College appoints Douglas, McKibben to new positions

President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz recently announced two major positional changes. Vermont Governor Jim Douglas ’72 will join the College community as an executive in residence beginning this January. Scholar—in— residence in Environmental Studies Bill McKibben has been appointed to the position of Schumann Distinguished Scholar.

Both Douglas and McKibben will teach courses at the College in 2011. In Winter Term, Douglas will teach a political science course, “Vermont Government and Politics.” In the spring, McKibben will teach a course entitled “Social Movements, Theory and Practice” through the environmental studies program.

McKibben’s appointment was made possible through a grant from the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy, a foundation based in Montclair, New Jersey.

“I am delighted that Middlebury College will continue to benefit from Bill’s engagement with our students, his collaboration with our faculty and the added visibility a public intellectual of his stature brings to our program in Environmental Studies and to the College,” Liebowitz wrote in his all-campus e-mail on Nov. 9.

Of Douglas’s addition to the College community Liebowitz expressed equal enthusiasm. “Jim will be a wonderful resource for students with the vast experience and knowledge that he has gained from holding a variety of positions in state government,” he said in a Nov. 5 press release.

Neither Douglas nor McKibben were available at press time.

Professor of Political Science Matthew Dickinson, who knows Douglas personally, said that as a professional politician he will contribute a “practical” perspective to students’ educational experience in political science.

“He’ll give a hands-on perspective on governing, not just in Vermont politics but the difficulty of governing in general,” said Dickinson. “He’ll be a great complement to the more ‘political science-y’ take that some of the students are given here … A lot happened on his watch. A lot of interesting issues were debated, everything from the bread and butter of how to raise revenue in a state in a time of recession to debate over social policy issues like gay marriage to nuclear power and energy issues.”

Associate Professor of Political Science Bertram Johnson, another acquaintance of Douglas’s, echoed what Dickinson expressed.

“I have met him on multiple occasions, like many Vermonters,” said Johnson. “I think he will do a great job of interacting with students. He is a well-spoken and amiable person, and he has a lot of interesting things to say, I think, about Vermont politics, about being governor. He’s one of the most popular politicians in recent Vermont history, so he certainly knows how it’s done here.”

“Too often we bash politicians and are critical of the political process,” said Dickinson. “There’s a tendency for us to forget that there are good people serving in government. I think [Douglas] will encourage students to become active participants in politics.”

In the press release, Douglas said he is “excited about being a part of the campus community” and “looks forward to working with the students and faculty.”

Douglas has been governor of Vermont since 2003. His career in Vermont politics spans over 35 years, beginning with his election to the Vermont House of Representatives after graduating from Middlebury in 1972. After a brief stint as a top aide to Govern Richard Snelling in 1979, he was elected secretary of state, a position he held until his election to state treasurer in 1994.

Douglas’s current term as governor will end on Jan. 6, two days after the start of Winter Term. According to Dickinson, Douglas is “concerned” about that overlap, especially since he will certainly need to attend the inauguration of governor-elect Pete Shumlin on Jan. 6 in Montpelier.

McKibben joined the College in 2001. In 1989 he published The End of Nature, which was serialized in The New Yorker; over the past two decades he published multiple other books, including 2010’s Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. He is the founder of 350.org and the Step It Up campaign.