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 Sci-ence from the University of Alaska Southeast. Prior to this post, Maines was Unity’s sustainable food produc-tion 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 Michi-gan State University. He has worked in communications and as an editor for a peer reviewed science journal, both at Michigan State University.

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

Kimberly Sheff, recep-tionist / secretary in the president’s office. She holds an associate of sci-ence degree from the

University of Maine at Augusta. Her experience includes having served at the KVCC Foundation, and as execu-tive secretary for the executive direc-tor of the Maine State Legislature. She also held several positions with MBNA in Belfast.

Emily Valli, admissions counselor / visit coordina-tor. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English with a minor in second-ary education from Assumption Col-lege, and a master of business admin-istration in leadership from Franklin Pierce University. She was a residence director at Cazenovia College and ex-perience director at Franklin Pierce University.

Jennifer Whelan ’03, administrative assistant to the faculty. She holds a bachelor of science de-gree in environmental

studies from Unity College. Her pro-fessional 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.

New Staff

In Our element


FACULTYANDSTAFFNOTES

In November, law enforcement in Maine

took a step forward thanks to a program or-

ganized by Tim Peabody ’81, associate pro-

fessor of conservation law enforcement and

director of the Center for Natural Resource

Management and Protection.

On Friday, November 4, the closing cer-

emonies were held for the first graduating

class of the National Park Service Seasonal

Law Enforcement Training Program, a new

program available in Maine through Unity

College. The closing ceremony was held in

Moore Auditorium at The Schoodic Educa-

tion and Research Center Institute (SERC).

Beginning in September of 2011, Unity

College, through its conservation law en-

forcement program, began offering a sea-

sonal law enforcement training program in

conjunction with the National Park Service

at the SERC just outside Winter Harbor,

Maine. Successful graduates of the pro-

gram are eligible to obtain a federal Level II

law enforcement officer certificate, the re-

quirement to attain a seasonal law enforce-

ment ranger position with the National Park

Service.

The program is accredited through the

Federal Law Enforcement Training Accredi-

tation Board as part of the National Park

Service seasonal ranger training program.

The National Park Service and Unity Col-

lege 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 sea-

sonal 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 en-

forcement program which is sanctioned

through the National Park Service and Fed-

eral Law Enforcement Training Center in

Glynco, Georgia.

“This has been in the planning since

2008,” Peabody noted. Retired Professor

of Conservation Law Dr. G. Patrick Stevens

had long wanted to found such a program

for Unity students, many of whom pursued

this type of training elsewhere.

As fate would have it, Bill Zoellick, chair

of the Unity College Board of Trustees, and

education program director for SERC, a non-

profit organization that partners with Aca-

dia National Park to manage the Schoodic

Education and Research Center, solicited

training program ideas from Unity faculty.

Peabody immediately championed the idea

of beginning a seasonal law enforcement

training program at Schoodic.

Conservation law enforcement has tradi-

tionally been one of the largest and best-

known degree programs at Unity College,

so forming the program made sense as a

logical step forward, essentially creating

an “in-house” opportunity for Unity stu-

dents who frequently pursued this training

elsewhere.

“It’s just a win for Unity students and

others because they get this advanced law

enforcement training and as a result have

the chance to take a summer position with

the National Park Service,” Peabody stated.

“Well qualified students will be sought

after.”

Tim Peabody ’81 Oversees Creation of Successful Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program

In Our element


Assistant Professor Carrie Diaz Eaton had a contributed pa-per accepted to the Undergrad-uate Mathemat-ical Biology Ed-ucation Session at the 2012 Joint M a t h e m a t i c s Meetings, to be held January 4-7 at the Haynes C o n v e n t i o n

Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She will present the paper on Thursday, January 5, during the Mathematical As-sociation 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, Calcu-lus I is required by several programs: wildlife, wildlife biology, aquaculture and fisheries, environmental biology, environmental sci-ence, 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 rec-ognize 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 re-sulting modifications to curricular approaches for both Calculus I and Calculus II.

