Founded in 1787, Castleton University is Vermont’s first institution of higher education and has served as a staple to the Rutland County community. With roughly 1,900 students enrolled and 80 full-time faculty, Castleton has the longest history of service to Vermont and Vermonters of any college in the state.
A recent report provided by The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) announced a dire financial situation amongst the Vermont State College system (VSC). The VSC faces a fiscal crisis for two reasons: the declining number of college-aged students in New England, and the level of funding from the State of Vermont. A merger of the current colleges under the VSC to form “Vermont State University” was proposed.
The Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR) is concerned about what a merger will do for the brand of Castleton University, and the impact it will have on the Greater Rutland Region, and Vermont as a whole. Castleton is the signature residential school within the VSC system, attracting hundreds of out-of-state residents to the school. Ultimately, Castleton acts as a critical resource, providing new residents and skilled workers to Vermont.
The following list highlights many of the ways that Castleton University has become an economic engine for the State of Vermont:
- Castleton’s Nursing programs are critical to providing highly qualified students to help address the severe shortage of nurses, nurse educators, and clinical supervisors in our state. The addition last year of a satellite Nursing school in Bennington has extended the reach of CU health care efforts. CU’s strong partnerships with Rutland Regional Medical Center, VNA/Hospice of Southern Vermont, Community Care Network of Rutland County, Counseling Services of Addison County, and their new designation as Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s premier education partner positions them well to continue to serve the needs of this crucial industry in the state.
- Castleton’s Education program is critical to providing highly qualified teachers, special educators, para-educators, athletics directors, and administrators.
- Castleton’s highly regarded Center for Schools provides crucial professional development to teachers and administrators throughout the State of Vermont. The Center offers 350 courses a year all around the state. It also partners with a number of other educational entities (e.g. the Stern Center for Language and Learning, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, 4 Winds Nature Center, Vermont Fish and Wildlife, and the Vermont Energy Education Program) to support the work they are doing by aligning credited coursework with workshops and institutes.
- Castleton’s Social Work graduates play a vital role in stemming the opioid crisis.
- Castleton’s Masters in School Psychology prepares graduates to address the growing mental health needs of Vermont’s youth.
- Castleton’s Criminal Justice program has trained many state troopers, police officers, and administrators.
- Killington Resort (which is vital to the Rutland Region’s economy) relies on Castleton’s Resort & Hospitality Management students to fill positions on the mountain.
- Castleton’s MBA, Accounting, and other business programs have trained many local accountants and entrepreneurs. In addition, CU business students provide free tax preparation for seniors in Rutland county.
- Castleton’s Upward Bound program is life-changing for low-income Vermonters. This has a ripple effect on the economic and social well-being of their families.
- Castleton’s teams and clubs provide thousands of hours of community service and numerous charity drives and fundraising efforts to support a variety of charitable organizations in the state. CU employees play a major role in Meals-on-Wheels and other local programs.
- Castleton’s students serve as life-changing mentors to local elementary school students.
- In the past seven years, Castleton’s Natural Sciences Department has secured over $1.5 million in external grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Vermont Genetics Network, and Vermont EPSCoR. Those funds support faculty-student research that directly improves the state. For example, students perform research on the genetics of addiction; on chemical reactions to make biofuels as an alternative energy source; on the causes of phosphorus blooms in Lake Champlain; on climate change; on the health of plant pollinators in our state; etc.
CEDRR asks for alternative measures to be considered, including maintaining the Castleton University brand and onsite leadership, as well as combining the talents, expertise, and infrastructure of Vermont Tech, the Community College of Vermont, and the State’s technical centers to form a highly efficient and competitive community technical college system. On February 5th, CEDRR directed a letter to the VSC Trustees proposing these alternative measures.
The VSC Board of Trustees is providing two opportunities for public input:
- Written comments on the merger proposal may be submitted until February 17 using this form.
- On February 17, from 6:00-7:30 pm, the Board will host a virtual “town hall” on the proposal. Speakers need to sign up at this link. The listening session will be live-streamed at http://www.vsc.edu/live.
Any questions can be directed to CEDRR Executive Director, Lyle Jepson at lyle@rutlandeconomy.com
