Green Mountain College,
Poultney, VT
Green
Mountain College
is a small (750 students) environmentally based college with a strong focus on
affordability. In terms of the actual
campus, there is a nice balance between the typical esthetically pleasing
college buildings and the farm. Green Mountain also has a satellite campus in Killington,
VT for a 3-year Resort and
Hospitality Management program where students work at the resort as part of
their program (very cool!).
At the heart of
Green
Mountain College’s
environmental mission is a 37-credit Environmental Liberal Arts General
Education Program, which all students complete.
The program combines the skills and content of a strong liberal arts
course of study with a focus on the environment. Like most other colleges, experiential
learning is also central to education at GMC.
Students are encouraged to gain hands-on experiences through
internships, service-learning opportunities and study abroad programs.
The college participates in NCAA Division III sports with 6
men’s and 6 women’s teams, including basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse,
soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.
A very cool thing about Green Mountain
was their Green Mountain College Adventure Programming or GreenMAP. GreenMAP provides low cost equipment rentals,
recreational and instructional adventure programs, and the Wilderness
Challenge, GMC’s wilderness orientation program for new students. Within GreenMAP is the Trip Leader program, a
leadership commitment combining structured experience development, activity
specific training, wilderness medicine, mentoring, reflection, and evaluation.
Green Mountain College
sits on a 123-acre campus on the Poultney
River – divided into 3 regions – 39
acres of natural areas including the Poultney
River buffer zone, 40
acres on Cerridwen Farm, and 44 acres of designed buildings, landscapes, and
athletic fields. This green space on the
campus provides ecosystem services and is vital to education, research, and
recreation. The campus lands are
essentially outdoor classrooms and field sites for projects for students and
faculty. They are used in practical
application of skills learned in courses, and provide a healthy and attractive
living area for the community.
College of St. Joseph, Rutland,
VT
St. Joseph’s is a small (400
students) Catholic career-focused liberal arts college located in the Green Mountains. The
college offers 30 career oriented majors, with most popular majors being
Psychology & Human Services, Business, and Criminal Justice. There is a focus on programs that yield
licensure as well as a focus on internship and hands-on learning programs. Their goal is for students to get the field
experience they need to land a great job post-graduation.
While we were there, they highlighted the STEPS program
(Students Taking an Effective Path to Success), which is a program for
Vermont youth
transitioning out of foster care. The
program runs through a partnership between the Vermont Student Assistance
Corporation and the Vermont Department of Children and Families. The college provides a supportive campus
environment for these students so that they are able to earn a college degree,
develop work skills, experience counseling and guidance, and become effective
members of society. Students accepted
into the STEPS program will be provided with important services such as
year-round housing and meal service as well as access to career and personal
counseling. These students must meet the
usual academic requirements, including the submission of SAT or ACT
scores. STEPS students’ tuition and fees
are covered by federal and state financial aid packages so the financial aid
office works very closely with these students to make sure that college remains
affordable.
Castleton State College, Castleton,
VT
Castleton
State reminded me more of
a typical college campus. It’s a bit
larger than what we’ve seen, at 1,900 undergraduates and houses 30 academic
programs and majors, 20 intercollegiate sports (Div III) and many different
clubs and activities. The nursing
program at Castleton is more selective and requires an additional review. While the average GPA of admitted students is
a 3.0, it is the minimum required to be considered for the nursing program (the
only program with additional standards).
Castleton is also a leader in teacher education, where students become
involved in fieldwork during their very first year.
In addition to nursing, some special programs Castleton
offers are a 4+2 Occupational Therapy program and a 4+3 Physical Therapy
program, in which students typically major in Health Science and then go on to
a Doctoral Program. Castleton also has a
Communication program with focuses in Digital Media, Journalism, Mass Media,
and Public Relations and has a pretty cool TV studio that we saw.
Like some of the other colleges have a focus on green energy
and sustainability, Castleton
State also has a Green
Campus Initiative to improve the environment and work toward a sustainable
future. Initiatives include using
“green” construction in new buildings, purchasing hybrid vehicles for the
college fleet, reducing electric use by installing energy-efficient lights, and
making recycling a way of life.
Stay tuned for the FINAL leg of the trip!!
Coming up next... Middlebury College & University of Vermont and then an overview of the entire trip...
Any additional information to share about these
colleges? Leave your comments!
About Smart Track™
Toolkit: The toolkit is a
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About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator
with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development from Boston College
and recently received her Master's Degree in School Guidance Counseling. She is also enrolled in a certificate program
in College Admissions Counseling. Laura
is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart
Track™ Toolkit.
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At the heart of 
While we were there, they highlighted the STEPS program
(Students Taking an Effective Path to Success), which is a program for 
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