Recent stories in the national press have explored whether the traditional college model still works, and if not, what can we do to address the affordability and relevance of a college education today?
Students and parents find it more and more challenging to pay for college and to justify that expense in a job market that remains fairly flat. We need to act now to keep education affordable and accessible, and Goddard is on the forefront of this urgent movement.
Goddard Invited by Chronicle of Higher Education to Participate in Panel at Upcoming American Council of Education Conference about Reinvention of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education has asked me to participate as one of five speakers in a panel discussion about reinventing higher education at the upcoming American Council on Education’s 95th Annual Meeting “Leading Change” conference to be held in Washington D.C. on March 2-5, 2013.
The panel is being billed as a forum for key decision makers and our presence there is great news for Goddard, as we are being perceived as a key innovator and truth teller among the morass of voices out there. I am honored to have been asked, and I look forward to filling you in on the discussion.
Goddard Selected as Finalist for 2013 Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards
As further evidence of Goddard’s progress in the world of environmental sustainability, we have been selected as a finalist for the 2013 Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards from the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
The College has a Sustainability Committee comprised of faculty, staff and students, and has been improving its energy efficiency for more than ten years. We work with Efficiency Vermont and have made great strides in reducing energy usage and in cutting costs.
We have retro-fitted two thirds of our buildings with additional insulation and new windows, resulting in a 19% reduction in heating oil use in the last five years. We have also reduced electricity use by 15% over the past six months.
We are replacing paper storage with digital storage to reduce paper consumption. The College also has a Green Revolving Fund to help support energy efficiency projects. And, we decided to invest additional funding to purchase an electrostatic precipitator for our planned woodchip plant, which is the latest technology to clean the emissions from the plant. They are widely used in Europe and there is one used locally at National Life in Montpelier, VT that is highly effective.
New Master’s Level Partnership with Franklin Central Supervisory Union District (St. Albans, VT area)
We recently formed an important partnership with the Franklin Central Supervisory Union District (FCSUD) to provide 3 master’s level education credits, utilizing Goddard’s individualized study model, to teachers in the St. Albans City School (K-8) and Bellows Free Academy (9-12). This partnership serves to help teachers develop the skills necessary to facilitate much-needed K-12 public school reform in Franklin County. Read the press release here.
Since signing this partnership, Goddard has been asked to organize a similar program with the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union.
Signing Onto Gun Control
In late December, in the wake of the horrific Newtown, CT school massacre, I signed on open letter to our nation’s policy leaders, along with hundreds of other college and university presidents across the country, for greater gun control. The full text of that letter is available here. The safety of the campus and our students is of paramount concern to me, in addition to speaking out for peace in our nation.
What important issues are you speaking up for?
It is with great passion that I strive to live the Goddard mission: To advance cultures of rigorous inquiry, collaboration, and lifelong learning, where individuals take imaginative and responsible action in the world.
