A farewell letter to the COA community
By College of the Atlantic writing program director and writing professor Anne Kozak
In January 2022 I began my 45th year teaching at COA, and it was a bittersweet moment, particularly since the course I am teaching winter term is one of my favorites—Advanced Composition. I first taught this course in spring 1984 and have used all 12 editions of Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. Each time I file away the answers to the editing exercises for a particular lesson, I feel a loss and sadness, but also gratitude to all those who have shaped and supported my tenure here. I was fortunate to begin my teaching career at COA under Ed Kaelber, for he instilled in all of us a commitment to the institution, a comprehensive understanding of the relevance and importance of a human-ecological approach to education, and the resilience to ensure its survival.
Just six years after I started at COA, our resilience and commitment were tested. On July 25, 1983, the college suffered a devastating fire. Some in the administration thought we should close. But many faculty, staff, and trustees thought differently. I remember standing outside one of the administrative offices on the second floor of The Turrets with director of development Marion Kane and COA trustees Tom Hall and Charlie Tyson, Sr., all of them arguing for and committed to reopening—and we did, admittedly with some difficulties. As a community we pulled together and against all odds we succeeded. We gave up space and made do with whatever resources we could marshal, for we had worked for Ed and were committed to his founding vision of a degree in human ecology: students would not only acquire knowledge from multiple disciplines about environmental and social problems, but would use that knowledge to ethically and collaboratively develop and implement solutions. Ed’s vision is still the cornerstone of the college’s curriculum in human ecology, and those who embrace it—even those who did not know or work for Ed—continue to foster and sustain his vision. But if we are to continue implementing it, we as a community must recommit to working together. We must put aside differences, share resources, seek ethical, inclusive solutions, and eliminate artificial distinctions among community members.
While I am grateful for Ed and those who helped us survive the fire, I am also grateful to many others, especially the staff who selflessly ensure that the college can operate smoothly. They plow the roads, shovel sidewalks, enter grades, graciously help students change courses, ensure that we are paid and have insurance coverage, order books and supplies, type our recommendations, print articles, oversee important committees, counsel students, and at times explain why some academic issues preclude a student from continuing here. The staff also ensure that we have healthy food even in storms and the chaos of pandemics. They staff the library, computer services, financial aid, admissions, development, and academic services. While over the years staff have changed, they have not ceased to ensure that faculty and students are supported, and I cannot thank them enough.
Without Ed’s unstinting support and his confidence in me, I probably could not have pulled off establishing a viable writing center—one that still plays a critical role at COA. Just as Ed set a bar for me—a bar that would shape the writing center’s ethos—I have set a bar for tutors. They must be non-confrontational, knowledgeable enough to make effective suggestions, and humble enough to recognize that what they initially suggest might not work and thus they must find another approach. Tutors must help students come to understand writing as process, to decipher a confusing prompt, to assess audience needs, and to find a way to develop a tack that both addresses the question and resonates with the student’s ideas or beliefs.
I am grateful not only to these students but to the many others who have helped and befriended me—and many are still friends I cherish. They have walked my dogs, stripped wallpaper, shoveled snow, weeded, raked, and spent time visiting not only while they were students but in subsequent years. And I so appreciate them and all they offer to the college and the world.
Leaving is bittersweet and my memories are tinged with sadness and gratitude. I will miss the college and all who have helped me flourish here. But I leave knowing that if we all recommit to the tenets of a human-ecological approach to education, put aside differences, and recognize that whatever our title we are all equal, we will ensure that the college continues to thrive and endure.
With many thanks, Anne