Professor Doug Fox and Han-nah Kreitzer ’12 (see photo, p. 8) offered a presentation about Terra-Haus, 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,

held from October 9-12 in Pittsburgh, Penn. As a nod to the idea that Ter-raHaus can be heated with the energy equivalent of a hair dryer, Fox and Kre-itzer’s presentation involved hair dryers as illustrative devices.

Assistant Profes-sor Cheryl Fred-erick had a pa-per approved for inclusion in the April 2012 Journal of M a m m a log y. The manu-script 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 flag-ship publication of the American Society of Mammalogists since 1919 and was voted one of the top 100 most influential serials in biol-ogy and medicine of the 20th century. This highly respected international scientific jour-nal 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, “Kill-ing Laughter,” rise to national acclaim. It was named one of the 25 most no-table essays for 2010-2011 by Houghton Mif-

flin’s Best American Essays 2011, an an-nual anthology that celebrates outstand-ing writing and publishing. The essay examines the distinctions that individu-als 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 aca-demic freedom in 2011 at the Maine Aca-demic Librar-ies 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 col-lege and university campuses. She serves as the Co-Chair of the New England Li-brary Association Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Sustainability Coordinator Jesse Pyles was named to the American Col-lege & Uni-versity Presi-dents’ Climate C om m i t men t ( A C U P C C ) Implementation Liaison Support C o m m i t t e e . The ACUPCC web site de-

scribes the committee as existing: To provide peer-to-peer support to indi-viduals responsible for implementing the ACUPCC at signatory institutions. It is currently comprised of 15 volunteers who believe that peer-to-peer conversa-tions will leverage the ACUPCC net-work’s efforts to accelerate the collective learning towards climate disruption so-lutions. On November 3, Pyles partici-pated in an the ACUPCC 2011 North-east Regional Collaborative Symposium hosted by Bunker Hill Community Col-lege in Boston, MA. He participated in the change agent forum.


In Our element



Professors Gerry Saunders organized two major profession-al projects that were conducted by Unity College teacher education majors during the fall semes-ter. On Septem-ber 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 com-munity and encouraged community values, and group problem solving. On October 7, six students from the Meth-ods of Teaching Secondary Science class presented “20 demos in 60 minutes” to an overflow audience at the Maine Sci-

ence Teacher Convention held at Gar-diner High School in Gardiner, ME. The session was attended by over 60 sci-ence 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 en-vironmental patterns in coastal Maine. Progress from this research was pre-sented by Spigel at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting 2011 held in Seattle, Washing-ton from April 12-16.

Director of the Writing Center Judy Williams, spent a week in June as a vol-unteer for Safe Passage in Gua-temala City, Guatemala. Safe Passage is a non-profit organiza-tion started in 1999 by the late

Hanley Denning, a Bowdoin College alum. The organization works to em-power the Director of the Writing Cen-ter poorest at-risk children whose fami-lies live in the Guatemala City garbage dump community by creating opportu-nities 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.

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69

mark alter, an educational psychology profes-sor 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 ar-ticles and book chapters. Mark and wife Amy have three children.

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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 re-storing an old family farmhouse in North Dix-mont where they spend summers. They spend winters in Mississippi.

david lary retired from farming, now enjoys his hunting and fishing camp. He and Peggy (Kelle-her) ’�1 have been married for 40 years and have five grandchildren.

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tony lambert retired as an engineer from Veri-zon Wireless. He enjoys traveling.

72

James “mike” mcIntyre, a retired 16-year fire-fighter for the Pinellas Park Fire Department, also worked for the state of Georgia, retiring in 2009. Married for 38 years, he has three chil-dren 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.

73

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

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 combina-tion 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.

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Kevin dyer, a UPS driver, and wife Jan, have three sons, two grandsons, and a new grand-daughter.

