Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont . Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists , Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont.
60-733: The Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village is a museum run by the Orleans County Historical Society in Brownington, Vermont . The Old Stone House at the heart of the village is a part of the Brownington Village Historic District , a district of ten historic buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Old Stone House, or Athenian Hall, was built in 1836 by Alexander Twilight ,
120-488: A "more selective" institution. For the class of 2026, the college offered admission to 1,955 students out of an applicant pool of 13,028, yielding an overall acceptance of 15%. Middlebury enrolls around 600 students to begin in the fall semester and an additional 100 to begin in the spring. Those accepted for the fall admissions program begin the academic year in September and are referred to as "Regs." Those accepted for
180-634: A 48-foot balsam fir for use at the White House. The tree was illuminated when Vermont native Calvin Coolidge flipped an electric switch in the first year of his presidency. The Bread Loaf School of English , Middlebury's graduate school of English, was established at the college's Bread Loaf Mountain campus in 1920. The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference was established in 1926. In 1978, the Bread Loaf School of English expanded to include
240-421: A Vermont developer of farm-based methane energy, agreed to explore a bio-methane gas collection and delivery system that could help Middlebury further reduce its use of fossil fuels. Middlebury has agreed to purchase bio-methane gas from IES over a 10-year period, with the agreement contingent on the college raising money to build storage facilities for the gas on campus and retrofit its current heating plant to burn
300-532: A brief time Mercy Ladd Merrill Twilight continued to live there with a few boarders. She then continued alone until she moved to Derby in 1865. When she died in 1878 she was buried next to her husband in Brownington. The building stayed vacant until in 1918 when the Stone House was put up for auction . A representative of the railroad in the state of Vermont bid on the structure with the hopes of using
360-846: A campus at Lincoln College, Oxford University . In 1991, the School expanded to include a campus at St. John's College in New Mexico, and to the University of North Carolina, Asheville , in 2006. The C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad began in 1949 with the school in Paris ; they now host students at 38 sites in Argentina , Brazil , China , Cameroon , Chile , France , Germany , India , Italy , Japan , Jordan , Morocco , Russia , Spain , Uruguay , United Kingdom , and Puerto Rico . The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS)
420-429: A four-story granite building measuring 26 by 66 feet (7.9 by 20.1 m). Over the following two years the present stone house was erected following the lines and general appearance of a similar building, quite possibly Painter Hall at Middlebury College ; however, detailed information is not available on how the granite structure was built. Twilight began building in 1834 and finished two years later. From 1836 to 1859,
480-579: A grade of "A−" from the Sustainable Endowments Institute on its College Sustainability Report Card 2008, the highest grade awarded. In 2009, Middlebury opened a state-of-the-art biomass plant on campus that is estimated to cut the college's carbon dioxide output by 40 percent and reduce its use of fuel oil by 50 percent. In 2010, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Middlebury announced the creation of
540-659: A mid-year graduation for those students who complete coursework at the end of January. These students are usually "Febs," students who began their Middlebury careers as February first-years. The mid-year graduation tradition is for all graduating seniors to ski down the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in their caps and gowns to receive their diplomas. Middlebury Outdoor Programs organizes outdoor orientations for incoming students in September and February. These orientations involve several days of hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, snowshoeing, and other activities in
600-422: A mix of traditional faculty and special instructors. The Middlebury College Language Schools, which began with the establishment of the School of German in 1915, offer intensive instruction in 10 languages during six-, seven-, or eight-week summer sessions. The schools enroll about 1,350 students every summer. The Schools all use an immersion -based approach to language instruction and acquisition. All students in
660-402: A similar building, quite possibly Painter Hall at Middlebury College ; however, detailed information is not available on how the granite structure was built. Twilight began building in 1834 and finished two years later. From 1836 to 1859, the building was used as a dormitory for school children, boys and girls. Due to diminishing school enrollment Athenian Hall was closed for good in 1859. For
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#1732790657385720-701: A traditional New England village centered on Otter Creek Falls. In the fall of 1994 the President and Board of Trustees of Middlebury College adopted a "One Percent for Art" policy. This decision set aside one percent of the cost of any renovation or new construction at the college for the purchase, installation, maintenance, and interpretation of works of art publicly displayed on campus. There are 19 works in Middlebury's campus public art collection, including Frisbee , George Rickey 's Two Open Rectangles, Excentric, Variation VI , Tony Smith 's Smog , and
