Based on that deep dive into the needs of society and our students, Unity College has launched an ambitious new project to redesign the early college experience to:

  • Honor learning wherever it happens, whether that is in a classroom, in the field solving real-world sustainability problems, or on the job.
  • Create immersive, intensive experiences with a flexible calendar that lets students who work hard complete a bachelor’s degree in less than 4 years.
  • Allow students to earn stackable credentials that represent relevant professional skills to employers.

There is much work to do! Follow the progress of the First Two Years project here to see how Unity College is taking a leadership role in creating a new college for the environmental century.

First Two Years

2019

TERRAIN update: December 9-13, 2019

December 9-13, 2019   Well, the TERRAIN testbed is complete! Congratulations to the students, staff, and instructional team who made this experience successful. Teaching fellow Emily Goldthwaite distributed a final anonymous survey to the TERRAIN students asking them to provide feedback on their experiences. In the coming weeks, we will..Read more

TERRAIN update December 2-6, 2019

December 2-6, 2019   Like the rest of Flagship, the TERRAIN testbed is wrapping up for the term. Students are completing projects and final exams. They are also writing summative reflections about their learning experiences and providing feedback on an end-of-term survey designed by TERRAIN fellow Emily Goldthwaite. I look..Read more

TERRAIN Update November 18-22, 2019

November 18-22, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   I am going to focus this week’s update on summarizing the experience of the second TERRAIN cohort’s trip up to Sky Lodge and use this as an opportunity to remind us of the broader..Read more

TERRAIN Update November 11-15, 2019

November 11-15, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   Cohort 1, led by Kate Coseo and Randy Colvin with support from TERRAIN Fellow Chelsea Becker, headed back up to Sky Lodge for the week. The group had a frenetic launch Monday morning, heading..Read more

TERRAIN update: November 1-8, 2019

November 1 – 8, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   For their final one-day excursion, students traveled to the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. For those of you unfamiliar with the park, it is run by Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists and..Read more

TERRAIN update: October 28 – November 1

  October 28 – November 1, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   This week’s remarkably detailed  In the Field update comes straight from TERRAIN cohort 2 team leader Aly McKnight …   TERRAIN students have been diving deep into marine waterbirds lately, leading..Read more

TERRAIN update October 19-25

October 19-15, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   During this week’s excursion – right here on Quaker Hill Road in the Facilities building and the animal barn – TERRAIN students were introduced to three professionals who have followed different environmental career paths...Read more

TERRAIN update October 14-19

 October 14-18, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   TERRAIN students returned to Peter Gray Hatchery in Machias to work with the Downeast Salmon Federation this week. They helped hatchery staff release thousands of parr (juvenile salmon) into the East Machias River. A..Read more

TERRAIN update October 7-11

October 7-11, 2019   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   This week half of the students from each TERRAIN cohort visited the Peter Gray Fish Hatchery in East Machias. The students spent the entire day working alongside professional scientists, learning to clip fins on..Read more

TERRAIN update: September 30-October 4

In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   This week the TERRAIN students used Wednesday (usually devoted to off-campus excursions) to share their Personal Place speeches. In addition to faculty member Josh Kercsmar and instructional fellow Emily Goldthwaite, who provide CCI instruction for TERRAIN students, other..Read more

TERRAIN update: September 23-27

  In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   During Integrated Project time, students dove more deeply into the data that they collected during last week’s Scarborough Marsh excursion. They applied mathematics skills to extrapolate – based upon the bacteria they cultured from..Read more

This week’s TERRAIN update: 9.14-9.20

In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   This week, the instructional team really hit their stride during Integrated Project time! Earlier in the week, the groups went to Scarborough Marsh, where they canoed, hiked, and gathered data on water quality and bird..Read more

TERRAIN update: September 9-13

TERRAIN Update: September 9-13   In the Field: Update from the Wilderness & Place in Maine (TERRAIN testbed) Team   This week TERRAIN students, faculty, and fellows spent their excursion time on Freedom Pond and Ellis Pond learning and practicing canoe skills (including exciting “T-rescues!”) with Adam Williams and Jes..Read more