Goddard College in Vermont, known for its progressive education, will close after years of declining enrollment and financial difficulties, the board of governors announced.
The decision to close at the end of the school year is heartbreaking but unavoidable as the school, founded in 1938, faces financial ruin, the board said in a statement Tuesday.
Goddard currently has 220 students, compared to more than 1,900 in the early 1970s, according to the board.
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“The closing of Goddard College is a significant loss for students seeking an alternative and progressive higher education experience,” Board President Mark Jones said in a statement. “The decision to close Goddard College was not made easily or quickly. Declining enrollment and the threat of financial collapse left the board with no other options. Our hearts are broken.”
Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, is closing. (Fox News)
For decades, the Board of Trustees and administration have sought ways to keep Goddard College sustainable, but the inflationary pressures, demographic shifts, and shifts in educational orientation that Goddard College and other universities face have not been overcome. No, the board said. Schools are grappling with a shift to more career-oriented education and a decline in the number of college students.
Goddard alumni include actor William H. Macy, playwright David Mamet, imprisoned activist and activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, and members of the rock band Phish.
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Goddard College students will have the opportunity to continue their education through Prescott College in Arizona at the same tuition rate, the board said. Other partner institutions may be announced in the near future. Goddard officials say a scholarship fund will be created to help students with the transition.