780-518: A version of Robert Indiana 's Love series. The collection also includes works by Dan Graham , Scott Burton , Jules Olitski , Joseph Beuys , Matt Mullican , Jenny Holzer , Christian Petersen , Buky Schwartz , George Rickey , Clement Meadmore , and Jonathan Borofsky . The museum opened in the Mahaney Arts Center (named after alumni Kevin P. Mahaney, '84 ) in 1992, designed by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer 's architectural firm. It
840-470: Is dedicated to the history of the last two centuries in Orleans County, Vermont , and to the life of Alexander Twilight, the first African-American college graduate in the U.S. and state legislator. Orleans County Historical Society The Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village is a museum run by the Orleans County Historical Society in Brownington, Vermont . The Old Stone House at
900-488: Is entirely student-run. In 2019, the Middlebury Independent , a monthly journal, was established. The Local Noodle , a satirical student publication founded in 2016, publishes multiple times a semester and maintains a consistent online presence. WRMC-FM is Middlebury's student-volunteer-run radio station. The median family income of Middlebury students is $ 244,300, with 53% of students coming from
960-732: Is the oldest student-run winter carnival in the country, started in 1923. The Winter Carnival is a weekend-long event and traditionally includes a bonfire and fireworks on the opening night, ski races at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl on Friday and Saturday, and the Winter Ball on Saturday night. The Winter Carnival also puts on the Winter Carnival Ice Show, a figure skating event that showcases performances from local kids and teens, Middlebury students, and guest skaters. Notable guests include Swiss Olympian Alexia Paganini in 2016 and Jimmy Ma in 2015. Middlebury offers
1020-603: The Addison County Grammar School , which had been founded three years earlier in 1797. The college's first president— Jeremiah Atwater —began classes a few days later, making Middlebury the first operating college or university in Vermont. One student named Aaron Petty graduated at the first commencement held in August 1802. The college's founding religious affiliation was loosely Congregationalist . Yet
1080-714: The Eugenics Survey of Vermont noted that Middlebury College President Paul Moody was Chairman of the Committee that supervised the Survey . Middlebury biology supervisor, professor A.E. Lambert lectured outside the college on the "Science of Modern Welfare," based on "heredity and eugenics." Middlebury biology professor Owen Wesley Mills was a member of the Second International Congress of Eugenics. The national fraternity Kappa Delta Rho
1140-786: The Middlebury College Language Schools , the Bread Loaf School of English, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey , as well as its C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad international programs. Middlebury's 31 varsity teams are the Middlebury Panthers and compete in the NCAA Division III 's NESCAC . Middlebury received its founding charter on November 1, 1800, as an outgrowth of
1200-733: The Monterey Institute of International Studies , a graduate school in Monterey, California . On June 30, 2010, the Monterey Institute was officially designated as a graduate school of Middlebury College. In the summer of 2008, Middlebury and the Monterey Institute of International Studies launched a collaborative program to offer summer language immersion programs in Arabic , Chinese , French , German , Italian , and Spanish to middle and high school students through
1260-494: The Monterey Institute of International Studies . The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, was founded by Felix Rohatyn '49, investment banker, former U.S. Ambassador to France , and founder of Rohatyn Associates. Located at the Robert A. Jones '59 House, the center combines Middlebury's strengths in political, linguistic, and cultural studies to offer internationally focused symposia, lectures, and presentations. The Center for
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#17327906573851320-634: The New England Commission of Higher Education . The most popular undergraduate majors at Middlebury by number of 2021 graduates were: The academic year follows a 4–1–4 schedule of two four-course semesters in the autumn and spring plus what is known as a "Winter Term" session in January. The Winter Term, often called "J-Term" for January Term, allows students to enroll in one intensive course, pursue independent research, or complete an off-campus internship. Winter Term courses are taught by
1380-588: The Orleans County Grammar School . The Orleans County Grammar School was the only high school in the county which required many students to travel long distances for their education. They boarded with families in town, including Twilight's. Athenian Hall was built to accommodate the larger number of students attending the Grammar School. Twilight pressed his board of trustees for a larger building but failed to receive support from
1440-578: The Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity engages in interdisciplinary and comparative approaches for understanding formations of race and ethnicity and their effects on human relations. The Center for Social Entrepreneurship encourages students to develop innovative solutions to address society's most pressing social problems. Programs on Creativity and Innovation (PCI) is a series of initiatives designed to encourage Middlebury students to explore ideas in nonacademic settings. In addition to