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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 alter-native health and nutrition field for Vitamark International. She has two daughters.

charles Knight is a building manager for a com-munity 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 Eng-land 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.

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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, au-thorizing 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, bor-dered 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 Corner-stone Baptist Church in Eastport.

sandy Gnidziejko and her partner are the owners

CLASSNOTES

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.

Aswitheachjazzpiece,everyschoolyearbringsadiversityofindividualexperiences.Eachyear,asacollectivewhole,ourstudents,faculty,andstaffcomposeanewmusicalinterpretation.Theselayersofnewexperiences,friendships,andcontributionsaddtothelifetimeofpastexperiencesofeachstudent.TheculminationofeachexperienceandeachyearatUnitycarriesforthbeyondtheclassaffiliationandacademicsofUnity.Studentsbecomealumni.Alumnitravelforth,addingtowhattheylearnedatUnitytoaccumulatemorelayersfromtheirexperiencesasprofessionals,familymembers,andcommunityvolunteers.Asalumnimoveforwardinlife,theycarrytoeachnewexperienceastrongpresenceandmessagestemmingfromtheirexperiencesatUnity.Experiencesthatstaywiththemforalifetime.Everydaywehearaboutthesuccessesofouralumni.EachstoryhighlightstheworthofaUnityeducation.Everyalumnisuccessalsoaddsvaluetoourinstitution.WhenalumnigivebacktotheCollege,theytoosharetheirwisdomandexperienceswithstudents,faculty,andstaffalike.Eachalumnistorytold,eachdollarraised,eachphonecalltosayhello,addstothewhole—addstothemusicofwhatmakesUnityauniqueandexceptionalcollegetocurrentstudentsandouralumni.

Following the Beat of a Jazzy CommunityBy debora noone, alumni and Parent relations coordinator

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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 Pro-gram before receiving a master’s in educational administration. She served as assistant principal at Gorham High School for eight years.

John Otis retired from the Maine State Police Crime Scene Investigation Section and is cur-rently an educator with the Maine State Mu-seum. He and wife Barbara, have one son.

louise “spanky” (Paquette) Furman owns Crit-ter 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 wild-life 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 Man-agement for the agency and now as the coordi-nator 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 to-ward 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 Mis-souri.

marcia Johansson is a registered nurse with the Veterans Administration. She has one daugh-ter.

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 market-ing class, and is on the advisory board for the Western New England College School of Busi-ness (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 ’�� 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 rail-road line from Milford to Bennington. He has two children.

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

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

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 a homebody. Husband rick works at Unity.

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 (mc-Breairty) is retired. Bob and Tammy live in New Milford, Conn., have a home on Messa-lonski 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 Na-tional and Ocean Atmospheric Administration, taking samples of plants growing in Antarctica, and worked with Park Canada on the 100th an-niversary 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 mar-ried 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 au-thor 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) ’�� married in 2004. Donna is a substance abuse counselor and a long term care social worker.

Beth (nehalsingh) Freiberger is a pediatric emer-gency 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 phar-macy 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, Mac-neill Enterprises in Massachusetts.

linda Ouderkirk-rempe owns Kirkgardens in Flanders, N.Y., selling seasonal pots and peren-nials and installing and maintaining vegeta-ble gardens. She and husband Stephen live in Flanders. In the winter, Linda volunteers with

CLASSNOTES

Danielle Dyer Tetreau ’03 Finds Balance Between Environmental and For Profit WorldsConsulting, 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 ex-pected; “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, bene-fits the clients most interested in developing projects with minimal impact,” Tetreau said. “It’s the best balance of economic develop-ment 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.

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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.

