Last spring, with the support of concerned alumni like us, Middlebury students made their fourth major attempt since 1970 to persuade the college that its institutional investing should reflect concerns about issues such as peace, human rights, environmental justice and corporate social responsibility.
On Jan. 17, The Middlebury Snow Bowl hosted a Fostering Inclusive Recreation Experience (FIRE) event at the bowl for the second year in a row, providing BIPOC students with free transportation, ski lessons, equipment rentals and passes for a night of skiing. FIRE is a student organization with the mission of reducing barriers to outdoor sports for marginalized groups at Middlebury. The club leads outdoor trips year-round that involve hiking, backpacking, ice skating, fishing, skiing and ice climbing.
Members of the Middlebury community gathered in Dana Auditorium on Jan. 14 to experience a collection of short films that transported them across the world and into the lives of a wide range of remarkable storytellers. This year the films featured stories from outdoor landscapes everywhere from Mexico, California, Sweden, Japan, Zambia and beyond.
Ian Baucom, the provost of the University of Virginia (UVA), will serve as the 18th President of Middlebury College. The college announced his selection for the presidency at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, after a unanimous recommendation by the Presidential Search Committee was affirmed by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday afternoon. He will assume the office on July 1, 2025.
Exterior furnishing and interior development remain well underway on the new first year dorm located between Coffrin Hall and BiHall, situated on the northern end of Battell Beach. The new dorm is set to replace Battell Hall, which will be torn down and replaced by an updated college art museum and multipurpose learning space in the coming years.
Middlebury College President Laurie Patton cut the ribbon to officially open the South Street Extension solar array on Thursday, Oct. 24, unveiling a project that will now provide 40% of the college’s total electricity. The college hosted the event along with the developer, Encore Renewable Energy, and owner and operator, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company.
While only seven percent of Middlebury graduates go on to pursue careers in government, law and policy, those who do have a considerable influence on the direction of federal, state and local policymaking.
Alumni of one of the college’s most popular departments lead Supreme Court confirmation battles, lobby legislators in Montpelier and run political campaigns in the tightest of battleground districts. Some are political junkies; others are avowedly apolitical. This week, The Campus spoke with 10 former Panthers who are shaping the course of American politics and government in the 21st century.
In an era marked by climate change and unprecedented environmental disasters, the topic of climate has been notably absent from this year’s presidential campaigns. Although the majority of Americans support some form of action, climate change is one of the most politically divisive issues in American politics and one of the least important issues to voters — only 21% of voters cite it as being a very important factor in their vote in a recent Gallup poll.
Representatives from Middlebury College, Encore Renewable Energy, and Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company came together October 24 for a ribbon cutting event celebrating the activation of a five-megawatt solar array that provides the College with 40 percent of its total electricity.
