Laura R. Walker: Goddard College is closing. Why should we care?

This commentary is by Laura R. Walker, president of Bennington College .

Last week, Goddard College in Plainfield announced it is shutting its doors at the end of this semester.

It is the fifth liberal arts college to close in Vermont in as many years. As the president of Bennington College in southern Vermont, I am alarmed and sad. I mourn not just for Goddard’s students, who have lost their academic home, as well as its talented faculty, staff and alumni, but also for Vermont and for the world.

Why should we care that another college has closed in this small but “brave” state?

Goddard and Bennington were both founded in the 1930s. At the time, Vermont was a cauldron of creative and intellectual ferment. New educational philosophies were developed by the founders of both schools, inspired by John Dewey’s belief that education and hands-on experience were inextricably intertwined and that a student’s learning should be driven in large part by their own curiosity and questions.

As fascism spread throughout the world, Goddard and Bennington were steadfast in the belief that education could help build civil democratic societies. These founding ideals are perhaps even more relevant today as we face rising fascism around the globe and the need for civil discourse and democratic participation.

Bennington will carry this tradition forward and continue to evolve, with a steadfast commitment to the arts, creativity, writing and intellectual inquiry.

I am proud that more students than ever before are flocking to Bennington. Applications to Bennington College have doubled in the past three years. Students come from all over the world in search of an oasis amid the cacophony and rigidity. They are hungry to connect with each other, to listen in the quiet to their inner voices, to discover their own ideas and creativity.

It is what John Dewey imagined. As we approach our 100th anniversary, we mourn the loss of Goddard College, and we all reel from the closure. Bennington stands ready to welcome students from Goddard and to commit again and again to our founding principles.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Laura R. Walker: Goddard College is closing. Why should we care? .