 Woodruff Hall in Castleton campus | |
| Type | Public university |
|---|---|
| Established | July 1, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-07-01) |
| Accreditation | NECHE |
| President | David Bergh (interim)[1] |
| Students | 4,775 |
| Location | , United States |
| Campus | Multiple sites |
| Colors | Amaranth andcyan |
| Website | vermontstate.edu |
 | |
Vermont State University (Vermont State orVTSU) is apublic university in the U.S. state ofVermont formed through the merger of three institutions:Castleton University,Northern Vermont University, andVermont Technical College. First proposed in December 2020 as a way to consolidate theVermont State Colleges, the state's publicuniversity system, it isaccredited by theNew England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).[2][3]
Vermont State University operates residential campuses in five communities:Castleton,Johnson,Lyndon,Randolph, andWilliston.[4] In addition, VTSU operates nine smaller learning sites around the state as well as out-of-state locations inAlaska,New Hampshire, andWisconsin.[5]
Castleton University was chartered as a grammar school in 1787, making it the oldest institution dissolved to create Vermont State University.[6] Johnson Academy was founded in 1828, later becomingJohnson State College; Vermont Technical College was founded in 1806 as Orange County Grammar School;Lyndon State College was founded in 1911 as anormal school. TheVermont General Assembly created theVermont State Colleges System (VSCS) in 1961, creating a "loose confederation" of colleges that also included theCommunity College of Vermont after its founding in 1970 (but never included theUniversity of Vermont).[7] Beginning in 1977, the Vermont State Colleges adopted a more centralized model, with its trustees overseeing the operations of all its constituent schools. This began to reverse somewhat beginning in 2000, when the system allowed more autonomy for the schools while still encouraging cooperation, including uniform course numbering so students could take courses from different VSCS institutions.[8]
By 2020, however, the Vermont State Colleges were in poor financial shape. That year, Vermont State Colleges ChancellorJeb Spaulding proposed closing Northern Vermont University, closing Vermont Technical College's Randolph campus, and laying off almost 500 employees.[9][10] Even with the proposal, Spaulding told trustees, the system needed an immediate infusion of $25 million to keep operating.[11] Spaulding withdrew the proposal amid fierce opposition and the state appropriated additional funds to keep all campuses and colleges operating, but lawmakers asked VSC to come up with a way to fix its financial situation.[12] VSCS formed a committee, named the Select Committee on the Future of Public Higher Education, which ultimately recommended a similar proposal to Spaulding's closure plan. Instead of closing campuses, however, the committee recommended merging all three of the system's four-year colleges into a single institution with multiple campuses. While the committee did not recommend including the Community College of Vermont in the merger, it did recommend it focus more toward workforce education and adult learning.[13] The proposal was projected to save the system $25 million over five years.[14]
Two aspects of the original plans to merge proved controversial. First, the libraries were going to remove most of their physical books with most of their holdings only being virtual. Second, there were several planned changes to intercollegiate athletics. In particular, the athletic teams at the Johnson campus (previously part of Northern Vermont University), would leave theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for theUnited States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). Athletic teams at the Randolph campus (previously part of Vermont Technical College) would leave the USCAA and move to a club-only model.[15] Students, faculty, and staff protested these planned changes and drew national attention. Vermont state legislators introduced bills to prevent these changes. These changes were both paused in April 2023 when president Parwinder Grewal abruptly resigned.[16]
The combined institution included the roughly 5,500 students at its three predecessor institutions; however, the 250 academic programs offered between the three schools were reduced to 100.[17] Interim President Mike Smith announced an initiative in September 2023 to "examine our list of academic offerings" and consider combining or closing additional degree programs.[18]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78% | ||
| Hispanic | 5% | ||
| Black | 4% | ||
| Unknown | 4% | ||
| International student | 3% | ||
| Two or more races | 3% | ||
| Asian | 2% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 36% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 64% | ||
