Middlebury's five residential Commons form the backbone of student life at the College. Middlebury's unique residential system exemplifies the College's conviction that an excellent liberal arts education takes place around the clock—as easily over dinner as in the classroom. The residence halls are grouped into "living-learning communities," called Commons. The Commons combine the academic, social, and residential components of college and foster close and abiding relationships, not only among the student residents, but also among the faculty and staff who are part of their Commons.
There are five Commons on campus: Atwater, Brainerd, Cook, Ross, and Wonnacott. More than 400 students, representing all four classes, live in each Commons, and each is led by a team—including a faculty head (a tenured member of the faculty), a dean (a student affairs professional), a Commons coordinator (a staff member) and two Commons Residential Advisers, or CRA's (recent Middlebury graduates who live in the residence halls)—that advises and supports student residents and guides the cultural and intellectual life of the community.
The faculty head is responsible for setting the academic and social tone of the Commons and for programming activities (lectures, field trips, parties, and other events) that involve students, faculty, and staff. The dean administers the daily operations of the Commons and handles all residential issues, as well as academic and personal advising.
A substantial proportion of the first-year seminars offered are Commons-based, which means that the students enrolled in a particular seminar are assigned to live in the same Commons, with supplementary programming for the course also sponsored by the Commons.
The success of these programs and the College's commitment to enhancing the facilities that support the Commons—residence halls, dining halls, and program space—mean that in the future more social and academic activities will be centered in the Commons.