1500-719: The Language Schools must sign and abide by Middlebury's " Language Pledge ," a pledge to use their target language exclusively during the duration of their time at the school. Undergraduate instruction, available to undergraduate students, government employees and individuals from professional backgrounds, is offered in Abenaki , Arabic , Chinese , French , German , Hebrew , Italian , Japanese , Portuguese , Russian , Korean , and Spanish . The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey , in Monterey, California became an affiliate of Middlebury following
1560-559: The McCullough Student Center. Murray had been named a white nationalist by the Southern Poverty Law Center , and has been criticized for a teenaged incident in 1960 where he burned a cross on a hill in his hometown of Newton, Iowa, an act which Murray himself later characterized as "incredibly dumb". After the protest, Murray's talk was moved to Wilson Hall and published online; however, after
1620-564: The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA). In January 2014, as part of a new brand identity system, Middlebury announced that the Monterey Institute of International Studies would be renamed the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. On March 2, 2017, political scientist Charles Murray was shouted down by students at a campus event, and prevented from speaking at
1680-546: The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy. The Bread Loaf School of English is based at the college's Bread Loaf Mountain campus in Ripton, just outside Middlebury, in sight of the main ridge of the Green Mountains . The poet Robert Frost is credited as a major influence on the school. Frost "first came to the School on the invitation of Dean Wilfred Davison in 1921. Friend and neighbor to Bread Loaf, (he) returned to
1740-688: The School every summer with but three exceptions for 42 years." Every summer since 1920, Bread Loaf has offered students from around the United States and the world intensive courses in literature, creative writing, the teaching of writing, and theater. Many prominent faculty and staff have been associated with the college. The C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad , operated by Middlebury College in 17 countries across 5 continents, offer overseas academic programs for undergraduates from various U.S. institutions, as well as graduate-level programs for students from Middlebury College's Language Schools and
1800-476: The Stone House was put up for auction . A representative of the railroad in the state of Vermont bid on the structure with the hopes of using the granite stones for bridge abutments . The Orleans County Historical Society bid at the price of $ 500 (the equivalent of $ 10128 in current dollars) and won the auction. The building was opened as a museum in 1925. The attached barn was torn down in the 1920s. The building has four floors with twenty-two rooms of exhibits. It
1860-644: The Sustainable Investments Initiative, a co-mingled fiscal vehicle seeking investments that generate long-term social, environmental, and economic value. The Initiative will seek investments focused on sustainability issues such as clean energy, water, climate science, and green building projects, in an effort to identify businesses positioned to become a part of the worldwide shift to improve energy efficiency, decrease dependence on fossil fuels , and mitigate climate change. Also in 2010, Middlebury College and Integrated Energy Solutions,
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1920-795: The Writers' Conference. In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Middlebury as tied for 19th out of 211 liberal arts college overall in the U.S.. The previous year, Middlebury tied for 12th out of 36 in "Best Undergraduate Teaching", and 18th out of 93 for "Best Value" among liberal arts colleges for 2023.." Washington Monthly ranked the school 19th out of 199 in its 2023 liberal arts college rankings. The 2022 Parchment student choice college ranking, which tracks student college acceptances of students accepted to multiple schools in order to reveal preference for their chosen school compared to other schools, ranks Middlebury as 47th of 1055 colleges. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Middlebury as
1980-407: The anonymous allegations against Burger. Founded in 1800, the college enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduates from all 50 states and 70 countries. The college offers 40 undergraduate departments and programs. Middlebury was the first institution of higher education in the United States to offer an environmental studies major, establishing the major in 1965. Middlebury College is accredited by
2040-427: The building was used as a dormitory for school children, boys and girls. Due to diminishing school enrollment Athenian Hall was closed for good in 1859. For a brief time Mercy Ladd Merrill Twilight continued to live there with a few boarders. She then continued alone until she moved to Derby in 1865. When she died in 1878 she was buried next to her husband in Brownington. The building stayed vacant until in 1918 when
2100-536: The campus standard of grey Vermont limestone, granite, and marble. In 1914 and subsequent decades, Middlebury College offered courses in eugenics in fields such as pedagogy, biology, and sociology. The college had "extensive involvement in the eugenics movement." The year-long, mandatory "Orientating Course for Freshmen" in 1925 included the subject "Eugenics" and explained that in the previous year this had been taught in this class as "What Has Civilization to Expect from Eugenics." The 1930 Fourth Annual Report of