Vermont State University offersassociate,bachelor's, andmaster's degrees. The Castleton, Johnson, and Lyndon campuses offerliberal arts education while the Randolph and Williston locations house technical programs. Students have the option to take online courses as well as hybrid courses from other campuses.[20]
In 2023, the university announced plans to lay off up to 33 faculty members and the same number of full-time administrative and staff positions.[21]
The 165-acre campus is residential and is located in the heart ofCastleton Village.[22] TheCastleton Medical College Building, built in 1818, is the oldest building on campus.[23]
The Johnson campus is 350 acres and includes the Dibden Center for the Arts and the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery.[24] NearbyBabcock Nature Preserve is a 1,000-acre forest owned and maintained by Johnson for scientific and educational study.[25]
The 195-acre Lyndon campus[26] features the three-storySamuel Read Hall Library.[27] Other sites on campus include News 7, a daily live broadcast studio;[28] the Stannard Gymnasium;[29] and six residence halls.[26]
The campus in Randolph is the largest of the five at 544 acres and hosts engineering labs and an advanced manufacturing center.[5] The campus has receivedUnited States Department of Defense funding to establish the first advanced manufacturing education, research, and development facility in the state.[30]
The suburban Williston campus, located just outsideBurlington, houses several labs and a small residential building.[5]
Parwinder Grewal was appointed as the university's first president in 2022.[31] Grewal was previously an administrator at theUniversity of Texas Rio Grande Valley.[32] However, Grewal resigned abruptly in April 2023 before the university officially opened. His resignation was preceded by a vote of no confidence by the faculty, who also voted no confidence in the Vermont State College's chancellor,chief administrative officer, and its entire board of trustees.[33]
Grewal was replaced by Mike Smith, who previously served as interim president atBurlington College and was the state'sSecretary of Human Services during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[34]
On September 22, 2023, David Bergh, a former administrator at Johnson State College and the final president at the formerCazenovia College in New York, was selected as the college's next interim president.[35] Immediately after Bergh's rise to the interim president position at the beginning of November 2023, the student government associations at the Castleton, Randolph, Johnson, and Lyndon campuses submitted a vote of no confidence regarding staff and faculty terminations proposed by the university's administrators.[36]
Vermont State University has the formerNorthern Vermont University (Johnson Badgers andLyndon Hornets),Castleton University, and Vermont Technical College athletics teams. Owing to the university's unique composition from a series of formerly independent colleges, four of its five campuses have their own athletics programs. Students are able to participate in athletics based on their campus, with some of the campuses competing against each other in athletic conferences.[41]
The original merger plans were that, starting in the 2024–25 academic year, athletics at the Johnson campus would become sanctioned by the USCAA, and athletics at the Randolph campus will move to a club-only model.[15] These plans were placed on hold in mid-April 2023 when the university president resigned.[16]
The Castleton campus offers a wide variety of sports, includingfootball, alpine skiing, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.
Johnson State College teams participate as a member of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association'sDivision III. The Badgers are a member of theNorth Atlantic Conference (NAC).
In 2018, women's triathlon was added to the varsity sports roster, representing the only NCAA institution in New England to carry women's triathlon as a varsity sport.
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track and field1 | Track and field1 |
| Volleyball | Volleyball |
| 1 includes both indoor and outdoor. | |
The Lyndon State Hornets are a member of theNCAA, and compete on theDivision III level in theNorth Atlantic Conference.
LSC sponsored teams include:
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Lacrosse |
| Lacrosse | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Volleyball |
The Vermont State–Randolph athletic teams are called the Knights. The college is a member of theUnited States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), primarily competing in theYankee Small College Conference (YSCC) since the 2011–12 academic year.[42] The Knights previously competed in theSunrise Athletic Conference of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2006–07 to 2010–11.[43][44]
The Vermont State–Randolph Knights continue to play as of 2023.[45]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Cross country | Cross country |
| Soccer | Soccer |
| Track and field | Track and field |
| Volleyball |
