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Southern Vermont College to close

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Southern Vermont College graduation May 2016. SVC photo.

Vermont Business Magazine In a statement today Southern Vermont College President David R Evans announced the decision by the college's board of trustees to close the college this summer after the New England Commission of Higher Education hearing on February 28. The commission was concerned about the financial viability of the college. SVC is based in Bennington. This is the second college closing announced in Vermont this year and also in southwestern Vermont. Green Mountain College in Poultney announced in January that it also would close at the end of this semester.

President Evans said, “following notice at the end of January from the New England Commission of Higher Education [NECHE] that SVC would face a show-cause hearing over finances and enrollment on February 28, 2019, the administration and board of trustees met multiple times to explore options for the college’s future. Unfortunately, the negative publicity surrounding this hearing, coupled with widespread concern about the health of the small private college sector in our region, has placed insurmountable pressure on our plans to increase enrollment over the next several years.” He continued, “to honor our ethical commitments and on the advice of counsel, the board and cabinet decided it was imperative to cease recruiting activities until the outcome of the NECHE hearing was known. Unfortunately, ceasing recruiting during the heart of the season, coupled with potential students’ and their families’ concern about the future of the college, has effectively prevented us from implementing any credible plan to build enrollment to a sustainable level.”

Students who graduate in the spring will receive fully accredited degrees.

On March 2, SVC received notice that NECHE will allow the college’s accreditation to continue through August 31, 2019, to enable students who need only a small number of courses or other requirements to graduate from SVC with an accredited degree at the end of the summer. Arrangements for such students are under development.

College officials are aggressively pursuing transfer options for continuing students, including a preferred teach-out agreement with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA). For programs without a direct match, the college is seeking pathways with numerous other colleges and universities, including Norwich University and Castleton University. SVC will be hosting multiple programs and events to assist students in completing their college educations. The enrollment-management staff is also working to identify additional options, and will support every student in finding the best path forward.

MCLA has agreed to admit all SVC’s accepted new students for the fall semester.

SVC’s leadership is also seeking opportunities to support employment transitions for faculty and staff.

President Evans concluded, “our board and our administration deeply regret that we have not been able to find a way to continue the great work of the college in helping our students find and fulfill their potential. SVC has improved the lives of many students, and our legacy lives in their success and contributions to the world.”

Additional information will be posted on the college’s homepage, www.svc.edu. 

Founded in 1974 but with roots extending to 1926, Southern Vermont College is a small, liberal arts college located on a 400-acre campus overlooking the Green Mountains. The College aspires to be a model of an enlightened educational community: diverse, supportive, environmentally respectful and socially responsible. Through its career-focused, liberal arts curriculum, SVC transforms students into engaged citizens with a broad perspective of an ever-changing society. Classroom learning is combined with real-life, real-world experiences in the study of business, humanities, nursing and health services, natural sciences and math, and the social sciences. SVC’s athletic teams are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). The College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and has been designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Community-Engagement Classification Institution. For more information, visit svc.edu.

Below is the statement from the president.

Dear Members of the SVC Community:
 
This letter is to inform you about SVC’s circumstances following our show-cause hearing with the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) last Thursday, February 28.
 
Following that hearing, the SVC board of trustees held a special meeting on Friday, March 1, to determine how best to proceed.
 
At that meeting, the board voted, with sincere regret, that SVC must close at the end of the spring semester.
 
On Saturday, March 2, the college received notice that NECHE Commissioners voted to withdraw SVC’s accreditation effective August 31, 2019 based on institutional resources. This extended date should give us a chance to work with students who need only a few classes, or who need to meet other graduation requirements, to award them an accredited SVC degree before the end of the summer.
All students who complete graduation requirements this semester will also receive an accredited SVC degree.
 
Please note that NECHE’s concern was limited to SVC’s finances only. The quality of the education we offer, institutional integrity, the transferability of courses, and the value of our degrees, are not in question.
 
Our highest goal is to protect continuing students as much as possible and ensure that they can continue their education with minimal disruption, and we have already taken extensive steps towards this end.
We have in place a preferred teach-out agreement with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts that provides clear pathways and financial equity for most SVC programs. MCLA will launch a special website,www.mcla.edu/svc, this afternoon with details specifically for our students on all aspects of transferring there.
 
For those programs without a direct match, and for students who would like to explore other options, we continue to work with multiple transfer partners, including Norwich University, Castleton University and others, to provide the best possible opportunities for students. We will also provide information about various financial aid matters within the next few days.
 
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 5, in the afternoon, MCLA staff will be on campus to meet with interested students about their programs and opportunities. More information will follow.
 
We will soon have additional institutions on campus to support students as they determine how best to continue their educations. As more information becomes available, we will share it on the SVC homepage and through e-mail communication.
 
For employees, we will provide additional information soon. We are taking steps to comply with all applicable employment regulations and to provide support such as resume workshops and placement assistance where possible. We have notified local colleges about SVC’s closure and asked that they give candidates from SVC particular consideration. I have notified the presidents of all Vermont private colleges and all the institutions in our athletic conference to be especially alert to opportunities for our staff and faculty.
 
Over the past few weeks, we have continued our longstanding aggressive efforts to secure additional philanthropic support and seek potential strategic alliances that would strengthen the college and secure its mission into the future.
 
During recent days, the board, the administration, and our attorneys have continued a careful analysis of the college’s financial condition, including the clear adverse impact on future enrollment caused by publicity around the show-cause hearing.
 
For ethical reasons, once we learned of the hearing and pending its outcome, we ceased recruitment activities, and this decision, while certainly the right one, has also been a major factor in these deliberations, as it inevitably had a negative impact on next year’s enrollment projections and made it clear that there was no convincing way forward. However, we will continue exploring options that might make a difference as long as possible.
 
This is not an outcome anyone desired or sought, but given our specific financial challenges and lack of resources, regional demographics, the enrollment challenges facing small private colleges throughout the country, and increased scrutiny from our accreditor, it is the most responsible path.
It continues to be an honor to serve SVC and our students.
 
Sincerely,
David R. Evans, Ph.D., President