84

dan despard and lynda (Paquette) have a son, an adopted daughter, and two grandchildren.

donna harmon-randall is a nursing assistant, vis-iting 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.

mark hersey has worked 26 years in the design section of the Vermont Agency of Transporta-tion. He and wife Robin have a daughter.

crystal (lanman) Boston is a special educator in southern Maine. Crystal, engaged to be mar-ried, has one son from her first marriage.

dodi marvell was named Special Education Teacher of the Year 2010/11 for Oregon. Re-tired due to cancer, she has one son.

steve Ouellette sells industrial power transmis-sion equipment in New Hampshire and Ver-mont for Eastern Industrial Automation of Manchester. He is married with two children.

Judy Parker owns a housecleaning business, bab-ysits, and home schools her 12 year olddaughter.

rick roy is a field manager for the Bureau of Land Management and oversees approximately 1.35 million acres of sagebrush-steppe and tran-sitional 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 Oc-tober 8, 2011 at the Whitehall Inn in Camden. Kevin is a forester at Prentice and Carlyle. Don-na 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 Hos-pital in Berwick, Pa. She has two children.

rob Watts is vice president of business develop-ment for Accelerated Care Plus, a national med-ical device company. He has been married 18 years and has two children. He keeps in touch

with mark hersey ’��, steve Ouellette ’�� and Pete liebig ’��

maureen Winters is a project manager for Nor-mandeau Associates in Bedford, N.H.

86

Karen (house) appleton earned her associate’s de-gree in nursing and works at Dartmouth Hitch-cock. david ’�5 owns a forestry business, Apple-ton Enterprises. They have two daughters.

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.

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

cheryl salvati, an independent sales agent for Zip Zap Express, sells shipping for the U.S. Postal Service. She runs a small concierge busi-ness. She and her partner volunteer for animal rescue.

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

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

87

Kathy dixon-Wallace teaches grade six math and science in the Milo Elementary School. She has two sons. Peter ’�� 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 ’�� and scott downs ’�� plan to visit campus while deer hunting in Maine.

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

mitch Jordan is a corrections officer for the Mas-sachusetts Department of Corrections for 19 years. He and wife Donna have three children.

Bill livezey, a game warden for 21 years, is cur-rently an investigator for the North-East Divi-sion. 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 Moult-onborough, N.H. for 14 years. He and wife Nancy have two sons. Chris goes climbing and adventuring several times a year with Unity al-ums.

CLASSNOTES

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eric nelson works for the University of Dela-ware Ice Arena in Newark, Del.

Judy Palmer teaches preschool children in the Head Start Program and trail rides horses com-petitively. 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 Wom-en’s Leadership Environmental Program (WE Lead), program coordinator of the Outdoor Adventure Center, and manager of the Willard Climbing Wall. She and husband Gary ’�� 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 Associa-tion and Bruce ’�� is a triage team lead for Well-point, 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 Uni-versity of Arizona Animal Care, married Brad-ley 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 be-cause 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 struc-tural pest control. Tad graduated from North Carolina State University in 1990 with a bach-elor 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 busi-ness, Shady Maple Barbecue, specializing in authentic 100% wood-fired Carolina pulled pork. Chris umpires baseball for Babe Ruth Baseball and Western Maine Board of Um-pires.

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 re-sources stewardship in two state parks regions, Taconic and Palisades.

Beth (Kester) decorte joined the Air Force af-ter 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 De-partment 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 grand-son.

tatsuhiro “sho” shojima has lived in Califor-nia 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 ’�� and eric holmes ’�0. He and wife Hiroko have three children.

John van hillo is a product specialist and salesman for Central Massachusetts Aquatics in Fitch-burg, wholesaling tropical fish all over north-ern New England.

andrea (Wallens) Powell continues with her pho-tography, art, and music and hopes to go back to school for writing and healing arts. She vol-unteers 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 be-come an electronic mechanic. She spent several days with carla (Peterson) churchill ’�� 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 certifi-cate 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 Dis-trict, 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 environ-mental 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 Inter-national Airport in Germany. He and Gabri-ella 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 demo-graphic data helping clients (dentists, vets, re-altors, etc) find the best place to set up their businesses. JJ also does woodworking and light carpentry.

