UNITY — Unity College President Mitchell S. Thomashow told those attending his inauguration as the college’s ninth president Sunday that the school will play a key roll in protecting the environment as the world progresses through the century.

Academic leaders from colleges throughout Maine and New England gathered in this western Waldo County farming community to welcome Thomashow to Unity College and stand in his honor when he was handed the symbolic hand-carved walking staff traditionally given to the college’s leader.

"Unity College has a crucial role to play in educating a new generation of ecological citizens," Thomashow said to his audience at a packed Unity Center for the Performing Arts. "Although we are deeply rooted in the regional community of agriculture, midcoast Maine, by proclaiming ourselves America’s environmental college, we become linked to a global community of environmental awareness. We are engaged in an educational process that is mission-driven, compelling, urgent and vital."

Thomashow, 56, came to Unity from Antioch New England Graduate School at Keen, N.H., where he served as chairman of the environmental studies department and associate dean for international advancement. He arrived at Unity last summer and was installed formally as college president on Sunday.

Robert Pollis, chairman of the Unity College Board of Trustees, told the gathering that Thomashow emerged from a wide field of candidates as the "ideal person" to lead the college into this century. He commended Thomashow for his "openness to collaboration, infectious enthusiasm and dedication to success."

Unity College President Dr. Mitchell S. Thomashow speaks with Dr. David F. Hales,

as the college's ninth president. (Bangor Daily News/Walter Griffin)

Unity College was founded in 1965 by a group of local citizens seeking educational and economic opportunities for students and the state. The campus was established on 160 acres of farmland donated by George Edward Constable. The college opened its doors to 39 students in 1966.

Today, the college has more than 550 full-time students and the campus has expanded to 225 acres. Baccalaureate programs include natural resource management, wilderness-based outdoor recreation, aquaculture, environmental education and park management.

In his inaugural address, Thomashow repeatedly emphasized Unity’s unique place in the world of higher education and the community. He said he encountered heart, authenticity and diligence across the campus daily, and that the commitment to protecting the environment was "common ground" at Unity.

Thomashow also spoke of the hills, forests, glistening light and wind-swept prospects of Maine and the constant changes in its weather as indicators of the "fragility" of life and the need for all to strive for flexibility and resilience.

"People who earn a living by working on the land or sea know that they must pay attention to all these subtle changes. Otherwise their very livelihood is threatened," he said. "That is why we are gathered together in this place and time. We are jointly engaged in building, sustaining, and growing an environmental college, a place of learning that supports ecological appreciation and awareness. That is our common ground. That is why we are here today."

With its wide range of environmental offerings, Thomashow said the college is known for attracting students of diverse backgrounds, including hunters, farmers, foresters, gardeners, backpackers, rock climbers, naturalists, educators, artists, writers, policy makers, back-to-the-landers, "and people who combine these interests in all kinds of unpredictable ways."

He said Unity students come from all walks of life and hold many different points of view.

Thomashow said because the future of environmental studies is linked to sustainability and an emphasis on conserving energy, food, water and materials, Unity will focus on building a sustainable campus that would place the college in the forefront of green building practices.

He said the college’s new master plan, set to begin this fall, envisions Unity Collage as a place of endurance and resilience.

"Let’s build a college that will be here for hundreds of years to come," he said. "Let’s conceive of Unity as an intergenerational college and community. ... I encourage all of us to think of the Unity College campus as a sustainable field of dreams, an architect’s exploratorium, a place where we all can truly live our values."

He said the concept of sustainability is much more than academic programs, energy infrastructure and local food. Sustainability must also entail a way of life, Thomashow said, including participatory governance, fiscal responsibility, healthy living and long-range planning.

"That is why a sustainable campus is so important," he said. "There is no more practical, effective, tangible statement of conviction than making the campus a living educational laboratory for our values. Such conviction is what attracts investors, builds coherence, promotes vision and signifies endurance. Is there a better way to assert a notion of legacy than actually living your life as if you believe in a long-term future?"