Burlington College
 |
|
| Motto | "Start a fire." |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Active | 1972–May 27, 2016 |
| President | Carol A. Moore, Ph.D. |
|
Administrative staff
|
61 |
| Undergraduates | 200+ |
| Postgraduates | 30+ |
| Location | Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Campus | 32.4 acre campus in Burlington |
| Website |
www |
Burlington College was a private, non-profit liberal arts college located in Burlington, Vermont, that offered associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, as well as several professional certificates. Although regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the college was placed on probation in July 2014 for failing to meet the accreditor's standards regarding financial resources. The college announced on May 16, 2016 that it would cease operations on May 27.
Burlington College started in 1972 as the Vermont Institute of Community Involvement. A handful of students met in the living room of founder Dr. Steward LaCasce. It originally served adult learners and veterans.
In 2007, the College had 204 students at its main campus in buildings in downtown Burlington. Since most were part-time, this worked out to 130 "full-time equivalents". An additional 30 students studied off-campus.
In 2010, Jane O’Meara Sanders oversaw the purchase of 33 acres of property to be used for college expansion, with the resulting significant debt to be covered by already pledged donations and tuition from planned increased enrollment over five years. Sanders departed shortly after, with Christine Plunkett assuming the position of president.
In 2014, the regional accreditor of the college placed it on probation because of the its financial condition, and there were votes of no confidence in Plunkett from organizations representing students, faculty, and staff. She resigned shortly thereafter. In May 2016, the college announced that it would be closing. According to The Atlantic, a good portion of the school's financial difficulties dated back to Sanders' tenure at the college, when the board of directors and Sanders purchased the property in 2010.
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 sold its former campus to the Committee for Temporary Shelter (COTS), a welfare agency, and purchased 32.4 acres (13.1 ha) of waterfront diocese property in early 2011. In 2015, the college arranged to sell a local developer a parcel of land as well as the former diocesan orphanage attached to the office and classroom building. The developer, Farrell Real Estate, drafted a master plan to convert the orphanage to student housing. The college retained the original Archdiocese building for classrooms, studios, art rooms, film and radio, laboratories, etc., and the surrounding property. At the press conference announcing the closure, the school stated that the developer would purchase the college's North Avenue campus from the bank.
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