Forward Thinking
Vermont’s Colleges and Universities provide critical information for prospective students.
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER
As the spring semester approaches its halfway point, students from all corners of the Green Mountain State and beyond begin to look towards the upcoming academic year. In this time of extraordinary change, institutional transparency is more important than ever – especially when deciding what colleges or universities to apply to. We at Stratton Magazine had the privilege of speaking directly to the Presidents, Deans, and Communications Directors at many of Vermont’s preeminent educational institutions. By offering crucial insight into their academic programs, they provide potential students with the ability to make informed decisions regarding their educational futures.
Bennington College
(Answers Courtesy of Bennington College President Laura Walker.)
How can students best prepare themselves for educational success at your institution?
Because a Bennington education is student-directed (with robust support from faculty advisors), incoming students can expect to develop as independent, self-determined learners here. Students don’t need to know precisely what they want to study when they begin their college journey, but they should arrive with a drive to explore, grow, and do hands-on work in the world.
What programs are you most excited about for the upcoming year?
We recently launched a new suite of offerings for learners at every stage of their academic lives—from high school seniors to retired professionals. It includes a series of writing courses from Bennington’s acclaimed literature program (modeled after our successful low-residency MFA program), an exciting selection of social justice and public action courses, and the opportunity for anyone to take classes from Bennington core curricular offerings.
The College’s necessary transition to a hybrid model when the pandemic arrived last spring helped accelerate our ongoing efforts to bring a Bennington education to more types of learners in more places. Our initial course offerings this past fall were incredibly popular as many more students chose to take gap years and think creatively about their college paths. They have also opened doors for many mid-career professionals who want to keep growing and learning amid the constraints of this pandemic. In an uncertain world, these courses have been a welcome option for many families.
Why is this region a great place to go to college? Who are some of your community partners in creating opportunities for students?
Vermont is home to not only the most accessible and participatory government in the nation, but also a robust culture of community collaboration. The superlative leadership of our public health experts during the COVID-19 crisis, and cooperation at every level, is proof of this collaborative culture. Over the past decade, Bennington has made partnerships with local civic and non-profit groups a top priority, which has strengthened the region and provided countless learning opportunities for our students. Partnerships include an ambitious collaborative project to address food insecurity in Bennington County, which was awarded a Grant from the Andrew M. Mellon Foundation in 2019; extensive research and advocacy to eliminate PFOA contaminants in local drinking water; an initiative to support migrant workers; a successful collaborative effort to convert all the lighting in North Bennington to LED; and a close relationship with Southwest Vermont Medical Center, including most recently an initiative in which Bennington provided 3-D printed face shields to frontline workers. The land that Bennington College sits on was once a working farm and we take seriously our responsibility to cultivate a sustainable relationship with the natural world and our cultural roots. There is perhaps no better example of this than The Robert Frost Stone House Museum in Shaftsbury, which was gifted to the college in 2017 and serves today as a public resource, teaching tool, venue for local arts, and connection to our shared history.
Castleton University
(Answers Courtesy of James Lambert, Associate Dean of Advancement at Castleton University.)
How can students best prepare themselves for educational success at your institution?
We offer a relationship-based education, so the best way students can position themselves for success is to build strong connections with their professors and seek help when they need it. These relationships lead to deeper learning, and more contact hours between students and professors become a path to excellent research, internship, or networking opportunities for students. These additional hands-on work experiences position them for academic success and offers a springboard to launch their careers.
What sets your college/university apart from others?
There are several things that set Castleton apart from other schools, including offering one of the premier residential experiences in Vermont. It’s easy to see what makes Castleton a special place to work, live, play, and learn. It’s evident in our vibrant arts community, when we engage with our community before a campus event or welcome school children to Casella Theater for live performances. It’s in the opportunities we provide, from student research — which is uncommon at the undergraduate level — to hands-on learning, such as internships, work co-ops, and student-led groups. It’s the understanding that it’s important for us to be good neighbors. We value respecting one another, embracing differing perspectives, and sharing experiences together.
What fields are in the greatest demand? And what are students most interested in pursuing? Are they in sync?
Our programs are well-aligned with the current needs of the community. Not surprisingly, our largest programs are also in the highest demand from employers. Among our largest programs is Nursing, and we are working with our community partners to help Vermont fill its nursing shortage. We also offer a variety of high-demand business degrees such as accounting, marketing, and management. Other popular majors include media & communication, criminal justice, athletic training/kinesiology, and resort & hospitality management.