Whitney (messersmith) Foskey lives in 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 Regis-tered Maine Guide and part owner of Northern Waters, a whitewater rafting and livery busi-ness.

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

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 ’�5, who owns Inner Connections, a nationally recognized life coaching and monitoring pro-gram. They have two daughters.

CLASSNOTES

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92

tami Bill is a year-round Maine State park rang-er 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 Com-pany 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 Fisher-ies.

chuck eaton is executive director of the Bos-ton Minuteman Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

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

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 guid-ing raft, canoe, kayak, and powerboat river tours out of Anchorage, Alaska.

93

Jonathan aragones works for Education Con-nections, providing before- and after-school care for school-age children.

sean Bowen is food safety and aquaculture spe-cialist at the Massachusetts Department of Ag-ricultural Resources. ed hageman ’�� 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 Fox-woods in Connecticut. While visiting North Carolina, he saw elizabeth Berney ’�5 and Keith Kinkead ’�1.

Joe davis and robin Wight married on Septem-ber 11, 2010. Joe is arborist representative for Bartlett Tree Experts.

norman Forder is facilities services assistant at Shenandoah National Park and wife Missy is the Park’s fire ecologist. They have two daugh-ters.

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

rob and michelle (snyder) Grahn bought a laun-dromat in Worcester and Michelle manages the business. Rob works for the Massachusetts De-partment of Conservation and Recreation.

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 Rut-gers 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 Rich-mond, Va.

tony ’�� and maria (dePetta) tur, both wildlife biologists working for the U.S. Fish and Wild-life Service, 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.

christa Wood is a naturalist and environmental educator for the Somerset County ParkCommission 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 ’��, 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 Har-bor 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 Cut-throat 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. Depart-ment of Agriculture. He and his wife have a son.

95

Jim Bandelin is manager at GE Health Care/Ma-ternal 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 supervis-ing 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 Sep-tember 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 ’�� stays at his house when he’s on recruiting trips for the College.

tom hammond is an account executive, surviv-ing 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 heat-ing, and other new technologies. He has one son.

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

rachel matthews is an environmental quality an-alyst for the Michigan Department of Environ-mental 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 prog-ress. 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,

CLASSNOTES

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

alumnI


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

96

Kevin anderson, a Maine Game Warden, re-ceived an Exemplary Service Award at theannual 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 ’�5 and eliz-abeth Berney ’�5. He lives in Charlotte, N.C.

richard “Grey” Gritzmacher works for a landscape designer as an AutoCAD drafter and consul-tant. He also works as a PC repair technician. Grey is married to Wendy.

rich Imbeault is harbor master and shellfish war-den for the town of Yarmouth. He and wife Barb have two children.

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) ’�� have a daughter. Beth is an en-vironmental coordinator/wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service.

scott Kemp is a wildlife technician for the Mas-sachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wild-life. He has one son.

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

ann labonte is a nurse at Beaumont Skilled Nursing and Rehab. She and Trent have two daughters.

scott laverdiere ran a tissue culture lab for Avi-an Farms, breeding fish. He is currently one of the top bull’s-eye pistol shooters in the state.

heather (macneill) Falconer works as a scientific grant writer for John Jay College/CUNY, build-ing an undergraduate research program. She is working on Sommelier certification, and hopes to get into a doctorate’s program in English lit-erature in 2012.

Jon Ploski received his building analyst license and now does home energy upgrades and resi-dential 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 Ka-tie 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 sev-en years. Now unemployed, she enjoys be-ing 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.

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.

todd rinaldi has been a research wildlife bi-ologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game since 2007. He and wife Jennifer mar-ried four years ago.

Jessica (ruggles) sherman is director and librar-ian at the public library in Monroe, N.H. She and husband Steve have one daughter.

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

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.

melissa (stakun) mason is director of outdoor programs for Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida. She lives in Sarasota.

leigh stansfield married Tyler Schmitt on Feb-ruary 8, 2011. They both work in the national park service at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

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 De-partment.

