Internationally renowned environmentalist Robert K. Musil will make an intensive week-long visit to Central College Feb. 29-March 4. As Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, Musil will teach classes and meet with students and faculty members informally throughout the week to share his practical knowledge in the areas of global climate change and energy policy. On March 3, Musil’s public address, “Rachel Carson and Her Legacy for Today,” and book signing are free and open to the public at 7 p.m. in Cox-Snow Recital Hall.
Robert K. Musil has worked as a broadcast journalist, writer, professor, and leader in non-profit and political advocacy organizations. He visits Central Feb. 29-March 4.
Robert K. Musil
- President and CEO, Rachel Carson Council
- Senior fellow, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies in the School of Public Affairs at American University
- From 1992–2006, longest-serving executive director and CEO of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), winner of the 1985 Nobel Prize for Peace
- Author, “Hope for a Heated Planet: How Americans are Fighting Global Warming and Building a Better Future” and “Rachel Carson and Her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America’s Environment”
- Past fellow, Center for Ethics and Public Policy, Wesley Theological Seminary
- Producer, independent video documentaries and public radio documentary series
- Two-time winner, Armstrong Award for Excellence in Radio Broadcasting
Musil’s wide range of knowledge and experience will engage students in many disciplines, said Lyn Isaacson, associate dean for global education. “His life’s work embodies Central’s own longstanding values and commitments to sustainability and social responsibility, and he is eager to talk to students about ways they can become meaningfully involved to bring about positive change,” said Isaacson. “He brings an optimistic perspective to sustainability challenges and has great faith in student leadership.”
Brian Campbell, director of sustainability education, said Musil’s leadership in sustainability for higher education makes him a perfect guest during Central’s Year of Global Sustainability. “We are looking forward to sharing our efforts with him and gaining new ideas and inspiration from his visit,” Campbell said. “His lecture Thursday night on the life and legacy of Rachel Carson will highlight important connections between fields like natural science, writing, public health, politics, spirituality and ethics, connections that are at the heart of our liberal arts approach to sustainability.”
Who is Rachel Carson?
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was a marine biologist and nature writer. Her book “Silent Spring” alerted the American public to possible connections between synthetic pesticides and environmental problems. She is credited with advancing the global environmental movement, resulting in the U.S. ban on DDT and other national policy changes, as well as the movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter.
Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows
The Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program, administered by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) in Washington, D.C., brings prominent artists, diplomats, journalists, business leaders and other professionals to campuses across the United States for week-long residential programs of classes, seminars, workshops, lectures and informal discussions. For 35 years, visiting fellows have introduced students and faculty members at liberal arts colleges to a wide range of perspectives on life, society, community and achievement. The program is available to all four-year colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.cic.edu/visitingfellows.
Founded in 1853, Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private, residential four-year liberal arts college known for its academic rigor and strength in global experiential learning, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), sustainability education, athletics success and tradition, and leadership and service. Central continues to value its long-standing relationship with the Reformed Church in America. The college participates in NCAA Division III athletics and is a member of the Iowa Conference. Central is an active part of the Greater Des Moines region and just two minutes from Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake.
