Goddard College enrollment rising, new leadership

Fall enrollment at Goddard College is the highest it’s been in 30 years, with the College welcoming 804 students this semester.
‘Our low-residency format makes Goddard College accessible to adults especially in challenging economic times,’ said Josh Castle, Associate Academic Dean and Registrar of the Plainfield institution. The College has consistently grown by 4-5 percent each academic year for the last seven years.
The enrollment growth comes at a time when the College is also welcoming new leadership. Barbara Vacarr assumed the presidency in July 2010. Recently, Marianne Reiff was hired as the Interim Academic Vice President and Steve Friedman was elected as the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
As Interim Academic VP, Dr. Reiff will serve as a thought leader, helping the College to envision and build processes to deepen faculty engagement. Most recently, Dr. Reiff played a vital role in designing and implementing a low residency adult learning and development Ph.D. program.
Stephen B. Friedman is president of S. B. Friedman & Company, a development advisory firm specializing in public-private partnerships for urban redevelopment and revitalization. Friedman is a 1968 graduate of Goddard College and resides in Chicago.
The College also recently received a grant from the Nathan & Fannye Shafran Foundation in October to support the launch of Goddard’s unique low-residency bachelors degree program on the West Coast. The BA will join the existing MFA in Creative Writing and MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts programs already being offered by Goddard in Port Townsend, Washington.
President Barbara Vacarr said, ‘Goddard College is poised on the edge of an exciting era in educational innovation. Our expertise in adult degree programming can provide needed leadership now across the country.’
Goddard College. 11.4.2010