Champlain College
(Answers Courtesy of Sandy Yusen, Director of Communications and External Relations at Champlain College)
What are the most important qualities that you look for in potential students?
Champlain is most interested in students who challenge themselves, particularly in areas in which they excel. We don’t look for perfection; what we do look for is openness and a desire to learn. Our most successful students are innately curious and always looking to expand their understanding of the topics that excite them.
Students are used to hearing that they need to be “well-rounded,” and while a variety of interests is good, it’s also OK for a student to be involved in only one or two things that they are really passionate about.
What sets your college/university apart from others?
Champlain College’s pioneering Upside-Down Curriculum allows students to start taking classes in their major—or in a few of their top-choice majors—on day one. By the time they graduate, Champlain students will have had four years of deep exploration in their fields.
We’ve balanced career-focused majors and an innovative liberal arts curriculum with a four-year program devoted to ensuring financial well-being and career readiness. As a whole, the Champlain College education is a transformational experience unrivaled in American higher education. Our experience-based, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approach to learning offers students an unparalleled education that serves them well throughout their life.
Champlain students can expect to graduate with the professional knowledge, intellectual agility, and practical abilities that enable them to deftly negotiate challenges as they arise in their professional and personal life. By the time our students are ready to leave Champlain, they’re equipped with much more than a degree—they have a foundation that’s been purpose-built for their future.
Champlain’s professors are not just inspired instructors—they are also industry experts, leaders in their fields, passionate mentors, and true advocates for their students. Champlain’s 12:1 student/faculty ratio ensures students receive one-on-one guidance from professors who know their names.
Why is this region a great place to go to college? Who are some of your community partners in creating opportunities for students?
Burlington is one of the coolest small cities in the country. There is no shortage of things to do in our home town and Vermont. Students represent a quarter of the total population in this thriving small city. Often ranked as one of America’s top college towns, there is always a lot going on and always something new to see here. World-class arts, dining, festivals, and outdoor adventure are all just steps away from the College. It’s also breathtakingly beautiful and one of the most environmentally progressive cities in the nation. Whether you’re seeking adventures in nature, on the slopes, or want to visit a larger city, Champlain is within walking distance of Lake Champlain, and within an easy drive of incredible hiking, several ski mountains, and Montreal.
Burlington is an innovation hub with growing industries, artisanal producers, and plenty of jobs. Home to global companies like Burton Snowboards and Ben & Jerry’s, and local businesses like Lake Champlain Chocolates, and Seventh Generation, Burlington is the perfect place to launch a career and experience city living while still feeling connected to the local community. Champlain has close partnerships with employers all over the region, from schools and nonprofits to marketing firms and game developers. In fact, 89% of 2019 Champlain College graduates completed one or more career-relevant experiential learning opportunity (internship or other professional work experience)—prior to graduation.
Community College of Vermont
(Answers Courtesy of Katie Keszey, Director of Communications at the Community College of Vermont.)
What are the most important qualities that you look for in potential students?
CCV is an open admissions college, meaning that all who can benefit are welcome. We provide the learning support students need to achieve their academic and career goals. When you look at the most promising jobs of the future, all of them require education or training beyond high school. We strive to give all students the opportunity to continue their education after high school, and be prepared for and successful in the jobs that are here in Vermont.
What sets your college/university apart from others?
CCV celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020. When the College was founded in 1970, we were seen as a bold experiment. Our priority was—and is still—access: how do you bring college to Vermonters where they live, instead of asking them to come to a college campus? Today, CCV is the second-largest college in Vermont, serving over 10,000 students each year. Students can access our programs and support services at 12 locations throughout the state and through our robust Center for Online Learning. CCV started offering online classes in the 1990s, and since then has steadily expanded opportunities for students to access a high-quality academic experience in a remote setting.
Our mission is focused on access, affordability, and student success. CCV students are working adults, single parents, high school students getting a jump start on college, veterans and military personnel, first-generation college students, new Americans, and senior citizens. Most of our students work full- or part-time jobs. Many are raising families, caring for elderly parents, and balancing competing priorities in their lives. Our goal is to make a college education possible for all Vermonters.
What significant shifts are happening at your college?
We’re continuing to innovate the ways in which we deliver courses, so that students have more choices in how they access their education. We’re currently providing five different course delivery models: online, synchronous, Flex, accelerated, and hybrid. We continue to expand Flex offerings, which can now be bundled together to lead to digital credentials.
