COA President Stepping Down
Criterion Gala Featured Live Art, Painter, and Magician; Outhier New Job at ANP
BAR HARBOR — College of the Atlantic President Darron Collins ‘92 will step down at the end of the 2023-24 academic year after more than 12 years at the helm of the college.
Presidential transitions are a natural and expected process for institutions of higher education, Collins said, and this is the right time for the college to embrace new leadership. He feels very positive, he said, about the direction that COA is headed.
“I can’t imagine a more challenging, more rewarding way to have spent the last decade-plus than as president of this incredible college, and I am grateful beyond words to have had this opportunity,” Collins said. “I’d like to thank our students, staff, faculty, family, alumni, supporters, and friends for working with me during this time to make COA an essential institution dedicated to the vibrancy of Mount Desert Island, the health of our planet, and a better path for our collective humanity. I am confident that COA has a very bright future ahead.”
The college, Collins said, has celebrated some major accomplishments during his 12+ years as president, including the completion of two successful capital campaigns, the most recent of which raised $55 million dollars, and the construction of three new buildings, including the innovative Davis Center for Human Ecology. The school has also doubled the amount of student housing available, been named the leading green college by Princeton Review from 2016-2023, brought artist Andy Goldsworthy and his Road Line to campus, and created the COA Summer Institute, now in its seventh year, Collins said.
“As proud as I am of all these accomplishments, none of them could have been achieved without the support and hard work of so many people both near and far,” Collins said. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.”
The COA Board of Trustees will form a Presidential Search Committee, composed of faculty, students, staff, and trustees, to begin a search for a new president this year, Board chair Beth Gardiner said.
“Darron’s tenure here at COA has been a triumph in so many ways,” Gardiner said. “On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I want to express our deep gratitude for Darron’s service and to wish him the very best on his next adventure, wherever that may be.”
Collins is the first alumni president of College of the Atlantic, having graduated with a bachelor's degree in human ecology in 1992. He holds a master's degree in Latin American studies and a PhD in anthropology from Tulane University. Collins previously worked for the World Wide Fund for Nature for ten years, ending as the managing director of creative assets. He became president of COA in 2011.
CRITERION GALA WOWS ATTENDEES
The Criterion Theatre brought together many facets of the arts and storytelling last night during its gala and auction at the Bar Harbor Club Thursday night.
The band was Ryan Blotnick, the artist who painted the Criterion during the event was Matthew Ross, and the catering was done by the Bar Harbor Club.
Executive Director Taylor Valarik said he was pleased with the event. Valarik and board member, co-host Steven Boucher both spoke poignantly about growing up on the island and how important the Criterion was for them and their childhoods. To be back as adult and part of the theater’s continued existence was cool, they both said. Co-host, actor, and singer Sarah Jones geared up attendees for the live and silent auctions with an exuberant presence.
Sponsors included Cleary Law Offices, Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund, Deborah M. Dyer, and the Bar Harbor Manor Inn, Hotel and Townhouse Suites.
To become a member of the Criterion and help support its efforts, click here.
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Matt Outhier Is Acadia National Park’s New Chief of Project Management
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK—Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider announced the selection of Matt Outhier as the first chief of project management at Acadia National Park.
“Matt’s experience and passion for this work is critical as we stand up a new division here at Acadia,” says Schneider. “We know he is up for the challenge, and are excited to see Matt lead this new division to many successes here at the park.”
The chief of project management will support Acadia’s growing need for planning and project management related to construction and cultural resource preservation. The division will support park projects from project planning to project completion: providing comprehensive project oversight.
Matt Outhier is a registered civil engineer in the state of California. He started his engineering and project management career nearly 20 years ago, and has experience working in the private sector throughout southern and central California, southern Utah, and Nevada. Matt joined the federal service in 2018 as a civil engineer in the Design & Engineering Branch at Yosemite National Park. During his time in Yosemite, he also served as the park’s land surveyor and is currently the acting chief of the Design & Engineering branch. In his five years in Yosemite, he designed and oversaw construction for many projects including the rehabilitations of Crane Flat and Bridalveil Creek Campgrounds. He also serves on the Department of Interior’s Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team and assisted with the recovery of Yosemite’s Washburn Fire last year.
“I have absolutely loved my time with the National Park Service, it’s one of my greatest professional honors and privileges to serve as a steward for our public lands” says Outhier. “I look forward to working with Acadia’s leadership team, park staff, and partners in the years ahead.”
Photos, except if otherwise noted, by Carrie Jones and Shaun Farrar