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The Present Goddard Chair

Today's world rings with the voices of many people, each promoting his or her own interests and values, each presenting "facts" to support his or her voice. The conservation world is a cacophony -- conservation groups, industry, and government agencies all clamoring for their chance to speak their piece. The upshot is what Daniel Kemmis, in his 1990 book, Community and the Politics of Place, calls the loss of community. In describing this frustration of modern politics, Kemmis quotes John W. Gardner and Hannah Arendt:

"Each [interest] has achieved veto power over a piece of any possible solution, and no one has the power to solve the problem. Thus, in an oddly self-destructive conflict, the parts wage war against the whole. And the conflict will destroy us unless we get hold of it…. What is missing is that "public thing" [res publica, "republic"], which gathers us together and yet prevents our falling over each other."

Fortunately, nearly twenty years ago foresighted conservation leaders banded together to create a unique voice for conservation reason, for community, and for collaboration. They named it the Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resource Conservation, to honor the distinguished career of this visionary environmental leader. Since 1983, the Goddard Chair has exemplified and promoted Goddard’s ideal of a reasonable and balanced approach to solving natural resource and environmental problems. 

The Goddard Chair is a unique endowed professorship, which emphasizes public service to Pennsylvanians. Whereas, most endowed chairs are created so that prominent researchers can pursue their own scholarly interests, the Goddard Chair is different because it brings to campus a person who is experienced in and knowledgeable about the working end of conservation-- confronting and solving complex issues that affect business, government, and communities. The Goddard Chair spends the majority of his/her time on outreach to serve the citizens and resources of Pennsylvania directly. A significant amount of the chair holder's time is spent teaching undergraduate students, to give them a more realistic sense of the world of natural resource management.

Building Reason, Community, and Collaboration

The Chair provides leadership both in defining problems related to Pennsylvania’s natural resources and environment, and in solving them. The Chair’s occupant engages in a wide range of activities and projects to fulfill the following roles:

• undertaking objective analysis to understand problems and potential solutions concerning the natural resources and environment of Pennsylvania.
• bringing together appropriate parties to facilitate the definition, discussion, and resolution of natural resource and environmental problems.
• educating the public about problems and potential solutions concerning the natural resources and environment of Pennsylvania.
• educating decision-makers about problems and potential solutions concerning the natural resources and environment of Pennsylvania.
• through classroom activities, educating future decision-makers about natural resource and environmental problems and motivating their professional development.
• advocating specific solutions to problems facing the natural resources and environment of Pennsylvania as appropriate--favoring solutions which reflect a balance among environmental, social, and economic needs and promoting that approach by others.

The Goddard Chair also honors the legacy of Maurice K. Goddard by:

• maintaining recognition of the Goddard Chair as a leader in and a resource for defining and solving problems related to natural resources and the environment throughout Pennsylvania.
• fostering and promoting continued public recognition of the contributions made by Maurice K. Goddard to Pennsylvania’s environment and citizens.

The Current Goddard Chair:

Robert B. McKinstry, Jr.

Robert McKinstry began his position as the Goddard Chair July 1, 2001.  Bobby comes to Penn State from Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP in Philadelphia, where he was the co-founder and co-partner in charge of the firm's 24-lawyer Environmental Practice Group.  He received a J.D. and M.F.S. from Yale's School of Law and its School of Forestry in 1979.  

He has devoted his time strictly to environmental law, covering such issues as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act.  He also has an interest in municipal solid waste regulation and planning, brownfields, wetlands, and environmentally sensitive areas.