College of the Atlantic > Academics

William H. Drury, Jr. Chair in Evolution, Ecology and Natural History
The Drury Chair was established in 2002 with contributions from many people, including Bill Drury's family, friends and former students, to support the work of a teacher and researcher who would continue the legacy of Bill Drury and focus his or her work on conserving and managing natural populations and communities on Maine's islands and coast.

Faculty member John Anderson is the first and current holder of the Drury Professorship. John collaborated with Bill on research at Petit Manan Island, Great Duck Island and other places. He oversaw the editing of Bill's book, Chance and Change: Ecology for Conservationists, and shares Bill's emphasis on rigor, skepticism, curiosity, history and the importance of learning from nature.

Charles Eliot Chair in Ecological Planning, Policy & Design
The Eliot Chair was endowed in honor of Charles Eliot (1859-1897), a landscape architect and environmentalist who was the first to analyze landscapes as layers of cultural, economic, and ecological systems; to devise scientific methods for recording them; and to implement political measures for conserving them. The establishment of the chair signifies the college's commitment to collaborative and interdisciplinary scholarship in all realms of environmental policy, planning and design, incorporating the arts, sciences and humanities.

Faculty member Isabel Mancinelli is the first and current Eliot Professor. She is a landscape architect of regional repute, a planner for the National Park Service and a teacher recognized for excellence in the classroom and beyond. Through her participation in the college's Center for Applied Human Ecology, the MDI Tomorrow planning initiative and other collaborations, she has engaged students in addressing real-world problems through community planning.

Elizabeth Battles Newlin Chair in Botany
Established in 1997, through the generosity of the family of Elizabeth Battle Newlin, a longtime summer resident on Mt. Desert Island, as a tribute to her love for growing things and in celebration of the college's 25th anniversary. The Newlin Chair was the college's first endowed professorship. The current Newlin Professor is faculty member Suzanne Morse whose teaching exemplifies a broad intellectual perspective and who has demonstrated her work as the college's leading botanist.

James Russell Wiggins Chair in Government and Polity
The Wiggins Chair honors the memory of James Russell Wiggins, one of the most respected and influential figures in American journalism. His career spanned three-quarters of a century including a distinguished 20-year tenure as Editor of The Washington Post. After his retirement from the Post he was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, followed by his final three decades as the owner and editor of the Ellsworth American. Russ Wiggins was an early Trustee of College of the Atlantic and received an honorary degree as Master of Philosophy in Human Ecology in 2000. The James Russell Wiggins Chair in Government and Polity is the centerpiece of a program of studies of the history, philosophy and practical application of democratic forms.

Created to honor another Washington Post editor and COA trustee, the Philip Geyelin Fund for Government and Polity provides support to enhance the work of the Wiggins Chair.

As the James Wiggins Chair in Government and Polity, Jamie McKown brings diverse cultural and political perspectives to the COA community. Many of his courses share a common rooting in the intersection between the political, the social, and the rhetorical, and his research interests include American political behavior, political communication, rhetorical theory, and cultural studies. He is currently working on several projects including a long term tracking study of political advertising in new media environments, as well as an archival project to document Abraham Lincoln's campaign trip to Ohio in 1859.

Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Studies
The Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Studies, established in 2006 upon Steve Katona's retirement as College of the Atlantic's fourth president, honors his 34-year commitment to the college. The Katona Chair recognizes Steve Katona's contributions as a scientist, faculty member, founder of Allied Whale and president. Awarded to a faculty member who has made valuable contributions to her or his discipline in the field of marine studies and who is dedicated to the spirit of College of the Atlantic, the Katona Chair advances research and monitoring work in the field of marine studies.

Faculty member Sean Todd is the first and current holder of the Katona Chair. He also serves as director of Allied Whale. His scholarly interests include marine mammal foraging ecology and bioacoustic assessment of whale-shipstrike interactions.

Rachel Carson revolutionized ecological thought and inspired the environmental movement. Her five books combined lyric prose, solid scientific research, and reverence for life and the natural world. In 1962 Carson's book Silent Spring brought to public attention for the first time the harmful environmental consequences of widespread pesticide use, and she withstood public attack to call for new public policies to protect human health and the environment. Biologist, ecologist, writer, and public citizen, Rachel Carson inspired new directions in environmental thinking; thinking that forms the cornerstone of a College of the Atlantic education.

The chair honors Carson's contributions as a scientist, writer, and public citizen. The Rachel Carson Chair in Human Ecology will be appointed to an outstanding faculty member working in service to people and the environment who has made notable contributions to the college's mission through excellence in teaching and in scholarly creativity. To date the college has succeeded in raising nine-tenths of the funds needed to complete the Rachel Carson Chair.

Read Rich's comments on Rachel Carson.