Good afternoon, 

It with a heavy heart that I deliver this news. Chancellor Spaulding is proposing both NVU campuses and one VTC campus. We must continue pressuring the Vermont State Government and VSCS Board of trustees to come up with a different plan that supports employees, students, and communities. The proposed plan would be detrimental to Northern Vermont but we must fight for what's right! Here is the Chancellor's Plan:

"The plan – which will be presented to the full VSCS board of trustees at a Monday meeting – is a whole system transformation focused on eliminating program duplication, reducing overhead and investing in programs that are high demand, economically viable, and provide high demand career opportunities for Vermont students. It includes the consolidation of the two residential career-focused liberal arts campuses of Northern Vermont University (NVU) to Castleton
University. “We will be upholding the best of Castleton and adding strong programs from Northern Vermont University to enhance student opportunities, including those offered through NVU Online,”
Spaulding explained. Additionally, Vermont Technical College (VTC) will continue offering programs critical to Vermonters and Vermont employers by closing its Randolph Center campus, consolidating to expanded locations in the Williston area and throughout Vermont. Programs will be more accessible to Vermonters via new low-residency, regional delivery and distance learning modalities. The applied learning and hands-on labs will be maintained with low residency options in Williston and eventually elsewhere. Community College of Vermont, which has avoided many of the challenges brought on by COVID-19, will maintain its key role providing a statewide network of access to academic programs, workforce development, and student advising and further develop plans and partnerships to enhance existing online and in-person instruction in the Northeast Kingdom and the northern parts of Vermont. Over time, Castleton and other higher education institutions will offer more robust 2+2 and bachelor’s degree programs at CCV or other shared sites.
The Chancellor’s office will also be restructured and downsized beginning in the next fiscal year. The VSCS anticipates residential campus closures at NVU and VTC-Randolph and VTC’s move to the Williston area will be completed before the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year and estimates a reduction of approximately 500 employees as a result of the consolidations. “Our hearts are with the students, faculty and staff whose lives will be painfully impacted by this
news and we will make every effort to ensure they are supported in the transition,” Spaulding continued. “Every member of the VSCS family, including tens of thousands of alumni have made a lasting impact on the institutions and the state. Please know we will work tirelessly to
maintain a VSCS we can all be proud of now and for the future.” The VSCS currently serves over 11,000 degree-seeking students and provides additional continuing education for over 9,000 adults. A post-COVID-19 world will require those seeking employment in high wage jobs to attain a post-secondary degree, certificate or training and the
VSCS will focus on how best to serve those Vermonters – we will be there. Students planning to attend Northern Vermont University in the fall will be supported with a smooth transition to the consolidated Castleton University. Vermont Tech will be working with its students through this reconfiguration, as well. In some cases, transfer agreements with
programs in and outside Vermont may be established for programs no longer supported through the VSCS. Those plans are being finalized and students will be notified in the coming weeks."

I hope we can change the minds of the VSCS and get the State to intervene. Stay strong and keep well.

-Patrick Wickstrom