Imagination Produces High Profile Successes Among the high profile successes that the Centers have achieved, the Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program within the Center for Natural Resource Management and Protection is a shining example of how exceptionally imaginative Unity faculty can be. In November of 2011, closing ceremonies were held at The Schoodic Education and Research Center Institute (SERC) in Winter Harbor, Maine, for the first graduating class of the Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program. Tim Peabody ’81, associate professor of conservation law enforcement and director of the Center for Natural Resource Management and Protection, and a former colonel of the Maine Warden Service, was a prime mover in bringing the program, a first for law enforcement in Maine, from concept to reality. The National Park Service and Unity College received final accreditation approval through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation Board as part of the National Park Service seasonal ranger training program on November 16, 2011, in Annapolis, Md. “Individuals that successfully complete this training will be qualified to hold a seasonal law enforcement position at Acadia National Park (Maine) or any other national park in the United States,� noted Peabody. Since it began in 2011, support for the program has been exceptional. This success story was in part made possible by the personal contacts and reputation of Peabody within state and federal law enforcement circles. In developing the program he solicited help and support from Acadia National Park, the Maine State Police, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and private organizations. The 400 hour course runs for 10 weeks with participants pursuing eight hours or more of training each day. This is but one of the many ways that the Center is ensuring that its majors are given some of the best opportunities to gain career building credentials before they graduate.
The Unity College campus is always brimming with activity, from the annual spring 5K road race (Professor Doug Fox and family members in photo); the 350.org solar panel kickoff trip to the White House in 2010; and students conducting a lab at Sandy Stream adjacent to campus.
Two Centers Devoted to Sustainability and Communication Doug Fox, professor of sustainable agriculture and director of the Center for Sustainability and Global Change, has seen his center blossom with partnerships and associations that are squarely at the nexus of sustainability practice and public affairs. His Center is involved in an energy efficiency block grant and a wind assessment program, both with Efficiency Maine, an independent trust dedicated to promoting the efficient and cost-effective use of energy in order to save money for Maine residents and businesses. The Community Wind Assessment Program at Unity College, overseen by Professor of Human Ecology Mick Womersley, has helped a number of communities in Maine to assess whether proposed sites for wind turbines would be ideally suited to the endeavor. The Center has recently become involved with the UNITY SUMMER 2012 |
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