Spring 2019

Editor’s Note

“Climate change is . . . both a moral challenge and a challenge to moral theory,” says philosophy professor William Edelglass in his feature titled “Life in the Anthropocene.” “We find ourselves caught in a situation where together we cause immense suffering and our inherited moral theory has difficulty conceptualizing any moral responsibility.”

This new epoch of spreading deserts, shrinking ice caps, rising oceans, and growing legions of refugees poses many challenges for humans, ethically but also legislatively, scientifically, culturally, and in our practical day-to-day lives. In her feature titled “Going Through the Narrows,” MA in Teaching for Social Justice student Judy Dow shares lessons of her ancestors that call for adapting to change, something Native communities of the continent have good reason to know about.

Adapting is something Marlboro College knows about as well. In a time when small liberal arts colleges in the region are all facing significant enrollment and financial challenges, Marlboro has the optimism and agility to reimagine our curriculum and reinforce our promise to students in response to changing times. The college has also been able to leverage their longtime partnership with the Marlboro Music School and Festival for sustaining support and two new buildings.

Marlboro has long prepared students for a changing world, and the entrepreneurial activities of our alumni are a testament to this adaptability. Whether it’s arts entrepreneurs like Laura Frank ’92, Samuel Dowe-Sandes ’96, and Evan Lorenzen ’13, or justice-based bookkeeper Alex Fischer MBA ’14, alumni consistently credit Marlboro with preparing them for the entrepreneurial life. How did Marlboro prepare you for life in the Anthropocene?

How are you responding to the challenges of a changing world? If you have any insights or reactions to this issue of Potash Hill, I hope you’ll share them with me at pjohansson@marlboro.edu. —Philip Johansson, editor