Financial Incentive for Alternative Fall Semester
Updated August 3, 2023
Dear Faculty and Staff,
We sent the update below to juniors and seniors earlier today and wanted you to be aware of it as well.
Thank you,
Smita Ruzicka
Vice President for Student Affairs
Michelle McCauley
Interim Executive Vice President and Provost
Dear Juniors and Seniors,
We are writing with an update about the incentive program we announced on Monday. The program offered eligible juniors and seniors a $10,000 stipend to take a voluntary leave of absence for the fall semester and winter term. This offer is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure on-campus housing that will accommodate our larger than usual enrollment this fall.
We have now received enough applications to reach our goal and are in the process of reviewing them to ensure eligibility. Eligible students will be granted leaves on a first-come, first-served basis.
The application is now closed.
The larger enrollments are the result of Middlebury offering maximum flexibility to all students during the pandemic. Many students decided to take a leave of absence and are now graduating later than scheduled. This has temporarily created a higher demand for junior and senior on-campus housing for the upcoming year.
Students who are taking a leave through this program will have options for how they will be paid, including receiving the full amount in September or two payments in December and January to split the stipend over two tax years. Student Financial Services will provide counseling to students on which option would be optimal for their circumstances.
As with any voluntary leave of absence, students who take leave under this incentive will have access remotely to their class deans, career advisors, and Student Financial Services for consultation and support. Students on any kind of voluntary leave do not retain access to health services or counseling and are not eligible for the College’s health insurance. This is unrelated to the incentive program.
We would like to thank the students who have applied for this program and to let them know we eagerly await their return to campus in February. Thank you also to our staff colleagues who have worked hard to put this program together.
Sincerely,
Derek Doucet
Dean of Students
AJ Place
Associate Dean of Students for Residential Life
Dear Faculty and Staff,
The Division of Student Affairs shared the following message with juniors and seniors today, and we wanted you to be aware of this information also. As described in the message below, we will be offering an incentive for approximately 30 students (who had planned to live on campus this fall) to take a leave of absence for the fall semester that will enable Middlebury to accommodate a larger than usual number of returning students living on campus.
As we have shared before, the larger enrollments this fall and in previous semesters are a result of Middlebury offering maximum flexibility to our students during the pandemic. Many students utilized this flexibility to take a leave of absence and therefore are graduating later than scheduled. This has temporarily created a higher demand for upperclass on-campus housing for the upcoming year. We want to note that this challenge is not related to the size of the incoming first-year class and that we expect to return to normal undergraduate enrollment levels in the spring, as we will be graduating a larger than usual class.
We also want to share that we explored and acted on a number of possibilities in addition to this incentive to address the housing challenge including a number of different study abroad incentives for all classes, and extending for another year permission for a larger number of students to live off campus. We considered buildings that have not historically been used for housing students, but such housing must have sprinkler systems and other features, requiring renovation work that cannot be done in the available time. Further, we evaluated the use of our Bread Loaf campus, but decided not to pursue that option given feedback we have received from students about that experience, as well as the costs and staffing needs for a small number of students.
Thank you for supporting our students as they navigate this decision should they reach out to you, and thank you for your understanding as we continue to manage the long-term effects of the pandemic.
Smita Ruzicka
Vice President for Student Affairs
Michelle McCauley
Interim Executive Vice President and Provost
Dear Juniors and Seniors,
We are writing to inform you about an opportunity for you in the fall 2023 semester that would enable Middlebury to accommodate a larger than usual number of returning students living on campus due to pandemic-related leaves.
Middlebury is offering a $10,000 stipend to the first 30 juniors and seniors who opt to take a voluntary leave of absence for the fall 2023 semester and winter term (J-Term). This will be granted on a first come, first served basis and is available only to students who would otherwise be living on campus this fall.
If you are interested in this option please complete this form by August 3 in order to be considered. Students approved for a leave of absence will be paid a $10,000 stipend in late December or mid–January.
Students who are accepted for leave of absence will also receive preferred status in the upcoming spring room draw.
As we have shared before, the larger than usual enrollments for juniors and seniors this fall and in previous semesters are a result of Middlebury offering maximum flexibility to our students during the previous years of pandemic. Students who decided to utilize that flexibility and take a leave of absence are therefore graduating later than scheduled. This has temporarily created a higher demand for upper-class campus housing, and we expect to return to normal undergraduate enrollment between 2,500 and 2,600 students in the spring. Specifically, we had a smaller graduating class in May 2023 (420 students) and will have a larger group of students (220, instead of the usual 100) graduating in February 2024. This housing challenge is not related to the size of the incoming first-year class, which has met its lower target and has now comes in at under 600 for the fall semester.
We are committed to providing the best possible academic and residential experience to our students and have taken a number of other measures to address the higher than usual enrollments. In addition to the smaller incoming first year class, those measures include different study abroad incentives for all classes, and extending for another year permission for a larger number of students to live off campus.
We are specifically offering the leave of absence incentive to juniors and seniors, as this is the largest group of students expected to return for the fall semester and housing designated for upperclass students is the most affected.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to spend your fall semester in an alternative way. Should you have further questions you may write to the Dean of Students office at DOS@middlebury.edu.
Sincerely,
AJ Place
Associate Dean of Students for Residential Life
Derek Doucet
Dean of Students