Community and Connection

“There is a certain magic found in a community of students and scholars gathered amidst the beauty of these hills, the beauty of this natural world, to pursue, question, advance, and reinvent disciplines of thought.”

Initiative Two: Community and Connection

We are going to:

1. Foster a vibrant and joyful campus life by creating gathering spaces across campus, establishing shared times for celebration, and revitalizing traditions that strengthen our residential community. Investing in a variety of campus spaces where people can come together to have fun—food trucks, a campus pub, firepits, an outdoor skating rink, volleyball courts, and expanded venues for live music, club sports, and the arts—will help members of the community connect with each other and cultivate a sense of belonging and shared culture.
    
2. Broaden access for faculty, students, and staff to the beauty and power of our Vermont setting while promoting year-round recreation and supporting physical and mental well-being. Middlebury’s rural location between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains fosters a close relationship to the natural world and opportunities for education, recreation, and community. Our goal is to increase access to these essential resources—the Snowbowl, Rikert Outdoor Center, and the Knoll farm on campus and the Green Mountains and lakes of Vermont that surround us—making them ever more welcoming to our community.
    
3. Explore how Middlebury’s structures, calendar, and schedules can create time and space for joy, meaningful engagement, and long-term well-being while supporting our educational mission. By closely analyzing how our calendar, structures, and daily rhythms shape life on campus, we will be intentional about opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to balance work, recreation, and study. 
    
4. Celebrate athletics by investing in coaching, new and renewed facilities, and student-athletes and create game-day “Middlebury Saturday” gatherings to support our teams and enjoy community. Athletics reflect core Middlebury values: discipline, teamwork, resilience, and joy. To support student-athletes as they strive to perform at their best, we will invest in exceptional coaches and state-of-the-art facilities that advance our position at the forefront of Division III. Recognizing the power of sports to build community, we will promote regular game-day events for the community. 
    
5. Invest in a new student and community center designed to foster connection, shared experience, and a strong sense of place. A new center for students, faculty, staff, and alumni will serve as the “living room” for campus, offering multiuse, flexible, accessible spaces for organized events and spontaneous interactions and a variety of community activities. 
    
6. Explore additional spaces to support learning and community, including expanded teaching and research facilities and a health, wellness, and recreation center. Middlebury’s built environment is critical to the intellectual life of our learning community and to its mental and physical health. We will closely assess existing academic buildings to determine how best to invest in new facilities to support research and teaching now and in the future. We will also explore the creation of a health, wellness, and recreation center that holistically supports student, faculty, and staff well-being.