Peter Goff

Appointed 1997

Science Department Chair
Faculty Trustee

National Honor Society Advisor
Volleyball Coach

pgoffREMOVETHISBEFORESENDING@vermontcommons.org

Undergraduate degree

B.S. in Biology, Hobart College

Graduate degrees

M.S. Biology, University of Vermont

Activities in college

Swimming

Honors or Awards received

Best Student Paper, American Society of Zoologists annual meeting, Vancouver , BC , 1992

Best VCS moment

Seeing six students clustered belly down around a tire-sized tidal pool in Acadia National Park, watching barnacles feed, fascinated. Every time a five-foot tall, 95lb-VCS eighth grader steps onto the volleyball court and looks across the net at 6'4" 40 year-old and smiles.

Inspirational quotation

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."

- The Lorax , Dr. Seuss

Interests and Hobbies

Volleyball and photography

Growing up in the backwoods of southern Maine gave me a life-long love of the outdoors and started my fascination with animals. I spent most of my high school years in the swimming pool, on the local YMCA team. Throughout my academic career, I became more and more convinced that the strict compartmentalization that was the accepted standard throughout academia was not capable of producing naturalists. While some superb naturalists have come from that very system, I believe that it is the exception, not the rule, that scientists establish the personal connection with their local ecosystems that is the hallmark of a naturalist. At the same time, while swimming in college, and then coaching high school and YMCA swimming, I began to see how important it was for young student-athletes to have healthy competition in their lives, particularly in a co-ed environment. Having an opportunity to shape the science & athletics mission statements when the school first started was one of the main reasons I came to VCS. With the help of my wife, the VCS faculty, and every class & team I've been associated with, those mission statements have evolved into ideals that I believe are realistic, necessary, and a model for any small school