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Former names | Green Mountain Central Institute & Goddard Seminary |
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Type | Private online college |
Active | 1863 | –June 2024
President | Dan Hocoy [1] |
Academic staff | 64 |
Administrative staff | 50 |
Students | 220 (Spring 2024) |
Undergraduates | 112 |
Postgraduates | 208 |
Location | , , United States 44°16′44″N72°26′22″W / 44.2789°N 72.4394°W |
Campus | Rural 175 acres (71 ha) |
Colors | Blue and white |
Website | www |
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Goddard College was [2] a private college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle, Washington. The college offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With predecessor institutions dating to 1863, Goddard College was founded in 1938 as an experimental and non-traditional educational institution based on the idea that experience and education are intricately linked. [3]
For many years, Goddard College operated a mix of residential, low-residency, and distance-learning programs. Goddard's intensive low-residency model was first developed for its MFA in Creative Writing Program in 1963.
In April 2024, Goddard announced that the college would close at the end of the spring semester, due to financial issues and a decline in enrollment. [4]
The college was accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Goddard College began in 1863 in Barre, Vermont, as the Green Mountain Central Institute. In 1870, it was renamed Goddard Seminary in honor of Thomas A. Goddard (1811–1868) and his wife Mary (1816–1889). [5] Goddard was a prominent merchant in Boston, and was one of the school's earliest and most generous benefactors. [5]
Founded by Universalists, Goddard Seminary was originally a four-year preparatory high school, primarily affiliated with Tufts College. For many years the Seminary prospered. But the opening of many good public high schools in the 20th century made many of the private New England academies obsolete. To attempt to save it, the trustees added a Junior College to the Seminary in 1935, with a Seminary graduate, Royce S. "Tim" Pitkin, as President. [6]
In 1936, under his leadership, the Seminary concluded that in order for Goddard to survive, an entirely new institution would need to be created. A number of prominent educators and laymen agreed with him. Pitkin was supported by Stanley C. Wilson, former governor of Vermont and chairman of the Goddard Seminary Board of Trustees; Senators George Aiken and Ralph Flanders, and Dorothy Canfield Fisher. [7] Pitkin persuaded the Board of Trustees to embrace a new style of education, one that substituted individual attention, democracy, and informality for the traditionally austere and autocratic educational model.
On March 13, 1938, Goddard College was chartered. In July 1938 the newly formed Goddard College moved to Greatwood Farm in Plainfield, Vermont.
The new Goddard was an experimental and progressive college. For its first 21 years of operation, Goddard was unaccredited and small, but it built a reputation as one of the most innovative colleges in the country. [8] Especially noteworthy were Goddard's use of discussion as the basic method in classroom teaching; its emphasis on the whole lives of students in determining personal curricula; its incorporation of practical work into the life of every student; and its development of the college as a self-governing learning community in which everyone had a voice. [9]
In 1959 Goddard College was accredited. One of the founding principles of Goddard was that it should provide educational opportunities for adults. [10] There was a great need for a program for adults who had not completed college, to obtain degrees without disrupting their family lives or careers. The Adult Degree Program (ADP), created by Evalyn Bates, was established in 1963. It was the first low-residency adult education program in the country. [3]
Over the years many experimental programs were designed at Goddard. These programs included the Goddard Experimental Program for Further Education, Design Build Program, Goddard Cambridge Program for Social Change, Third World Studies Program, Institute for Social Ecology, Single Parent Program and many others.
Based on its use of narrative transcripts instead of traditional letter grades, as well as learner-designed curricula, Goddard was among the founding members of the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities.
In 2002, after 54 years, the college terminated its residential undergraduate degree program and became an exclusively low-residency college.
In 2005, the college expanded to the West Coast and established a residency site in Port Townsend, Washington. In July 2011 Goddard began to offer their non-licensure education program in Seattle, Washington.
