Welcome to the ‘possibilities’ issue

When I interview members of the faculty, I ask: What does teaching at Colby allow you to do that you would not be able to do at another college or university?

Almost invariably, the answer goes something like what History Department Chair Arnout van der Meer said recently: Colby is a place “where you can dream in realistic ways and take a risk, where you can imagine a project and go after it and try to make it happen.”

Being at Colby means having the freedom to imagine anything is possible and then having the support to make it happen. The idea that anything is possible at Colby emerged over and over as we reported, wrote, and photographed the stories in this annual issue of Colby Magazine.

Our cover story focuses on the future of the sciences, as the College explores how it will build a science program that is right for the world as it exists in the present and for the world that is coming in 25 or 50 years. Leading with a commitment to engineering, biomedicine, and high-end computational capacity, Colby aims to become a national model for educating science and engineering leaders and making 21st-century science accessible across the liberal arts curriculum.

We also celebrate the first 10 years of David A. Greene’s presidency with a profile that explores how he has transformed Colby into a college with a reputation for excellence known across the country and, increasingly, around the world. His success has to do with aspirational thinking, inspirational leadership, and an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing. One quote sums up Greene’s ability to motivate people to work toward larger common goals. “David has always put things in front of me that feel just slightly beyond reach,” said Associate Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Randi Maloney ’09. “He sees something in people they don’t always see in themselves. And I think he saw something in Colby that it did not see in itself, either.”

Indeed, it’s about imagining something truly ambitious and making it happen. That’s the Colby story.

Following a theme of ambition, Staff Writer Abigail Curtis and Multimedia Producer Ashley Conti teamed up for a journey to the other side of the world to report on students participating in an interdisciplinary writing Jan Plan course in Kalimpong, India. Environmental Writing in the Himalayas: Practicing the Art of Unmastery encourages students to confront some of their perceptions of the world and use all of their senses to discover, understand, and embrace thoughts and ideas that are new and perhaps uncomfortable.

We hope you enjoy the stories, and thank you for your commitment to Colby.