Plainfield Campus

Goddard College's campus in Plainfield, Vermont hosts nine residencies twice a year for eleven programs (some programs share a residency slot):

BA and MA in Education & Licensure Program
BA and MA in Health Arts & Sciences Program
BA in Individualized Studies Program
BFA in Creative Writing Program
MA in Individualized Studies Program
MA in Psychology & Counseling Program
MA in Socially Responsible Business & Sustainable Communities Program
MFA in Creative Writing Program (also offered at Goddard's educational site in Port Townsend, Washington)
MFA in Individualized Studies Program (also offered at Goddard's educational site in Port Townsend, Washington)

The Plainfield campus is located in Central Vermont, in a rural community, bordered on one side by a country road and the other by woods. The campus is about 15 minutes outside of Montpelier, the capitol of Vermont, and an hour from Burlington, VT, once of Vermont's largest cities.

Greatwood is the historic heart of campus. In 1938, Goddard bought the Greatwood Estate, a “gentleman’s farm” dating back to the 1800s and devoted to raising cattle and prize-winning sheep, from the Martin family to house the newly chartered college. This part of campus consists of the original formal gardens, farm buildings, and Martin family home. The farm buildings have been converted into a residence hall (Kilpatrick Dorm), offices, dining hall, community center, theatre, and meeting rooms. The gardens are still gorgeous. Greatwood’s buildings are connected to each other via brick walkways.

The Village for Learning (VFL), built in the 1960’s, consists of small residence halls, each with no more than eight rooms and a lounge. Two have been converted into office space for admissions, financial aid, student accounts and the business office. VFL buildings are reached via a gravel road, and connected by gravel and grassy pathways.

The Eliot Pratt Center, the most contemporary of the Goddard facilities, houses the library, registrar’s office, and most of the administrative offices, plus the college radio station and studio, WGDR, 91.1 FM.

Meeting and workshop rooms, faculty offices, program director offices, and gathering spaces are primarily located on the Greatwood side of campus. In addition to being used for workshops and presentations during the residency, the Manor houses the academic dean's office, academic services, the academic and disabilities support office, the assessment of prior learning office and the education licensure office. The Community Center houses the help desk, the cafeteria, the Haybarn Theater, a student lounge, and a copy center, in addition to offices and meeting spaces.

The Help Desk, located on the first floor of the Community Center, is the operational hub of the campus during residencies. Check-in and check-out take place at the Help Desk, as do housing assignments, providing room keys, and conducting shuttle service on campus. The Help Desk staff can assist students with schedule changes, area resources, facilities needs, lost room keys, etc. Fans and Ethernet cords can be rented from the Help Desk. The Help Desk stocks sundry items and Goddard t-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, etc. for sale. Questions and issues can be brought to the Help Desk for assistance or referral to the appropriate college office or community resource.

There are two computer labs on campus, in the Eliot Pratt Center and the Community Center. The computer lab equipment includes: PCs running Windows XP with Office 2007 (including Word and PowerPoint) and all the software necessary to connect to the various College systems; internet access via T1 line; networked printers, and wireless access. Workshops and individual assistance are offered each residency by the College's information technology team. Students and faculty are also encouraged to bring their own laptops to residencies.

The Eliot Pratt Library has a wealth of print and electronic resources and provides research and reference assistance. Students are encouraged to attend orientation sessions and research workshops during the residency. The Reference Librarian is also available for individual and/or group appointments. There are PC and Macintosh computer stations available in the Eliot Pratt Center and access is provided for student laptops.

Meals on campus are served in the Community Center dining hall and feature locally grown produce, as well as vegetarian and vegan options. The kitchen staff works very hard to respond to special dietary needs, including allergies and low-salt diets. If you have any concerns about meal service, please contact the Chef prior to your residency so he can plan accordingly. There are also restaurants and cafes within walking distance in Plainfield, and within a short driving distance in Montpelier.

Residency housing consists of simply-furnished double rooms, with access to common areas. Dormitories are located on the Greatwood side of campus and in the Village of Learning. All our two story buildings with housing available on first or second floors. The buildings are not air-conditioned. All buildings used for Goddard residencies are fragrance-free and non-smoking. Camping is not permitted on the campus. There are several areas for parking, both on the main campus and near the Eliot Pratt Library. Pets are not permitted on campus.