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 Con-way, 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 Na-tional Geographic Wild. He and wife Kristen (sauer) ’�� 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. Heand wife Robin have a son.

CLASSNOTES

Mike Martin ’96 (left) stands with Jason Reynolds ’06 (right). Both work for G·O Logic and were on the Ter-raHaus 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.

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 wed-ding.

cristin Bailey is trails manager and volunteer co-ordinator for the U. S. Forest Service in Con-way, 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 su-shi community cooking classes.

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

Fred mason is a fire operations and fuels techni-cian 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 learn-ing) 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 ’0�, a building contractor, have three chil-dren.

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 Smithson-ian Conservation Biology Institute in Washing-ton, D.C. He married Julia in July 2010.

rebeccah schnaffer-tousignant married Peter tou-signant in July 2009. She is regional planner for the Greater Portland Council of Governments.

deidre schneider is state shoreland zoning coor-dinator for the Maine Department of Environ-mental Protection in Augusta.

norman Budd veverka is a farmland wildlife re-search biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wild-life. 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 Forest-er 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.

travis collins received a 2011 Commissioner’s Recognition Award from the Maine Depart-ment of Education after only two years of teach-ing alternative education at Mount View High School in Thorndike.

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.

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 teach-ing third grade at Mt. Charter School in Flag-staff, Ariz. With the school’s environmental fo-cus, she is able to incorporate a lot of gardening and outdoor field trips. Julie competes in triath-lons 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 eightyears, after one year teaching special education.

amber (lyons) Faucher works in an afterschool program in Enfield, Conn. and landscapes. Jere-my ’�� 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 environmen-tal remediation. He earned his engineering de-gree 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.

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) ’�� teaches in Norridge-wock. They have two children.

marcie (Pierce) Wistar teaches science, is chair of the science department, and assistant direc-tor 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 gradu-ate school at the University of Connecticut.

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 Pro-tection. He has three children.

Bennett short is senior scientist with the Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Group in Sa-lem, N.H. He and wife LeAnn have two chil-dren.

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 De-partment 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-hunt-ing and volunteering at the Brooks Preserva-tion 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 ’�� 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 Depart-ment of Zoology at Miami University in Ox-ford, 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.

CLASSNOTES

alumnI


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.

sharon hupe works at a boutique in North Con-way, N.H. She has a daughter.

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, work-ing 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 at-tends school to become a registered dietitian. She married Christopher Little in December 2010.

Zeb murray is a captain in the Maine Army Na-tional 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 ’0� 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 con-tainment lab at the Galveston National Lab at the University of Texas.

sarah redmond is studying for a master’s in ma-rine 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 Octo-ber 24, 2009.

Greg Wilson works in lift maintenance and maura Olivos ’0� is sustainability coordinator at Alta, Utah Ski Lifts. They celebrated their fifth an-niversary in August.

02

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 preven-tion and outreach coordinator for the Sublette County Sexual Assault/Family Violence Task Force in Wyoming. Gregg shedd is a wildlife bi-ologist/project manager for Wyoming Wildlife Consultants.

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.

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.

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 De-partment of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. He earned a master’s of science degree in administration of justice from Wilmington Uni-versity 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 daugh-ter born on March 14, 2011. Melanie is studying pharmacology.

asa Wagner has his own builder/general contrac-tor business in Eliot. He and wife Errin had their fourth child in March.

matt Wagner is project manager at ReVision En-ergy in Liberty, and installed the solar items in the new TerraHaus at Unity College. He is mar-ried to Caitlin.

03

steve agius is assistant manager for the North-ern Maine Complex of National Wildlife Ref-uges for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. erin (twombley) ’0� is a high school biology teacher.

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)

rebecca (coles) duckett, a stay at home mom, has two sons. She plans to return to work as a Na-tional Park law enforcement ranger.

