PLAINFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – Goddard College has announced it’s moving all of its programs online for the next school year, throwing into question the future of its Plainfield campus and staff.
What was already a low-residency program is now going fully online starting this fall, according to officials at the small private school. They say the decision came following a decline in student enrollment as well as inflation and increased maintenance costs. They say the school currently only has about 12 to 18 students on campus every semester and is already 70% online.
“I was the director of financial aid and then was terminated by an earlier president, Richard Green,” said Manny O’Neill, a financial aid counselor who has worked at the college since 1986 and who is among staff who could be on the chopping block. He says he’s already been let go by the college twice before and doesn’t agree with the direction the school is going. “I want to say since the 90s, a trend away from that sort of commitment to social justice and the traditional historical mission of the college, a struggle that’s sort of been a recurring struggle.”
The school was placed on probation by its regional creditor in 2018 for finance and governance issues. Since then, the experimental liberal arts college that was founded in 1938 to promote freethinking and democratic principles, has seen disputes between alumni, the board of trustees, and the president over the school’s future. Some former students claim they have never even seen their president, Dan Hocoy, on campus.
After a nearly month-long strike last year over higher wages, unionized staff at the school reached an agreement in April. Union organizer Trevor Utton says many employees feel they should have been more involved in the latest decision. “It came as both a shock and something that was semi-anticipated, something that has been discussed for a while. However, there really wasn’t any creative approaches taken to the decision-making surrounding it. It was kind of done without any real collaboration in advance,” he said.
.Despite numerous challenges, Utton says the campus is still special for students, faculty, and staff. “I have already gone into some staff offices with there being tears shed and just overall sadness surrounding the community. The staff are going to do their best. I know the faculty will as well with these residencies,” he said.
It’s not clear if online classes are going to become permanent after the next academic year. The college administration did not make anyone available for comment to WCAX on the changes.
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