Goddard College

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Goddard College
Established: 1863
Type: Private coeducational
President: Mark Schulman
Location: Plainfield, Vermont, United States
Website: http://www.goddard.edu/
The shingle style clock house on the Greatwood Campus appears on the college seal.
The shingle style clock house on the Greatwood Campus appears on the college seal.

Goddard College is a private college located in Plainfield, Vermont, that grants bachelor's (BA and BFA) and master's (MA and MFA) degrees. It uses a self-directed, mentored system of intensive residencies in Plainfield or Port Townsend, Washington. Residencies require the student's attendance every six months for approximately nine days, during which time the student engages in a variety of activities and lectures from the early morning until quite late in the evening. After the residency, students return home and study independently, sending in "packets" to their faculty mentor every three weeks. The content of the "packets" varies with each individual.

Goddard College was founded by Royce Stanley "Tim" Pitkin, a progressive educator and follower of John Dewey and other, similar exponents of educational democracy. Pitkin conceived of the college as a place for "plain living and hard thinking." Having narrative transcripts instead of traditional letter grades, as well as learner-designed curricula, Goddard was one of the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities, which also included Franconia, Nasson, Antioch, and several other institutions.

Always a locus of innovation in higher education,[citation needed] in 1963, Goddard introducted the first Adult Degree Program for working adults. This program has been copied around the world and since that date over 20 million adults have been educated using this innovative, intensive, student-centered model.[citation needed] In 2002, after 54 years, the college terminated its traditional age onsite experimental bachelor's degree program. Today its 600+ adult students attend residencies in either Plainfield or Port Townsend. Only two programs are available at the Port Townsend site: the MFA in Creative Writing and the MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (new to Port Townsend in the fall of 2007). Also new for the fall of 2007 is the first low residency Bachelor of Fine Arts program in creative writing. Students must transfer in a minimum of 60 undergraduate credits to be eligible for the program.

Although governance of the college has always been communitarian, Dr. Mark Schulman has been its president since 2003. The history of Goddard has been tumultuous, like many Free Schools practicing the pedagogical theories of educators like John Dewey. Though many free schools have ceased to exist, Goddard remains alive, well, and unusual,[citation needed] still promoting education as a process of self-discovery in which the learner is firmly in charge. Accordingly, while Goddard is not for everyone, it has been, and continues to be, a home for creative, persistent, and self-directed students.

Goddard is also home to a public radio station that serves central Vermont, WGDR, 91.1 FM.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Goddard College was a mecca for politically astute, highly intelligent students.[citation needed] The students at Goddard were among the most active and influential students to organize and speak out in opposition to the Vietnam War.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Academic programs[1]

  • BA in Individualized Studies Program
  • BA in Health Arts & Sciences: Nature, Culture & Healing Program
    • Mexico Trip
  • BA in Education and Licensure Program
    • Community Education BA Concentration
    • Teacher Licensure - BA
  • BFA in Creative Writing Program
  • MA in Individualized Studies Program
    • Consciousness Studies Concentration
    • Environmental Studies Concentration
    • Transformative Language Arts Concentration* MA in Health Arts and Sciences - Nature, Culture and Healing Program
    • Mexico Trip
  • MA in Psychology and Counseling Program
    • Sexual Orientation Concentration
    • Organizational Development Concentration
  • MA in Education and Licensure Program
    • Community Education MA Concentration
    • Partnership Education Concentration
    • School Counseling Concentration
    • Teacher Licensure - MA
  • MA in Socially Responsible Business and Sustainable Communities Program
  • MFA in Creative Writing Program
    • Plainfield, VT Residency Option
    • Port Townsend, WA Residency Option
    • Clockhouse Writer's Conference
  • MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts -- Plainfield, VT Residency Option
  • MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts - Port Townsend WA Option

[edit] Facts

  • Campus area: 175 acres (0.7 km²)
  • Enrollment: approx. 610
  • School type: Private
  • Year founded: 1863, as Goddard Seminary
  • Address: 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield, VT 05667
  • Goddard College was host to the Bread and Puppet Theater in 1970-1971

[edit] Notable alumni

See also:' Category:Goddard College alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ Academic Programs. Goddard.edu. Goddard College. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.

[edit] Related resources

[edit] External links

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Colleges & Universities in Vermont
Colleges and Universities
Vermont State Colleges