12/31/2023 0 Comments Margaret grayson buttercup cafe![]() Thomas said having such a small student body is critical to the sense of community on campus and not a sign that Sterling is in trouble. In the decade before the pandemic, the school's average enrollment was about 100. Thomas would like to increase enrollment to capacity, about 120 students - the number it hit in 2019. Through seminars in areas such as financial literacy and conflict resolution, the school strives to produce graduates who can serve as effective team members and leaders in work and life. Only one major, environmental studies, is offered, though students can concentrate in outdoor education, sustainable agriculture and food systems, environmental humanities, or ecology. "I came here because I see a vibrant future for the college where enrollment can increase within the boundaries of its mission." Scott Thomas tweet this ![]() During the most recent one, held on August 30, Thomas' job was splitting wood.Įach Wednesday, the community's 100 staff, faculty and students meet in the dining hall to share announcements and offer thanks to members for a job well done. Four times a year, everyone turns out for an all-college work or service day. Sterling's 10 full-time faculty members make salaries that average in the mid-$50,000s, relatively poor pay for professors, and there's maintenance due on the campus buildings. The swag for sale consists of several T-shirts and some hand-spun wool from the campus farm. Its 130-acre campus of white clapboard buildings is tiny, too. With only 70 students enrolled this semester and an endowment of just $1 million, Sterling is one of the very smallest colleges in the country. Sterling can weather the storm because it offers prospective students a rare opportunity to join a small, close-knit community with an emphasis on environmental stewardship, Thomas said. Schools much larger than Sterling - including Vermont State University - are combining departments, shedding staff and selling off property in order to survive. Nationwide, there is new skepticism about the value of higher education. ![]() The number of college-age people is dropping, particularly in the Northeast. Thomas was hired to build the small school's enrollment and endowment - both difficult tasks in an age of increased competition among colleges and universities. He took over from senior vice president and COO Lori Collins-Hall, who led the college for two years after the resignation of Matthew Derr, who held the top job for 10 years. Thomas is the 12th president in Sterling's 65-year history. The campus includes a farm that produces a third of the food consumed in the dining hall. Sterling, which offers two- and four-year degrees in environmental studies, is rooted in farming and ecology, and its close connections with the land are woven into its history and curriculum. Thomas, 61, declined the poultry, assuming he'd have plenty of other responsibilities to tackle in his first year at the tiny college in Craftsbury Common. "That wasn't one of the questions I had been prepared to answer," said Thomas, who has worked in higher education at more conventional institutions, including as a dean at the University of Vermont. Sterling College's new president, Scott Thomas, was preparing to move his family to campus in June when his predecessor got in touch: Would Thomas be needing any chickens? The president's house, a former blacksmith shop, has a coop in the yard.
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