Greg colligan is a National Park Service bear spe-cialist at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

michele Fafara works for Great American Din-ing while she starts her own wildlife business. She and chris Brison ’0� are engaged. Chris is a

wetlands specialist for the New Hampshire De-partment of Environmental Services.

colleen Gauthier was promoted to inventory manager for the Massachusetts region at Fergu-son Enterprises. She earned her master’s of busi-ness administration from Salem International in 2009.

heather (Gerken) Fox is an education tech at the Troy school, and randy ’0� 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 Op-eration: 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 re-search 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 Is-land caretaker for the Maine Island Trails As-sociation.

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 Na-tional Park in Utah.

lindsay Ware is a project manager at the Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor. She and Ben naumann ’0� 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 coun-selor 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 Au-gust 20, 2011.

William “BB” see graduated from the Land Man-agement Police Training at the Federal Law En-forcement Training Complex in Gylnco, Ga. on December 2, 2010. He is working in Death Val-ley National Park as a full time law enforcement ranger for the National Park Service, He often sees seth Walker ’0� who works at Zion National Park.

CLASSNOTES

alumnI


Jason demers drives a 70 foot bucket truck for Asplundt Tree Company, cutting trees infring-ing on power lines. He will be working as a Na-tional 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 Sep-tember 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 Herb-als 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 Tech-nologies in Bloomfield, Conn. He is married with two children.

carol moulton is an environmental investigator for the Texas Commission of Environmental Qual-ity, 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

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

tim Welch is a fisheries/wildlife biologist for Nex-tera 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.

Jason York earned his master’s of science degree in environmental studies/conservation biol-ogy from Green Mountain College in 2010. He works in Asheville, N.C. in the ecological resto-ration 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 Hamp-shire Fish and Game Department, owns a house in Whitefield, N.H.

Brian mayhew is in Australia working for Out-door 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 interpre-tive 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 Colum-bia, 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 ’0� 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 Inter-national 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 Wil-derness Lodges.

conal O’Keefe is lead educator for living class-rooms 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 Ma-rine 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 Long-horned Beetles in Bradford and Sullivan coun-ties in Pennsylvania.

Phil catanese is field teacher at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bry-ant Pond and a program coordinator for the Ma-hoosuc Kid Association in Bethel.

Jacob day will marry amanda macPheters in Octo-ber, 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 Depart-ment of Conservation and Natural Resources/Bureau of Forestry.

Katie haase has her “dream job” as a wildlife re-search associate with the Northern Rocky Moun-tain 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 of-ficer.

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 second-ary education with content in English at LaSalle University.

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 De-cember 2nd, 2010.

CLASSNOTES

alumnI

50|UNITYWinter 2011

danielle Kane is a coordinator for at-sea and dock-side 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 de-gree 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 re-search 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.

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.

Peter newcomb is a seasonal national interpreta-tion park ranger at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. During winters he is a sales represen-tative for L.L. Bean in Mansfield, Mass.

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 pro-tection officer II) and trail crew manager in the South Park Ranger District.

nicole vinci is a customer greenhouse associate and floral designer at Robertson’s Flowers in Philadelphia. She works at a retirement com-munity teaching horticulture therapy in their greenhouse and gardens. She and mike Kalkstein are engaged and plan an August trip to Park City, Utah.

linda Wyler worked as lead instructor and course director for Outward Bound Discovery in Flor-ida. In June, she and her boyfriend, recently re-turned 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 tech-nician 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 ’�5.

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.

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 Acad-emy.

matt dedes is a part-time postmaster relief at Lo-cust 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 fed-eral refuge officer at the Patuxent Research Ref-uge 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 fin-ishes his psychology doctorate program at An-tioch in New Hampshire and serves as a new member of the Unity Board of Trustees.

Jenna Jasiukuewucz is a vet tech in Chelmsford, Mass. She and drew mutlick married on Septem-ber 16, 2011. Drew is manager of Scott’s Lawn Care Service.