Goddard was placed on probation in 2018 by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) because of a perceived "[lack of] stability of executive leadership" and concerns about the college's financial resources. [11] [12] [13] The probation was lifted in 2020 after the college satisfied the commission that it had rectified those issues. [14]
In January 2024, Goddard announced that it would temporarily end its low-residency programs in favor of online learning. [15]
Goddard College closed at the end of the spring semester in 2024, due to a precipitious decline in enrollment from 1,900 in the 1970s to less than 250 in 2024. [16]
The main campus in Plainfield, VT, was put up for sale and in late May was announced to be under contract at a price of $3.4 million to an undisclosed buyer. [17] A group of alumni and townspeople organized to attempt to block the sale. [18] In early July 2024 the school announced it was for sale again, with no explanation of what had happened with the previous deal. [19] . On August 2, 2024, the college announced plans to sell the campus to a local group, the Greatwood Project, formed by college alumni and former faculty. [20]
Goddard College Greatwood Campus | |
![]() Goddard College Clockhouse | |
Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
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Built | 1908 |
Architect | James T. Kelley; Arthur Asahel Shurcliff |
Architectural style | Shingle Style, Tudor Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 96000253 [21] |
Added to NRHP | March 7, 1996 |
The campus in Plainfield was founded in 1938 on the grounds of a late 19th-century model farm: The Greatwood Farm & Estate consisted of shingle-style buildings and gardens designed by Arthur Shurcliff. The Village of Learning, consisted of eleven dormitory buildings, was constructed adjacent to the ensemble of renovated farm buildings in 1963 to accommodate an increasing student population. The Pratt Center & Library, designed to be at the heart of a larger campus, was constructed in 1968. No other significant new construction were added after 1968.
On March 7, 1996 the Greatwood campus was recognized for its historic and architectural significance by its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. [22]
A US Army post from 1902 to 1953, [23] much of the fort was renovated and adapted as a year-round, multi-use facility dedicated to lifelong learning. It housed several organizations that comprise Fort Worden State Park. The fort was located on a bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet near Port Townsend, Washington.
The MA in Education program, originally held in the Plainfield-based low-residency program, expanded in 2011 into Columbia City, a neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
The program trained students in bilingual preschool education. Students focused on areas such as intercultural studies, dual language, early childhood, cultural arts, and community education, and created their plan of studies for each semester. The program was designed to serve students who could not leave their families and communities for the residency.
Each Goddard student designed their own curriculum in accordance with their program's degree criteria.
In addition to fulfilling academic criteria in the subjects of the arts, the humanities, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences, undergraduate students needed to demonstrate critical thinking and writing, understanding of social and ecological contexts, positive self-development, and thoughtful action within their learning processes.
The college used a student self-directed, mentored system in which faculty issue narrative evaluations of student's progress instead of grades. The intensive low-residency model required that students come to campus every six months for approximately eight days. During this period, students engaged in a variety of activities and lectures from early morning until late in the evening, and created detailed study plans. During the semester, students studied independently, sending in "packets" to their faculty mentors every few weeks.
When low-residency education began at Goddard, packets were made up of paper documents sent via the mail. Since advances in the internet and related technology, in the 21st century most packets were sent electronically. They contained artwork, audio files, photography, video and web pages, in addition to writing. The schedule and format of these packets differed from program to program, and content varied with each student-faculty correspondence. The focus was generally on research, writing, and reflection related to each student's individualized study plan.
At regular intervals students compiled their work into "learning portfolios" to submit as part of a Progress Review before a cross-program board of faculty. The board ensured that all students' work was in compliance with the college's degree criteria. Undergraduates had to complete a yearlong Senior Study, accompanied by final graduating presentations of work, before being awarded a degree. [24]
The Eliot D. Pratt Center and Library, located in Plainfield, Vermont, served the entire Goddard College community. It was also open to the public. Its holdings contained over 70,000 physical items. The building also housed several administrative offices, an Archives room with artifacts from the 1800s to present, an Art Gallery, and WGDR (91.1 FM), a college/community radio station serving Central Vermont since 1973.
