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Read Rich Borden's talk about Rachel Carson.
College of the Atlantic's board of trustees announces the creation of a Rachel Carson Chair in Human Ecology and the  appointment of Richard Borden, PhD, to be the first holder of the chair.
The announcement comes during COA's celebration of the centennial of the birth of Carson, the woman who revolutionized ecological thought and inspired the environmental movement. In 1962 Carson's book, Silent Spring, brought to public attention the harmful environmental consequences of widespread pesticide use, and called for new public policies to protect human health and the environment, despite public attack.
Borden, a trained psychologist, has spent his career studying the relationship between mind and nature. He joined the COA faculty in1979, drawn by its commitment to an ecological perspective and the interdisciplinary approach that such a perspective requires. From 1984 until 2004, Borden served as COA's academic dean. He is a co-founder and past-president of the international Society for Human Ecology and continues to serve as its executive director.
The chair honors Carson's contributions as a biologist, ecologist, eloquent writer and public citizen who inspired new directions in environmental thinking-thinking that forms the cornerstone of a COA education. It is given to an outstanding faculty member working in service to people and the environment who has made notable contributions to COA's mission through excellence in teaching and scholarly creativity.
Says Ken Hill, COA's academic dean, "Rachel Carson and Rich Borden are cut from the same cloth. They are highly articulate, broadly educated, passionate about the world, concerned about human influence and convinced that education is the key for meaningful change. These two idealists envision a beautiful and complex world. They know that there is not a quick fix to the multitude of issues that face the planet-but both see working on these problems as a source for a meaningful life."
"Recognition and appreciation of Rachel Carson by COA is obviously fitting," says Borden. "We all owe a great deal to her wisdom and courage." Had Carson not died in 1964, five years before COA was founded, Borden believes she would have connected with the college. "If not for her untimely death, there are many indications that she would have become a part of our community," he says. "Her way of seeing the world, her concern for the environment and her approach to education were all spot on with the mission and practices of the college."
Borden teaches courses in psychology, community planning and the history and philosophy of human ecology. He holds a BA from the University of Texas, an MA and PhD in psychology from Kent State University and a post-doctoral fellowship in animal behavior and ecology from Ohio State University. The author of numerous books and articles, Borden has been a United States Information Agency academic specialist and consultant in higher education. He has served as an advisor to human ecology programs on four continents.
Located between the Atlantic Ocean and Acadia National Park, COA was founded in 1969 on the premise that education should go beyond understanding the world as it is to enable students to actively participate in shaping its future. A leader in environmental stewardship-and just named the greenest college in the world by Grist Magazine, COA pioneers a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to education-human ecology-that develops the kinds of creative thinkers and doers who are able to lead all sectors of society to promote sustainable ecosystems while meeting compelling and growing human needs.
Though $161,000 is still needed to complete the funding goal for the Rachel Carson Chair in Human Ecology, the college has decided to appoint Borden to the chair during the school's summer celebration of the centennial of Rachel Carson's birth, marked by presentations, lectures, and other events honoring her work. For more information on endowing this chair, or other giving opportunities, call the Development Office at 207-288-5015.
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