Goddard College: A Legacy of Progressive Education and Notable Alumni
Goddard College, a pioneering institution known for its experimental approach to education, has left an indelible mark on the academic landscape. Founded on the principles of individual attention, democracy, and informality, Goddard fostered a unique learning environment that has shaped the lives and careers of many notable alumni. This article explores the history of Goddard College, its innovative educational model, and some of its most distinguished graduates.
From Seminary to Experimental College
Goddard College's roots trace back to 1863 when it was established as the Green Mountain Central Institute in Barre, Vermont. Founded by Universalists and affiliated with Tufts College, the institute was renamed Goddard Seminary in 1870 in honor of Thomas A. Goddard. For many years, the seminary served as a four-year preparatory high school.
However, with the rise of public high schools in the 20th century, many private New England academies faced obsolescence. In an attempt to revitalize the institution, a Junior College was added to the seminary in 1935, led by seminary graduate Royce S. Pitkin. Pitkin recognized that to ensure Goddard's survival, a completely new institution needed to be established.
Supported by prominent figures such as Stanley C. Wilson, former governor of Vermont, Senators George Aiken and Ralph Flanders, and author Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Pitkin advocated for a transformative educational model. On March 13, 1938, Goddard College was chartered, embracing an experimental and progressive approach to learning.
A Pioneer in Adult Education and Low-Residency Programs
One of Goddard's founding principles was to provide educational opportunities for adults. In 1963, Evalyn Bates established the Adult Degree Program (ADP), the first low-residency adult education program in the country. This innovative program allowed adults who had not completed college to obtain degrees without disrupting their family lives or careers.
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Goddard College was accredited in 1959. Over the years, the college designed many experimental programs. Goddard was among the founding members of the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities, based on its use of narrative transcripts instead of traditional letter grades, as well as learner-designed curricula.
In 2002, the college terminated its residential undergraduate degree program after 54 years and became an exclusively low-residency college. In 2005, the college expanded to the West Coast and established a residency site in Port Townsend, Washington.
The Greatwood Campus: A Historic Setting for Learning
The main campus in Plainfield was founded in 1938 on the grounds of a late 19th-century model farm: The Greatwood Farm & Estate consisted of shingle-style buildings and gardens designed by Arthur Shurcliff. The Village of Learning, consisted of eleven dormitory buildings, was built adjacent to the ensemble of renovated farm buildings in 1963 to accommodate an increasing student population. The Pratt Center & Library, designed to be at the heart of a larger campus, was constructed in 1968.
The campus's historic significance was recognized with its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Goddard College Clockhouse Area, spanning 15 acres (6.1 ha), showcases the architectural heritage of the institution.
A Unique Educational Model
Goddard College distinguished itself through its student-centered, mentored system of education. Each student designed their own curriculum in accordance with their program's degree criteria. Faculty issued narrative evaluations of student's progress instead of grades. The college used a student self-directed. The intensive low-residency model required that students come to campus every six months for approximately eight days. During this period, students engaged in a variety of activities and lectures from early morning until late in the evening, and created detailed study plans.
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Since advances in the internet and related technology, in the 21st century most packets were sent electronically. They contained artwork, audio files, photography, video and web pages, in addition to writing. The schedule and format of these packets differed from program to program, and content varied with each student-faculty correspondence. At regular intervals students compiled their work into "learning portfolios" to submit as part of a Progress Review before a cross-program board of faculty. The board ensured that all students' work was in compliance with the college's degree criteria.
Resources and Community Engagement
The Eliot D. Pratt Center and Library in Plainfield, Vermont, served the entire Goddard College community. It was also open to the public. Its holdings contained over 70,000 physical items.
Until 2021, Goddard was home to Goddard College Community Radio, a pair of community-based, non-commercial, listener-supported educational radio stations. WGDR, 91.1 FM, is licensed to Plainfield. Its sister station, WGDH, 91.7 FM, is licensed to Hardwick, Vermont east of Burlington. Goddard College Community Radio was the largest non-commercial community radio station in Vermont. It was the only non-commercial station in the state other than the statewide Vermont Public Radio network, which received funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The Haybarn Theatre, originally a barn built in 1868 by the Martin Family, served as a hub for arts and community engagement for almost 75 years. The Haybarn hosted educational conferences, student and community performances, and the Goddard College Concert Series.
Notable Alumni
Goddard College has produced a diverse array of accomplished individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields. Here are some of the most notable alumni:
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- David Mamet: An author, screenwriter, and playwright, David Mamet is best known for his Pulitzer-winning and Tony-nominated play Glengarry Glen Ross. He has written for many Broadway and off-Broadway plays and also for films such as House of Games. He has produced and written for the show The Unit and authored several books.
- William H. Macy: An American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is two-time Emmy Award and four-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Drama Critics' Circle Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.
- Trey Anastasio: The lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish original songs, 141 of them as a solo credit, in addition to 41 credits attributed to the band as a whole.
