PLAINFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – After years of turmoil, experimental liberal arts school Goddard College will be closing its doors.
Founded in 1938, the Plainfield institution has been a fixture in the area.
Goddard alumnus Ben Koenig says the college is what brought him to Vermont in 1968, and it’s why he never left. “It was the only educational program that ever said to me, ‘What do you want to study? What are you interested in?” said alumnus Ben Koenig.
But the college’s president Dan Hocoy says finances, low enrollment, and a changing higher education landscape have forced the school’s closure.
“It was a difficult decision for our board to make, but I think it was the only decision for our board to make,” said Hocoy.
As recently as January, school officials said they were transforming what was already a low-residency program to going fully online.
there are currently only 220 students enrolled at Goddard, down from more than 1,900 in the early ‘70s. with only 12 to 18 students on campus earlier this year.
the school was placed on probation by its regional creditor in 2018 for finance and governance issues.
since then, there have been disputes over the school’s future between alumni, the board of trustees, and the president.
“It’s no secret for the last five decades, Goddard College has been struggling with finances due to low enrollment,” said Hocoy.
This comes as Vermont has faced a wave of college closures in recent years, including Green Mountain College, College of St. Joseph the Provider, Sterling College, and Southern Vermont College.
Hocoy says it’s hard for small colleges like Goddard to keep up. “We are at a point in higher education where changing forces are at play, in terms of changing student demographics, changing educational preferences, changing technology,” said Hocoy.
All Goddard students will be able to transfer to Prescott College in Arizona after the end of the current school year. Students can go in person or online and pay the same tuition.
“We carefully chose them, because they have a similar mission to ours in progressive education,” said Hocoy.
Now as the school readies to hand off its mission, alumni, students, and staff reflect on its legacy. “It’s really sad that it’s coming to an end,” said Koenig.
Goddard College hasn’t officially decided what they’re going to do with the property yet, but they’re thinking of selling it, and the town of Plainfield says they’re hoping at least some of the property goes towards housing.
“There is a great need for housing, maybe something in that direction,” said Plainfield Town Manager Bram Towbin.
Prescott College and school partners like Cabot Creamery are working with Goddard to help the remaining 95 faculty and staff find their next steps.
In a statement, Prescott College’s president Dr. Barbara Morris says they are “…honored to be able to continue Goddard’s legacy through the education of its students.”