2160-468: The class entering in 2022–23, the average financial aid grant award is $ 57,078. The college is need-blind for incoming domestic students. The 350-acre (1.4 km ) main campus is located in the Champlain Valley between Vermont 's Green Mountains to the east and New York 's Adirondack Mountains to the west. The campus is situated on a hill to the west of the village of Middlebury ,
2220-530: The college and it is carried by the college President at official occasions including first-year convocation and graduation. Alexander Twilight , class of 1823, was the first black graduate of any college or university in the United States; he also became the first African American elected to public office, joining the Vermont House of Representatives in 1836. At its second commencement in 1804, Middlebury granted Lemuel Haynes an honorary master's degree ,
2280-476: The first advanced degree ever bestowed upon an African American. In 1883, the trustees voted to accept women as students in the college, making Middlebury one of the first formerly all-male liberal arts colleges in New England to become a coeducational institution. The first female graduate—May Belle Chellis—received her degree in 1886. As valedictorian of the class of 1899, Mary Annette Anderson became
2340-689: The first African-American woman elected to Phi Beta Kappa . The college's centennial in 1900 began a century of physical expansion beyond the three buildings of Old Stone Row . York and Sawyer designed the Egbert Starr Library (1900), a Beaux-Arts edifice later expanded and renamed the Axinn Center, and Warner Hall (1901). Growth in enrollment and the endowment led to continued expansion westward. McCullough Hall (1912) and Voter Hall (1913) featured gymnasium and laboratories, respectively, adopting Georgian Revival styling while confirming
2400-621: The first undergraduate Environmental Studies program in the U.S. Nationally affiliated fraternities were abolished in 1990; some chose to become co-educational social houses which continue today. In May 2004, an anonymous benefactor made a $ 50 million donation to Middlebury. It is the largest cash gift the school has ever received. The donor asked only that Middlebury name its recently built science building, Bicentennial Hall, after outgoing President John McCardell Jr . As of July 2014, Middlebury's endowment stood at approximately $ 1 billion. In 2005, Middlebury signed an affiliation agreement with
2460-423: The granite stones for bridge abutments . The Orleans County Historical Society bid at the price of $ 500 (the equivalent of $ 10128 in current dollars) and won the auction. The building was opened as a museum in 1925. The attached barn was torn down in the 1920s. The building has four floors with twenty-two rooms of exhibits. It is dedicated to the history of the last two centuries in Orleans County, Vermont , and to
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2520-497: The heart of the village is a part of the Brownington Village Historic District , a district of ten historic buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Old Stone House, or Athenian Hall, was built in 1836 by Alexander Twilight , the nation's first African-American college graduate. Twilight was the minister of the Brownington Congregational Church and the principal of
2580-578: The idea for a college was that of town fathers rather than clergymen, and Middlebury was clearly "the Town's College" rather than the Church's. Chief among its founders were Seth Storrs and Gamaliel Painter , the former credited with the idea for a college and the latter as its greatest early benefactor. In addition to receiving a diploma upon graduation, Middlebury graduates also receive a replica of Gamaliel Painter's cane. Painter bequeathed his original cane to
2640-425: The life of Alexander Twilight, the first African-American college graduate in the U.S. and state legislator. Middlebury College In the fall of 2020, the college enrolled 2,773 undergraduates from all 50 states and 74 countries and offers 45 majors in the arts and humanities as well as joint engineering programs. In addition to its undergraduate liberal arts program, the school also has graduate schools,
2700-419: The majority. He alienated many of the trustees by his adamancy, and the building was left completely to Twilight. In 1834, he laid out a foundation plan for land donated by Cyrus Eaton across the road from his house. It called for a four-story granite building measuring 26 by 66 feet (7.9 by 20.1 m). Over the following two years the present stone house was erected following the lines and general appearance of
2760-400: The nation's first African-American college graduate. Twilight was the minister of the Brownington Congregational Church and the principal of the Orleans County Grammar School . The Orleans County Grammar School was the only high school in the county which required many students to travel long distances for their education. They boarded with families in town, including Twilight's. Athenian Hall
2820-523: The new fuel. In 2013, Princeton Review ranked Middlebury as one of the top 20 schools in the US for "best quality of life." There are over 140 registered student organizations at Middlebury. Students register for organizations of interest during the Fall Activities Fair in September. The Middlebury Campus is the student weekly of Middlebury College. The Campus was founded in 1900, and
2880-482: The school would respond to the clear violations of college policy by students that occurred. Some students (and faculty ) felt that by refusing to allow Murray to speak, and by injuring Stanger, the Middlebury College student community "trod all over the ideas of free speech this country was founded upon". The school took disciplinary action against 74 students for their involvement in the incident. In
