The Forest Foundation, Inc.

The first two weeks of May were a seminal moment for the Nicholas School of the Environment and this University, during which five, new, Dean candidates were interviewed by diverse campus interests and representatives. Each visit by what were a group of stellar candidates, chosen from an over 90-person applicant list (very high for any Duke department or school), was culminated with a Town Hall meeting. Each candidate met the basic qualifications of academic excellence, leadership and fundraising skills needed for this important position. As an Alumnus of the professional Masters program (MEM ’90) and who served as a development officer for the then School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, I was honored to represent the Alumni Council and was fortunate to meet these interesting candidates at several “get to know” breakfast engagements. I attended all but one of the Town Hall Meetings (which can be seen at www.nicholas.duke.edu/deansearch), and came away from the experience with several important insights.

First, the value of this position cannot be underestimated, as The Environment and particularly “living sustainably” on this planet are the most pressing issues of our generation, and perhaps sadly, many to come. We are now faced with the rapidly unfolding evidence that the integrity of our life giving systems are collapsing globally, and what is now “global warming or climate change” may actually become “climate chaos.” This Dean’s position will prove to be critical as the School is looked to for research and guidance. Not only will the position be valuable to our School, but will play an increasing role in the University, as it must learn to “green” its campus and integrate sustainability across departments, schools and institutions. Having lived in Durham since graduate school, I have learned the Dean has also played an important role in our local community and our State, as exemplified by out-going Dean Schlesinger’s wonderful leadership. He gave local presentations, wrote editorials and served on committees, like the Governor’s Panel on Climate Change. Finally, the Dean will provide vision, lead one of the world’s best environmental schools, and set the voice and tone for the debates and discussions that we hope will raise awareness and build more sustainable livelihoods and communities.

Second, the caliber of candidates was exceptional and their diversity was reflective of the type of individuals and interests attracted to this important field. One candidate, who worked his whole life as a medical doctor studying the complex interconnections between human made pollutants and endocrine system disruption, offered a new direction and an opportunity to engage the Medical Center by collaborating in Global Environmental Health, the source of and basis for all “human health.” Another candidate had worked internationally on global environmental issues in both social and physical sciences, creating a bridge and balance in her life that reflected the importance of human-environment interactions. Another worked for one of the largest U.S. environmental advocacy groups as a chief scientist, making sure that good science was the basis for high caliber and quality policy development. And another had written a series of children’s poetry books and worked on his farm while managing a large, climate change research center, showing that living life in balance and fully is important as anything we can do professionally. Each candidate reflected the many facets of complex problems and each had their perceptions, experiences and takes on the major issues and directions.

Third, remarkably, many of the candidates came to the similar conclusions on how to strengthen the School, advising to promote the undergraduate program, diversify student and faculty base, reach out to other Universities globally, and to negotiate hard with the University to get the resources required for the School. Each had wise insight as to the issues regarding this leadership position. It was sad to see low turnout at the Town Hall meetings by others in the University community, given the obvious importance. These issues need to be more openly debated. Those who did not attend or view the meetings on the internet missed the opportunity to hear great researchers and learn about their heroic lives.

Finally, it was also worrisome to hear from some of the candidates a view, perception, voice or tone as expressed in the choice of their words of what I would consider an old and misguided Paradigm– that of the notion that if we study something well enough, we can come up with the best policy, law or design that will solve the problem. The influence of what many have called the Newtonian, Cartesian, Reductionist theory and value system that permeates our society and has captured our academic institutions. Sure, science and technology are powerful vehicles of change and play an increasingly important role in our world, and will play a greater role in solving many of our problems. But they are also the source of many or our inherent dilemmas, our disconnect from the world around us, our “faith” that we will find a way to “fix our world” after having it collapse. The greatest changes in our society will be changes in the heart. Importantly, as Einstein said,

“we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Will we continue to pollute the planet, externalize our true costs of living on people and place, squandering our bountiful resources through over consumption and make the Earth uninhabitable? Not one of the candidates addressed what are the most glaring problems: overpopulation and disproportionate over consumption. Nor did anyone soften their perception of “science as savior” with the awe and inspiration of beauty that is our natural world. Because of this, I gave several of the candidates a copy of Thomas Berry’s The Great Work, as a gift for their time and service from the Alumni Council. My hope is that in each of these great candidates and particularly the one that is chosen to lead us, they and all those who have been involved in the search, and those that will work together into the future, will find in their hearts the true reason for the work they do, and learn to express it with the love, care and beauty that is so needed in these times.

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art
and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder
and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” Einstein