Until 2021, Goddard was home to Goddard College Community Radio, a pair of community-based, non-commercial, listener-supported educational radio stations. WGDR, 91.1 FM, is licensed to Plainfield, Vermont. Its sister station, WGDH, 91.7 FM, is licensed to Hardwick, Vermont. Goddard College Community Radio was the largest non-commercial community radio station in Vermont. It ws the only non-commercial station in the state other than the statewide Vermont Public Radio network[ citation needed ], which received funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On May 10, 2021, Goddard donated the licenses for WGDR and sister station WGDH to Central Vermont Community Radio Corporation.
This structure was originally built as a barn in 1868 by the Martin Family and was one of the largest barns in Central Vermont. The Haybarn was originally used to store hay, grain and livestock. In 1938, when Goddard College purchased Greatwood Farm, they began the process of adapting the farm buildings into academic and student spaces. The Haybarn was renovated to provide a space for the performing arts.
For almost 75 years the Haybarn Theatre was a place where the local community and the College came together to enjoy and appreciate the arts. The Haybarn hosted educational conferences, student and community performances, and the Goddard College Concert Series. Prior to reaching widespread fame, Phish played multiple concerts there in 1986 and 1987. [25]
In June 1970 Goddard hosted the Alternative Media Conference; it attracted more than 1,600 radio DJs and others involved in independent media from all over the United States. [26] Featured presenters included Yippie founder Jerry Rubin, [27] spiritual leader Ram Dass, [28] Larry Yurdin, [29] and Danny Fields, Bob Fass and Paul Krassner from The Realist .
A music roster of up-and-coming bands was curated by Atlantic Records and included Dr. John and the J. Geils Band. [28] The conference embodied both the political activism and the free-love atmosphere of the time: a coalition affiliated with the Panther 21, The Guardian , Newsreel, Radio Free People, Liberation News Service, Media Women, and The New York Rat put together a packet highlighting the political side of alternative media. [30]
A second Alternative Media Conference was held on campus in 2013 to commemorate the college's 150th anniversary. [31] Thom Hartmann and Ellen Ratner were featured speakers.
In 2014, the graduating class of the college's undergraduate program selected convicted murderer and Goddard alumnus Mumia Abu-Jamal as commencement speaker. [32] Abu-Jamal, who had attended Goddard as an undergraduate in the 1970s, completed his Goddard degree from prison via mail while serving a sentence for the 1982 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. [33] Faulkner's widow criticized the selection of Abu-Jamal as a speaker, [34] as did US Senator Pat Toomey, the Vermont Troopers Association, the Vermont Police Chiefs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. [32] [35] [36] The college's interim President, Bob Kenny, supported the right of students to select a commencement speaker of their choice. [37]
On October 5, the school released Abu-Jamal's pre-recorded commencement speech. [38] [39]
Mumia Abu-Jamal is an American political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. While on death row, he has written and commented on the criminal justice system in the United States. After numerous appeals, his death penalty sentence was overturned by a federal court. In 2011, the prosecution agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. He entered the general prison population early the following year.
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the lead vocalist. The band is known for their musical improvisation and jams during their concert performances and for their devoted fan following.
Marlboro College was a private college in Marlboro, Vermont. Founded in 1946, it remained intentionally small, operating as a self-governing community with students following self-designed degree plans culminating in a thesis. In 1998, the college added a graduate school.
Plainfield, a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States was incorporated in 1867. The population was 1,236 at the 2020 census. Plainfield is the location of Goddard College.
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private institution of higher education in the state of Ohio and enrolls approximately 1,800 undergraduate students. Students choose from over 50 majors, minors, and concentrations, including self-designed majors.
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially titled as University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. Founded in 1791, the university is the oldest in Vermont and the fifth-oldest in New England, making it among the oldest in the United States. It is one of the original eight Public Ivies.
Page Samuel McConnell is an American multi-instrumentalist, most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish.
Castleton University was a public university in Castleton, Vermont.
Green Mountain College was a private liberal arts college in Poultney, Vermont, at the foot of the Taconic Mountains between the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. The college was affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offered a liberal arts undergraduate education with a focus on the environment, and some graduate degrees. For part of its history it was a women's college. It was founded in 1834 and closed at the end of the 2018–19 academic year.
Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offering graduate theological education in multiple modalities: in-person, hybrid, and online.
Capitol Technology University is a private university in South Laurel, Maryland, near Washington, DC. The university was founded in 1927 as the Capitol Radio Engineering Institute by a former US Navy Radioman. CREI changed its name to Capitol Institute of Technology in 1964, changed its name again to Capitol College in 1987, and Capitol Technology University in 2014. Capitol offers undergraduate and graduate programs specializing in engineering, computer science, information technology, and business. It is classified among "D/PU: Doctoral/Professional Universities" and is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education.
A low-residency program is a form of education, normally at the university level, which involves some amount of distance education and brief on-campus or specific-site residencies—residencies may be one weekend or several weeks. These programs are most frequently offered by colleges and universities that also teach standard full-time courses on campus. There are numerous master's degree programs in a wide range of content areas; one of the most popular limited residency degree programs is the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. The first such program was developed by Evalyn Bates and launched in 1963 at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.
Lasell University (LU) is a private university in Newton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1851 as a women's seminary. It became a college in 1932, a four-year institution in 1989, coeducational in 1997, and a university proper in 2019. The campus spans 54 acres and is located in the village of Auburndale.
Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in a low-residency format. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, Newbery Medal honorees, Guggenheim Fellowship and Fulbright Program fellows, and Ford Foundation grant recipients. The literary magazine Hunger Mountain is operated by VCFA writing faculty and students.
Union Institute & University (UI&U) was a private online university that was headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It also operated satellite campuses in Florida and California.
New York University Shanghai is the third degree granting campus of New York University and China's first Sino-US research university located in Shanghai, China. Together with New York University in New York City and New York University Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the portal campus is part of NYU's Global Network University.
The School for International Training, widely known by its initials SIT, is a private non-profit regionally-accredited institution headquartered in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. The institution has two main divisions. SIT Graduate Institute administers a wide range of internationally-focused master's degree programs as well as a Doctor of Education degree in Global Education. SIT Study Abroad administers undergraduate study abroad programs which combine field-based experiential learning with academic research or internship opportunities.
Evalyn Cora Bates (1907–2010) was an American educator who helped found Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.
Royce Stanley “Tim” Pitkin was an American educator. He was President of Goddard College from 1938 to 1969.
The Allenwood Farm is a historic farm property on United States Route 2 in Plainfield, Vermont. Developed in 1827 by Allen Martin, the son of an early settler, it is a well-preserved example of a transitional Federal-Greek Revival detached farmstead. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) at The Alternative Media Conference, June 1970 at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont.
Assemblyman Tucker is serving his fourth term in the Assembly. Mr. Tucker is an at-large city councilman in Newark, a position he has held since 1974. He was born in Newark on March 18, 1938, and is a graduate of the city's Central High School. He received a degree in urban planning at Goddard College in Vermont and has taken post-graduate public administration courses at Rutgers University. Assemblyman Tucker is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having served from 1955 to 1959. The assemblyman is a founding member of the United Brothers, the Centre, Inc., the Newark Coalition for Low Income Housing, the Newark Tenants Council, and the city's first comprehensive drug treatment program and first high school equivalency program. He is a former field secretary and vice chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) of Essex County. He worked in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and Maryland during the 1960s. He is married to the former Cleopatra Gibson and has two adult children.
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(help)Feign, who would later attend UC Berkeley for two years, graduate from Goddard College, and begin graduate work at the University of Hawaii, finished high school at Hillview Continuation School in 1972 at age 16.
ayton received her bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley, her master's degree from Goddard College and a doctoral degree from Sierra University.
Hopkins was born in Savannah, GA and went to college at Goddard Seminary (now Goddard College) in Plainfield, VT
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(help)Local Goddard College has always attracted educated liberal types with colorful flair, including members of the band Phish, David Mamet, Piers Anthony, and abstract artist Robert M. Fisher.
Smith said he's always been fighting for education and human rights and became part of the masters program at Goddard because he could use his teaching and writing experience towards his degree.