CCV is making changes that give students more flexibility and that offer a return on their investment sooner. We are developing more short-term credentials that easily build toward certificates and degrees in high-demand fields such as manufacturing, child care, and IT. We continue to work closely with businesses and employers across the state to ensure that CCV programs are aligned with workforce needs.
In addition, more and more high school graduates who aspire to earn a four-year degree are seeing that CCV is a smart place to start. Our advisors are here to help students take advantage of transfer pathways that help students save time and money on their way to further education.
Goddard College
(Answers courtesy of Lucy Bourgeault, Director of Admissions at Goddard College.)
What are the most important qualities that you look for in potential students?
At Goddard, students lead their own learning, so the most important quality in a potential student is the combination of curiosity, independence, and self-leadership. Standardized test scores and GPA are not part of our admissions process, and many students land at Goddard after finding that traditional education hasn’t served them.
What sets your college/university apart from others?
Goddard is low-residency, so our students are only on campus for 8-10 days at the beginning of each semester. This means that students don’t have to leave their home communities to achieve their degrees. Because of this, our students range in age from 17-80. At Goddard College, students become part of a community of artists, activists, and leaders who are seeking to create change in their communities and in the world.
Why is this region a great place to go to college? Who are some of your community partners in creating opportunities for students?
20% of our students come from Vermont, but the low-residency nature of our program allows students to complete their studies from their home communities-both inside and outside Vermont. Also, in addition to our Plainfield, Vermont campus, we offer residencies for our MFA programs and EDU programs in Washington State. Outside of the residencies, our students can work full time and/or have international adventures while studying. We have partnerships with a number of community colleges and learning organizations like Wayfinding Academy, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and Birthwise Midwifery School. And one of our most wonderful partners is the State of Vermont. We have a number of Vermont high school students in our Early College program. In this program, Vermonters can spend their senior year of high school at Goddard. This is a program paid for by the state, and is especially popular with homeschooled students.
Middlebury College
(Answers courtesy of Middlebury College President Laurie Patton.)
What are the most important qualities that you look for in potential students?
As a liberal arts and sciences college, we want creative students who can take advantage of the broad, immersive education that we offer. We are looking for bold, intellectually curious students who are open to new possibilities and eager to explore the many opportunities that will be available to them on and off our campus, including conducting research with faculty members, starting a new student organization, and studying abroad. They should be ready to participate in the exchange of a wide variety of views that is part of the vibrant life of our campus with the desire to explore what our town and Vermont have to offer. Given Middlebury’s long history of study abroad, and language learning, we appreciate students with the ability to think globally while demonstrating a strong commitment to their local communities.
What programs are you most excited about for the upcoming year?
One of our newest programs, the Middlebury Initiative for Data and Digital Methods, or the MiddData Project, is an interdisciplinary effort that we created to give all of our students the tools they need to research and analyze large amounts of data. This is a skill that they will use throughout their time on our campus and during their careers. MiddData is also going to prepare them to make data-driven arguments and communicate their results. The first course of the project will be offered in January 2021, which is our winter term. The new course is called Data Science across Disciplines and will be co-taught by five faculty representing mathematics, biology, economics, history of art and architecture, and Japanese studies. The class will expose students to the entire data science pipeline from obtaining large data sets to communicating insights from the data. Then they will break out into smaller groups to apply these tools to research projects in each subject area.
Our Energy 2028 plan, sets a new goal of using 100 percent renewable energy by 2028, keeping us at the forefront of sustainability in higher education. We also are growing numerous initiatives in conflict transformation, whether that is the use of Restorative Practices on our college campus, or our world-renowned nuclear non-proliferation program at the Middlebury Institute in Monterey, California.
Why is this region a great place to go to college? Who are some of your community partners in creating opportunities for students?
Our location in Middlebury offers the benefits of our close-knit Vermont town with a strong sense of community responsibility. Students, faculty, and staff at Middlebury can take advantage of the striking Vermont landscape, with opportunities to work on projects for local organizations, or to engage in research. The small size of the town and Vermont mean that students can meet lawmakers and other local and state leaders. Students can then study for a semester at our campus in Monterey, California, or at one of our 37 schools abroad. For a liberal arts and sciences college, the possibilities for global engagement are unparalleled, even while students maintain the close transformative relationships with professors and mentors that are the hallmark of our approach to education.
