Trustees Name Patton President Emerita, Provide Funding for Housing Development

The Middlebury Board of Trustees at its October 24-26 meeting voted unanimously to award Laurie L. Patton President Emerita status, making her the fifth Middlebury president to earn the distinction. She was also named Professor Emerita of Religion. Stephen B. Snyder was formally named as an officer of the corporation in his role as interim president for a term starting January 2025 and ending June 30, 2025.

In addition, the board approved funding for capital projects in support of building more local housing, renovating the town library, and constructing a new art museum. The board also approved tuition and fees for fiscal year 2026 at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and discussed campaign fundraising, finances, and Conflict Transformation.

Conflict Transformation

During the board retreat on Thursday, October 24, Patton and Sarah Stroup, director of the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation and professor of political science, led a workshop for all trustees and advisors on “Conflict Transformation: Principles, Practices, and Stories.” They reviewed the principles of the $25 million initiative, led exercises on individual conflict styles, provided details of a course focusing on Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland, and engaged in a Middlebury case study modeling how students apply these principles. 

At the conclusion of the presentation, Brian Lind, associate dean for community standards, and Stroup announced the creation of the Laurie Patton Leadership in Conflict Transformation Award to be given annually to a student for contributions to the field as part of the College’s Student Leadership Awards program. The award description reads: “Inspired by the work of Laurie Patton, 17th President of Middlebury College, this award recognizes an outstanding undergraduate student who has made significant contributions to the campus through community building efforts and a dedication to peace building and understanding.”

President’s Report

In her final report to the board, Patton thanked trustees for working with her to strengthen the College’s reputation as a leader in the liberal arts and sciences. She reflected on her almost decade-long tenure as president and expressed optimism for the future of all of Middlebury’s academic programs and entities, stressing the need for continued investment in the following areas of strength: humanities, language learning, social and natural sciences, arts, athletics, and transformational knowledge. Patton highlighted recent efforts to increase diversity among students, senior leadership, and board members; record fundraising by the For Every Future: The Campaign for Middlebury; the addition of programs and centers such as Black Studies, Food Studies, and the Axinn Center for the Humanities; Energy2028; major grants; support of local projects focused on childcare, affordable housing, and the arts; and the renovation and construction of buildings on campus.  

Financial Update

David Provost, executive vice president for finance and administration, presented highlights of the College’s fiscal year 2024 financial performance​ including an overall growth of 9.2 percent over the prior fiscal year. Total assets grew by $202 million while overall investments increased by $135 million. Provost attributed a 6.7 percent increase in expenses to inflationary pressures on health care and wages.​ Since 2016, the College’s overall net wealth has grown by 52.6 percent ($588 million) with total investments increasing by 56.7 percent. The overall growth of the endowment in the previous decade was $64 million. Fiscal discipline combined with aggressive fundraising has helped the College achieve the stable financial position it currently enjoys.

Projections for fiscal year 2025 include a budget deficit of $8.9 million. Jeff Dayton-Johnson, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Institute, and Michelle McCauley, executive vice president and provost, updated trustees on the business plan for the Institute, approved by trustees last spring, to support a balanced budget across all divisions within four years. The plan focuses on programmatic and curricular changes at the Middlebury Institute in three areas: global security, climate resilience, and languages and intercultural communication.

As of fall 2025, the Institute will begin enrolling students into two shorter MA programs that will draw from existing teaching resources in the areas of Threat Intelligence and Interpretation for Diplomats and Executives. New online degree programs​ in cybersecurity​, organizational leadership​, and analytics also support the proposed realignment designed to attract more students interested in landing jobs in high-demand fields. Dayton-Johnson said the plan has already halted a three-year decline in enrollment and puts the Institute in position to return to 2021 levels when 691 students attended MIIS. Trustees voted to increase tuition and fees at the Institute by 3.5 percent to $24,935 per semester for full time, in-person students and set a flat rate of $850 per credit for online courses. The cost of student housing increased by 3.25 percent.

Construction Update and Motions

Trustees approved a $1 million commitment to support renovation and expansion of the Ilsley Library in downtown Middlebury including a two-story addition. The funding will be paid over a 20-year period. They also approved a $2.5 million investment in Summit Properties for infrastructure costs associated with Stonecrop Meadows—a 200-unit mixed-income housing project located at 77 Seminary Street Extension. The investment is part of the College’s effort to provide affordable housing for current and future employees. Trustees agreed to retain Allied Works for architectural services associated with the design of a new art museum. The board also approved the establishment of a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for the Language Schools beginning Summer 2025.

Update: For Every Future: The Campaign for Middlebury 

Dan Courcey, vice president for Advancement, gave an update on For Every Future: The Campaign for Middlebury—the largest, most comprehensive of its kind in Middlebury history. To date, Middlebury has raised over $485 million toward the $600 million campaign goal, with $115 million left to raise by June 30, 2028. Courcey highlighted the success of the “Proud to be a Panther” campaign to support athletics, which has received over $1 million from 3,366 donors. Since the start of this fiscal year, an additional $5 million was raised from 44 Individuals​ in support of the art museum, bringing the total amount raised for the project to over $33 million.