After 86 years in education, Goddard College will be closing

After 86 years in education, Goddard College will be closing. The Plainfield school’s board of trustees says it voted to close at the end of the semester, saying declining enrollment led to the decision. It comes after years of turmoil for the experimental liberal arts college founded in 1938. 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. As recently as January, school officials said they were transforming what was already a low-residency program to going fully online starting this fall. There are currently only 220 students, down from more than 1,900 in the early ‘70s. The majority of classes are currently online, with only 12 to 18 students on campus earlier this year. Vermont in recent years has faced a wave of college closures including Green Mountain College in Poultney and Southern Vermont College in Bennington. The Vermont College of Fine Arts just last week announced it would merge with CalArts.