Students become involved in many local nonprofits, from Charter House, a volunteer-based organization that provides the basic necessities of food and shelter, to MiddCAM, a student organization that pairs a senior from Middlebury Union High School with a student from the College who acts as a mentor throughout the college admission process. Many student entrepreneurs have received support and advice from Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies, and local alumni who have their own start-ups. Middlebury is a great believer in “place-based” education, and wherever students travel, they engage deeply with the place around them.
Northern Vermont University
(Answers courtesy of Sylvia L. Plumb, Director of Marketing and Communications at Northern Vermont University.)
What are the most important qualities that you look for in potential students?
At NVU, we look for students who are highly motivated with a strong desire for success. As our admissions process is test-optional, we look to grades, evidence of hard work, innovation, and creativity in applicants. We even look at whether the student understands how they can affect those around them and make an impact on the world.
I want to be sure to emphasize that we attract first-in-family students and serve the highest percentage of Pell-eligible students out of four-year institutions within the Vermont State Colleges System and likely in the state. This underscores our commitment to making sure each of our students is not just a number. These students grow and excel in our small, tightknit community because we have built the support structures the students need.
What programs are you most excited about for the upcoming year?
I am most excited about the development of the NVU Learning and Working Community and the $3.5 million gift we recently received in support of it from an NVU Lyndon alum. The Learning and Working Community builds on and enhances all NVU offers.
NVU recently launched new and redesigned programs in Data Science, Visual Communications Design (Graphic Design, Digital Advertising, and Illustration), Digital Communications, Performance Arts and Technology, Holistic Health, and Climate Change Science, and a Nursing partnership with Vermont Technical College.
NVU also stands out for our programs in Atmospheric Science, the Health and Exercise Sciences, Outdoor Education, Leadership, and Tourism with a variety of concentrations, and Music Business and Industry.
We also look forward to expanding NVU Online, our distance learning division. Recently, we launched a fully online Master’s in Education with a concentration in Digital Media Instruction. Our curriculum incorporates innovative strategies developed by Discovery Education® and the Discovery Education Network for ongoing peer mentoring.
Education students find NVU’s Childhood Education program particularly appealing because the degree offers teacher license endorsements in both elementary education (grades K-6) and special education (grades K-8). This is the only program of its kind in Vermont and puts our graduates at an advantage when they are seeking to land a teaching position. Additionally, we offer an online early childhood education program with a direct pathway from the Community College of Vermont.
What fields are in the greatest demand? And what are students most interested in pursuing? Are they in sync?
NVU has a long history of teaching the teachers, mental health counselors, wellness professionals, and business and government employees of the state. And NVU’s new degrees will provide graduates who will work in popular and emerging fields. These include our Data Science, Climate Change Science, Visual Communications Design, Performance, Art and Technology, and Digital Communications degrees.
NVU’s focus on the liberal arts and professional training means our students graduate with a degree from which they can develop their career, which we all know will evolve over time. The development of critical thinking and writing skills is what sets NVU graduates up for success. Employers look for graduates who can adapt, think critically and creatively, and collaborate. At NVU, our students graduate with these skills, which means NVU graduates will be ready to pivot and change as the needs of employers change.
Norwich University
(Answers courtesy of Norwich University President, Col. Mark C. Anarumo.)
What are the most important qualities that you look for in potential students?
Our guiding values and mission focus on leadership development and service. This service cornerstone can be to our nation, the military, home, and the global community in general. We educate and train future leaders to be the best version of themselves academically, physically, and mentally, and to be active, engaged citizens who think critically and act morally for the greater good.
The Norwich student and adult learner is one who embraces our motto – “I Will Try” – and accepts challenges, who values serving others in their community, family and daily lives whether that’s through the military, JROTC, or Scouts, first aid, nursing, law enforcement, other public service, or volunteerism.
What sets your college/university apart from others?
Norwich University is the birthplace of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), is the nation’s oldest private military college, and the first Senior Military College, though we now have a very healthy and thriving civilian (non-military) residential experience. The Corps of Cadets, coupled with a civilian student body, provides a truly unique environment in which to grow and learn. The presence of the Corps and the prevailing military culture means that students – both civilian and Corps – bring a focus, discipline, and professionalism to the classroom that is not found on a typical liberal arts campus. Our progressive leadership model that drives the Corps of Cadets and the civilian experience is enhanced via athletics, community engagement/volunteerism, and undergraduate research to create many unique opportunities for students to practice both service and leadership under the guidance of world-class mentors in the faculty, academic programs, and directors
of our many Centers of Excellence.