- Tommie Smith: An American former track and field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds - the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially. His Black Power salute with John Carlos atop the medal podium caused controversy, as it was seen as politicizing the Olympic Games. It remains a symbolic moment in the history of the Black Power movement.
- Walter Mosley: An American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private investigator living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
- Mumia Abu-Jamal: An American political activist and journalist.
- Miriam Hopkins: An American actress known for her versatility. She signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930.
- Mary Karr: An American poet, essayist and memoirist from East Texas. She is widely noted for her 1995 bestselling memoir The Liars' Club.
- Jane O'Meara Sanders: An American social worker, college administrator, activist, and political strategist. She was provost and interim president of Goddard College (1996-1997) and president of Burlington College (2004-2011).
- Archie Shepp: An American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
- Jon Fishman: An American drummer and co-founder of the band Phish, which was, in part, named after him.
- Paul Zaloom: An American actor and puppeteer, best known for his role as the character Beakman on the television show Beakman's World.
- Jonathan Katz: An American actor and comedian best known for his starring role in the animated sitcom Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist as Dr. Katz.
- Page McConnell: An American multi-instrumentalist, most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish.
- Matthew Quick: An American writer of adult and young adult fiction. His 2008 debut novel, The Silver Linings Playbook, became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted as a 2012 movie of the same name starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
- Peter Hannan: An American producer, animator, singer-songwriter and author.
- Mark Doty: An American poet and memoirist best known for his work My Alexandria. He was the winner of the National Book Award for Poetry in 2008.
- Ellen Ratner: An American news analyst who formerly appeared on the Fox News Channel and appeared on The Strategy Room and The Long and Short of It.
- Tobias Schneebaum: An American artist, anthropologist, and AIDS activist. He is best known for his experiences living and traveling among the Harakmbut people of Peru, and the Asmat people of Papua, Indonesia.
- Mónica Mayer: A feminist Mexican artist, activist, and art critic whose work includes performance, digital graphics, drawing, photography and art theory.
- Shaul Magid: A rabbi, Visiting Professor of Modern Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School, and Distinguished Fellow in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College.
- Ellis Avery: An American writer. She won two Stonewall Book Awards, one in 2008 for her debut novel The Teahouse Fire and one in 2013 for her second novel The Last Nude.
- Mary Johnson: A writer and director of A Room of Her Own Foundation. She worked and served with the Missionaries of Charity, the order of nuns founded by Mother Teresa, for twenty years before leaving the order.
- Cris Ericson: An American marijuana legalization activist and perennial candidate for public office in Vermont.
- Conrad Herwig: An American jazz trombonist from New York City.
- Susie Ibarra: An American contemporary composer and percussionist who has worked and recorded with jazz, classical, world, and indigenous musicians.
- Stephan Ross: A Polish-American holocaust survivor who spearheaded the creation of the New England Holocaust Memorial.
- Jeff McCracken: An American actor, director, producer, and artist.
- Oliver Foot: A British actor, philanthropist and charity worker.
- David Gallaher: An American video game writer, comics writer, podcaster and editor, known primarily for his work in comics and video games.
- Larry Feign: An American cartoonist and writer based in Hong Kong. Feign is best known for his comic strip The World of Lily Wong.
- Valerie Maynard: An American sculptor, teacher, printmaker, and designer. Maynard's work frequently addressed themes of social inequality and the civil rights movement.
- Taina Asili: An American musician, singer, songwriter, poet, artist and activist.
- George Legrady: A multidisciplinary digital media artist and university professor in photography and computational media arts.
- Mayme Agnew Clayton: A librarian, and the founder, president, and leader of the Western States Black Research and Education Center (WSBREC).
- Blakeley White-McGuire: A dancer, choreographer, répétiteur, and educator. She is a Principal Guest Artist and former Principal Dancer of Martha Graham Dance Company.
- Jared Carter: An American poet and editor.
- Sue Owen: A dark humor poet influenced by the work of W. S. Merwin, Charles Simic, and Mark Strand.
- Jared Pappas-Kelley: An American curator, researcher, and visual artist.
Recent Developments
In recent times, Goddard College has faced financial challenges, leading to the decision to close and sell its campus. The Goddard Board of Trustees announced that the school would be shut down at the end of this semester due to low enrollment. Alumni urged the board to sell to a buyer that would preserve the spirit of the campus.
The Goddard Board of Trustees released a statement announcing its new sales agreement. The Goddard Board is hopeful that this sale will allow it to meet its fiduciary responsibility to pay its faculty and staff, pay off the debts to its creditors, and ensure a smooth transition for its students. The board is also thrilled that this sale will allow the campus to remain in the hands of the Goddard community and ensure that the Goddard legacy lives on in Plainfield.
The Greatwood Project, which was founded and funded by alumni and former faculty, says it plans to lease space out to local businesses and organizations in a village-like model. The group also says that it has hopes of adding affordable housing on campus.
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