2940-762: The signing of an affiliation agreement between the two in December 2005. The Institute currently enrolls 790 graduate students in the fields of international relations , international business , language teaching , and translation and interpretation . The Middlebury College Language Schools offers a Doctor of Modern Languages. Unique to Middlebury, the D.M.L. prepares teacher-scholars in two modern foreign languages, helping them develop as teachers of second-language acquisition , literature, linguistics, and language pedagogy. Middlebury also offers summer language immersion programs in Arabic , Chinese , French , German , and Spanish to middle and high school students through
3000-509: The six-week summer program, Middlebury College's Bread Loaf campus is also the site of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference for established authors, founded in 1926 . It was called by The New Yorker "the oldest and most prestigious writers' conference in the country." The conference is administered by director Michael Collier and assistant director Jennifer Grotz . Many prominent members of society have been associated with
3060-523: The spring admissions program begin the academic year in February and are referred to as "Febs." Students accepted to the Feb program use the fall semester, called a "Febmester," to travel, volunteer, enroll at other universities, or work. Febs graduate in the annual mid-year commencement at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl . Tuition, room, and board at Middlebury is $ 79,800 for the 2022–23 academic year. For
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#17327906573853120-416: The spring of 2017, the college also faced allegations of racial profiling, after a student was faced with disciplinary action despite evidence that they had not been present at the protest. Middlebury released a statement asserting that such allegations had been investigated that the college had determined that no such racial profiling had taken place. The statement also noted that an investigation had refuted
3180-469: The talk there was a violent attack by protesters who attempted to obstruct and damage the vehicle of Bill Burger (the Vice President of communications at Middlebury College), Murray, and Middlebury professor Allison Stanger ; Stanger was injured in the attack, requiring her hospitalization with a neck injury and concussion. Middlebury President Laurie L. Patton responded after the event, saying
3240-471: The top 5% highest-earning families and 14.2% from the bottom 60%. Middlebury College is the ranked 5th in the country for the most share (23%) of students coming from the top 1% of family income ($ 630,000 or more per year). As of the 2022-2023 academic year, the student body consisted of 53% women and 47% men. 95% of the student population was from out of state. *Nonresidents are reported separately regardless of race/ethnicity Middlebury's Winter Carnival
3300-512: The tradition of the Middlebury College Language Schools . These Schools, which take place on campus during the summer, enroll about 1,350 students in the Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish Language Schools. Middlebury President Paul Dwight Moody began the American tradition of a National Christmas Tree in 1923 when the college donated
3360-501: The wilderness around Middlebury. Following the New Traditions Contest initiated by President Laurie Patton in the spring of 2018, Middlebury held its first Panther Day on October 20, 2018. The new tradition was held during Homecoming Weekend and included a parade of student clubs and organizations, in an effort to build school spirit. A group of student protesters lined the side of the parade route to call attention to
3420-612: Was accredited by the American Association of Museums in 2005. Middlebury has incorporated environmental stewardship into its mission statement. The college is a signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment and the Talloires Declaration . Additionally, the college has committed to be carbon neutral by 2016. Middlebury was one of six universities to receive
3480-414: Was built to accommodate the larger number of students attending the Grammar School. Twilight pressed his board of trustees for a larger building but failed to receive support from the majority. He alienated many of the trustees by his adamancy, and the building was left completely to Twilight. In 1834, he laid out a foundation plan for land donated by Cyrus Eaton across the road from his house. It called for
3540-669: Was founded as an educational charity in 1975 by Drs John and Sandy Feneley in Oxford , England, establishing a facility at St. Michael's Hall in 1978, including the Feneley Library, and close links with Keble College, Oxford ; in 2014, CMRS became part of Middlebury College Schools Abroad as Middlebury-CMRS, offering U.S. undergraduates an Oxford Humanities Research Program and Middlebury Museum Studies in Oxford. In 1965, Middlebury established its Environmental Studies program, creating
3600-551: Was founded in Painter Hall on May 17, 1905. Middlebury College abolished fraternities in the early 1990s, but the organization continued on campus in the less ritualized form of a social house. Due to a policy at the school against single-sex organizations, the house was forced to coeducate during the same period as well. The German Language School, founded in 1915 under the supervision of then-President John Martin Thomas , began
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