Burlington College

Burlington College

Motto	"Start a fire."
Type	Private
Established	1972
President	Carol A Moore, PhD
Undergraduates	200+
Postgraduates	30+
Location	Burlington , Vermont , U.S.
Campus	6 acre campus in Burlington
Website	www.burlington.edu

Burlington College is a private liberal arts college located in Burlington, Vermont that offers Associates, Bachelors and Masters Degrees as well as several professional certificate programs. The college is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The goals of the college are to engage the student body in activities promoting social and community involvement on a local and international scale, while also providing traditional university level education through degree programs. The college promotes student studies in fields not traditionally offered by competing universities and encourages students to tailor their own degree through an individualized undergraduate degree major; the Master’s program is completely individualized as well.

History

Burlington College started in 1972 as a tiny, close-knit group of 14 students meeting in the living room of founder Dr. Steward LaCasce. LaCasce’s approach to learning attracted a non-mainstream college population – returning Vietnam War veterans, single parents with dependent children, and others seeking alternative higher education opportunities. Known then as the Vermont Institute of Community Involvement, the school was dedicated to integrating learning, personal development, and engagement in the community into a comprehensive educational experience. Dr. LaCasse, and those who joined him in the effort spent much of their time in the early years protecting the college’s special nature while striving to seek recognition as a legitimate member of the higher education community. It was accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 1982 which marked the success of this initial phase of the college’s history; although the college is currently on probation for “failing to meet the financial resources standard,” NEASC will re-visit the college’s financial position in early October; the college anticipates full accreditation will be restored within this academic year.

The college has grown over the last forty years but continues to be student-centered and committed to individualized education. This commitment translates into narrative evaluations, student involvement in designing their own programs of study, one-on-one mentoring and support services, small seminary style classes and experiential learning – hands-on education from day one. While the college continues not beyond the ability to maintain the core educational values that they were founded upon and has never lost the close knit community students expect and the experience that the college fosters.

Presidents

1. 1972-1994 Dr. J. Steward LaCasce
2. 1994-2002 Dr. Daniel Casey
3. 2002-2003 Mary Clancy
4. 2004-2011 Dr. Jane O'Meara Sanders
5. 2012–2014 Christine Plunkett
6. September–December 2014 Michael Smith (Interim)
7. 2014–Present Dr. Carol A. Moore

Campus

Main Campus, Burlington College

In 2010, Burlington College announced its intention to purchase the property of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington for use as its main campus. The college, having sold its former campus to the Committee for Temporary Shelter (COTS), a welfare agency, and finalized its purchase of 32.4 acres of waterfront Diocese property in early 2011. In 2015, the college arranged to sell a parcel of land to a local developer as well as the former Diocesan orphanage attached to the office and classroom building. The developer, Farrell Real Estate, has drafted a master plan which will convert the orphanage to student housing, approximately sixty-four units of studio and one bedroom apartments. The college now retains the original Archdiocese building for classrooms, studios, art rooms, film and radio, laboratories, etc., and the surrounding property. There is also two acres of property designated as public use land.

Academics

Burlington College offers a span of undergraduate programs in the arts, writing and literature, film studies, photography, fine arts, legal studies, transpersonal psychology/psychology, human services, media activism, graphic design and an individualized undergraduate and graduate degree program. The college offers students study abroad options within Europe, and in 2008, Burlington College became one of the very few universities in the United States to offer a study abroad program in Havana, Cuba in conjunction with the University of Havana. Students have the ability to spend a semester at the university or take one of several one-week trips offered throughout the academic year.

In connection with the undergraduate legal studies program, Burlington College holds an articulation agreement with Vermont Law School which allows Burlington College graduates to proceed into the Juris Doctor and Joint Juris Doctor programs at Vermont Law School upon successful completion of their undergraduate studies. Burlington College also offers an affiliation with the Vermont Woodworking School in Fairfax. The courses in woodworking and fine craftsmanship are offered for credit to support both certificate, Associate and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs. In addition to woodworking skills, students take the usual general education requirements of the college. The degree can be taken on campus, at a distance, or in combination. Burlington College offers a low-residency Master of Arts degree. The degree is individualized and tailored to meet the academic needs and focus of individual graduate students.

Rankings

In August 2011, The Daily Beast and Newsweek ranked Burlington College as the #1 School in the United States for Free Spirited Students. And in October 2013, Newsweek named Burlington College as one of the top ten colleges in the United States with the highest rate of student internships in their respective study field.

Institute for Civic Engagement

The Institute for Civic Engagement is a consortium of scholars, engaged citizens, artists, scientists, writers and students, dedicated to the ideals of participatory community involvement and the essential importance of an informed, critical, and active citizenry. Both local and global in constitution and intent, the Institute addresses questions of pertinent social interest to: to stimulate dialogue, to present balanced scholarship, encourage critical analysis in students and citizenry, and to foster active participation in the complex and ongoing process of growth and reform.

Institute for Contemplative Studies

The Institute for Contemplative Studies is dedicated to the study of the underlying philosophy, psychology, and practices of the contemplative tradition, across time and culture. Our faculty teaches a broad array of courses that investigate such diverse areas as yoga, Buddhism, and Christian contemplative practice. Students combine a "third-person" academic approach with “first-person" practical experience; this affords an integrated understanding of the value and role of contemplative thought and practice for individuals and societies alike.

External links

• Burlington College