What programs are you most excited about for the upcoming year?
Our School of Cybersecurity, Data Science, and Computing is expanding, while we are simultaneously developing programs in data science and artificial intelligence. Our School of Architecture + Art is tackling issues of homelessness, mental health, affordability, and cost efficiency of home ownership by designing and building tiny houses. Our engineering school pairs students with community projects so students can apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems, which most recently resulted in wastewater testing for COVID-19 in Northfield, VT. We have a new major in Design Arts, which partners with business and industry such as the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre, VT, the “granite capital of the world,” to build upon that legacy and promote the craft of stone arts, which is so unique to this region. Our cybersecurity school runs a center that enables students to protect state data. Our criminal justice program is involved in helping to reform policing in the state. There is a lot to be excited about now and in Norwich’s future!
Sterling College
(Answers courtesy of Christina Goodwin, Dean of Advancement & Alumni Relations at Sterling College.)
How can students best prepare themselves for educational success at your institution?
Students will find all the resources they need to be successful: learning support, one-on-one time with faculty and advisors, affinity groups, and student life support. A Sterling College student has three-valued characteristics: they are self-motivated, excited about their relationship with the natural world, and are not afraid to get their hands dirty. Sterling offers a practical, hands-on, and field-based curriculum, spending more time in the field than just about any other college. Students at Sterling will have the opportunity to learn about aquatic microbes by gathering specimens from the local watershed, work with oxen and draft horses on the campus farm and in the woods, care for heritage breed pigs, chickens, and sheep, and learn about indigenous culture by working in partnership with the Abenaki in the growing out of heritage seeds. To fully participate in any of these experiences, our students will learn to advocate for their learning; designing their study plans to incorporate skill development, learning supports, and ensure alignment to their desired educational goals. Because so much of the curriculum takes place outdoors, no matter the season or the weather, it is imperative that a student is comfortable, or at least curious, about their relationship with nature. Finally, a student studying at Sterling College WILL get their hands dirty — over and over again. They will work hard, inside and outside the classroom, the barn, their residence hall, or the Sterling kitchen.
What programs are you most excited about for the upcoming year?
In 2021 Sterling College will be launching its second, 12-person cohort of sustainable agriculture and food systems students at our satellite location in Henry County, Kentucky. Sterling College and The Berry Center, together in partnership, offer this two-year tuition-free degree completion program, funded by the NoVo Foundation. The Wendell Berry Farming Program, named for farmer and writer Wendell Berry, provides twelve highly qualified students the opportunity to intensely study ecological management of livestock, pasture, and forest using draft animals and other appropriately scaled mixed power systems. The Fall 2019 cohort saw a 95% retention rate.
Here in Vermont, Sterling has been given the opportunity to manage The Farm Between in Jeffersonville, Vermont, since being purchased by Sterling Trustee and Chelsea Green Publishing President Margo Baldwin. The farm encompasses multiple small orchards with polycultures of fruits and berries, a large flower meadow, five hoop houses and a historic house and barn. In the spring semester, Sterling will run an ice climbing course from this location.
Why is this region a great place to go to college? Who are some of your community partners in creating opportunities for students?
The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is a little-known gem, located a little over an hour from Burlington and Montpelier, the state capital of Vermont, and south of Montreal, Canada. The Northeast Kingdom is home to award-winning cheesemakers Jasper Hill Farm, award-winning Hill Farmstead Brewery, and the world-renowned activist and arts community of Bread and Puppet. Craftsbury Common is home to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center which attracts nordic skiers, rowers, and runners from all over the world. Sterling College has partnerships with NOLS, Kroka, Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and The Berry Center.
The Sterling curriculum has a place-based, hands-on focus, which means more than half of our students will do a field-based internship to develop learning further. Sterling students have completed internships with SunSoil, Pete’s Greens, NOLS, The Craftsbury Academy, and with countless farmers, artists, and research institutions.
ALL THE DETAILS
BENNINGTON COLLEGE
bennington.edu
CASTLETON UNIVERSITY
castleton.edu
CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE
champlain.edu
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
OF VERMONT
ccv.ecampus.com
GODDARD COLLEGE
goddard.edu
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
middlebury.edu
NOTHERN VERMONT UNIVERISTY
northernvermont.edu
NORWICH UNIVERSITY
norwich.edu
STERLING COLLEGE
sterlingcollege.edu