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those things: the renovation of Simpson V to house the new Writing &
Still, Sterling prevailed while awaiting the new results: a feature section
new teaching technologies; and the equipment, including 14 computer
Sterling’s Hannah McHardy, ’10, pictured driving the College tractor,
Communications Center; the faculty release time to learn and employ terminals, smart boards and overhead projectors, a seminar table and a separate writing tutor’s room.
of the report called “Class Acts” profiles four students, among them
and quoted talking about her research on fungal species that break down asbestos.
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But what good is it all if no one has ever heard of Sterling College?
It is not coincidental that I report on these three subjects – the effects and
tion, how far under the radar screen is it safe to fly? In fact, over the
center and curricula; our efforts to increase Sterling’s recognition and
In the jumbled and competitive firmament of American higher educa-
past several months the College has been the beneficiary of an almost disproportionate volume of regional and national press. Sterling’s not been splashed across the front pages of the New York Times (we’ll
know that when it happens), but stories and mentions of the College in a variety of media do seem to be having the effect of increasing recognition generally and increasing Sterling’s academic reputation.
In spring, Vermont Public Radio ran a four minute profile of Sterling
and concluded with a (presidential) quote about the importance, ul-
timately, of the role of endowment in closing the economic loop of a college that is determined to remain small. Although no listener rushed to the phone with the $10 million figure, it felt good to get it out there.
results of our year-round program; the establishment of a new writing reputation. Each is one of the seven initiatives of the Sustainable Sterling Campaign, now beginning its third year, with one to go after that.
Although we are down somewhat in our unrestricted Campaign fund-
raising goal – not altogether surprising given the shaken economy – progress on the other Initiatives has been very satisfying, given the
combination of money, vision, plain hard work, and serendipity each
requires to move forward. The best example of that might be Initiative
#2: “Construct a new 20-24 bed student residency.” As we all know now, that died in the storm water of Vermont’s environmental regula-
tions. The Inn suddenly became an opportunity not to be missed. Al-
though providing only a dozen beds, we gain a second kitchen, greatly
Some weeks later, the Burlington Free Press ran a long exclusive on
increased food storage capacity, and a dining/lecture/work area just
Except for a copy editor’s unfortunate but hardly unique insertion of
and the culinary arts. That the beautiful grounds are contiguous to the
Sterling under a wonderful photograph of a student holding a lamb.
as we are preparing new academic programs in farm/kitchen/table
experimental for experiential, it was a story the College itself couldn’t
Sterling farm just adds to the convenience and value of the soon to be
have written better.
renamed Inn.
The new website has provoked a greater marketing emphasis on using
I can, finally, report on what over the past year has become the MFAQ
electronic avenues of expression and comment. Electronic or web-based
forms but boils down to: “How do you keep such a small college going
institutional marketing, in fact often blurring two formerly distinct
Difficult short answer, but at a gathering of Sterling friends and sup-
social media through the Sterling blog, Facebook, twitter and other
directed at me – the Most Frequently Asked Question. It has various
marketing will play an increased part in both admissions efforts and
in this day and age?”
areas of outreach. Thus far, the undeniable effect is as hard to measure as the medium is to grasp in its entirety, at least from the president’s
office, where new information and developments usually arrive via old
fashioned voice mail from down the hall, a shouted, “Haven’t you seen this yet?”
In mid-August, without any direct effort on the College’s part, Sterling
and the other six Work-Learning-Service colleges were heavily featured
in the on-line Parade Magazine’s spread on ways to reduce the cost of college. Parade’s total readership is in the millions; that can’t but help.
At the same time, Sierra Magazine published its 2010 list of “Cool Colleges,” meaning green or environmentally focused colleges and universities. Sterling was ranked 64th among the 165 institutions
that submitted the detailed survey, and was given a full-count 10 on “Academics” and another 10 on “Food.” Then, a day or so after the
porters at the Craftsbury home of Joan Bok in early August, I gave a not-so-short first try at an answer, the frequency of the MFAQ starting
to demand I come up with something. I chose four very broad decisions Sterling has either made in the recent past, or reconfirmed its commitment to – each contained within the overarching philosophy of the College and the Campaign.
1. We are small: and the difference between being small and choosing to be small is tremendous and liberating.
2. We are year-round: it is economically and educationally the right choice for Sterling, and perhaps for other colleges as well.
3. We are place-based: that is, we are committed to experiential
academics, knowing that lessons rooted in specific experience inform comprehensive understanding.
list’s loudly-announced web publication, it disappeared, replaced by a
4. We are academically focused: instead of offering the full panoply of
the result of the storm of protest that ensued from institutions even
tra breadth, and combined that focus with new models of self-designed
message saying the rankings were going to be recalculated…probably further down the list, or not on it at all. wwww.sterlingcollege.edu • 800.648.3591
liberal arts subject areas, Sterling instead has chosen expertise over exconcentrations and majors.
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