Brittany Jenkins is a wilderness instructor of Out-ward Bound and a trail crew leader for the Stu-dent 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 environ-mental and marine biology at Nicholls State University in Louisiana.

Julie ladd is a national park law enforcement of-ficer at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. She worked in national parks in the Midwest region from Arkansas to Michigan on special event/se-curity 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.

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.

nathan Olson is a fish culture specialist in Rox-bury for the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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

Krystal reddy is a wildland firefighter on an en-gine 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.

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

Angel (Rohrback) Martin ’08

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

CLASSNOTES

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 Ap-prentice, a brew-on-premises/home brew sup-ply 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 Or-chard 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 Rem-cal 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 be-came a certified tree tender through the Penn-sylvania 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 com-munity, government and non-government orga-nizations.

alexander Koch runs an online record label, re-leasing 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 proj-ects in needy villages.

michael lewis is an environmental chemist at Connecticut Testing Labs in Meriden, Conn.

dana mark works as the outdoor classroom in-structor during the school year and leads wilder-ness trips during the summer for Chewonki. This summer she will lead the Boat Builders Expedi-tion; 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 as-trospace 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 sea-sonal job with the Raptor Trust, a bird reha-bilitation center in Basking Ridge, N.J. In the winter she is a kennel technician at Toms River Animal Hospital and an animal health techni-cian 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 com-pany with her father. andrew ‘0� is working at Cabelas in fishing.

10

ethan Buuck married Vanessa Martin August 6, 2011. A Maine game warden in Aroostook County, he participated on the Admission alum-ni 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 en-rolled in the vet tech program at the University College of Bangor.

tim dorsey is a field instructor with Second Na-ture, 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 Raft-ing Company in Montana, guiding raft trips and dog sled adventures.

lincoln holt is a member of the farm crew at Spar-row Arc Farm in Unity from May to November, and works in Montana the rest of the year.

dan Kinch is a California Condor internship bi-ologist 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.

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 earn-ing 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.

rob Bentley has a full-time seasonal job as a lo-gistics coordinator at Camp Marston in Julian, Calif. He is working on a trail marking and res-toration 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.

Rob Bentley ’11, logistics coordinator at Camp Marston in Julian, California.

CLASSNOTES

alumnI


Joanne Kellner worked at Lake George Regional Park this summer and is now an intern for sixth grade residential programming at Acadia Na-tional Park.

William Knight will start work on his juris doc-torate at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law in fall 2011.

trevor lewis is working for Lucas Tree Experts and living in Unity.

nate morris works as a trainer for Natural En-counters Inc. in Winter Haven, Fla., training birds for live free flight shows to promote con-servation. 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 test-ing the survival rate of grasshoppers in a grass-land 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.

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 preconstruc-tion surveys.

daniel vasquez enlisted in the Air Force as a com-bat control officer. He fishes semi-professionally on the FLW (Forest L. Wood fishing tourna-ments) 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 staFFPam Proulx-curry is the academic dean at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. She and Steve live in Unity.

Erin Schoppmeyer ’11 getting ready to greet visitors to the Statue of Liberty in her new position at the National Park Service.

deathsvicci dwyer ’�� 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 ’�1 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 ’��, helen sahadi ’��, Jeff ’�1 and sandy (Fletcher) ritter ’�1, robin starchak ’��, and Phil Pouech ’��.

michael david Wolrich ’�0 passed away in Warwick, Penn. on July 19, 2011. Known as ‘Dr. Mike’ by many of his patients, he practiced as a

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, Chicka-mauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, the Natchez Trace Park-way 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 Me-morial Library in Searsport. Private services were held on August 15, 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 Univer-sity of Southern Maine in August 2011. Kayla serves as the Sustainability Coordinator for Aramark Dining Ser-vices at the University of Southern Maine.

CLASSNOTES

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.

AMERICA’SENVIRONMENTAL COLLEGE

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unity magazine - winter 2011

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