This story was updated at 2:15 p.m. Oct. 16.
[T]he New England Commission of Higher Education and the private Plainfield school jointly announced Monday that the college has been given up to two years to shore up its finances, stabilize its leadership, and reform its governance or it will lose its accreditation.
“In addressing these concerns, the College is working with employees, union leadership, and our Board of Trustees to correct course. During this time, we’ll continue to provide excellent academic programs as well as secure the financial future of the college,” Goddard’s acting president, Steven James, said in a statement.
NECHE voted on Sept. 21 to put the school on probation for not meeting its standards for institutional resources and organization and governance. The school has not been cited for academic quality. NECHE made its decision public this week and will monitor conditions at the school while it is on probation.
Goddard’s enrollment has declined by about half in less than a decade, from 804 in 2010 to 409 this fall, according to college officials. Meanwhile, about 90 percent of its operating budget comes from tuition and fees, according to federal statistics.
The college has also experienced significant turnover in its upper administrative ranks, but the school announced earlier this month that it had found a new president. Bernard Bull will take over on Nov. 1. James, who took the helm when then-president Robert Kenny announced he wouldn’t renew his contract last year, is also currently serving as Goddard’s interim academic dean and chief academic officer, and will stay in that role after Bull arrives.
James said in an interview that the college has been working to more robustly advertise its offerings on social media, and has already seen an uptick in inquiries. The school is also working to make steep reductions in personnel to make ends meet, and is looking to cut anywhere between 20 and 30 percent of its staff and faculty, he said.
“People are on board. People have come to understand the necessity for making these cuts. And people are stepping up,” he said.
Bull did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but in an interview earlier this month, he said that ideas for getting the college through its financial woes would have to be developed in concert with the larger Goddard community. He also sounded an optimistic note, and said the school should market itself based on its nontraditional approach.
“Goddard, from its beginning, has been an experiment. A college of experimentation,” he said. “And I also believe that experimentation will be key to Goddard thriving well into the future.”
Accreditation assures a minimum standard of quality and institutional stability, but it is technically voluntary. Most schools, however, won’t accept transfer credits from non-accredited institutions, and accreditation is required for schools to receive federal funds, including federal financial aid. Goddard remains fully accredited while on probation, which means that transcripts, transfer credits, federal funding, and financial aid remain valid for current students and alumni.
Goddard isn’t the first Vermont school to see its accreditation put in jeopardy recently. As declining enrollments strain the finances of small, liberal arts schools across the region, NECHE has been taking a closer look. Just earlier this summer, the federally recognized accreditor for the six-state region placed the College of St. Joseph in Rutland on probation. It is also planning special visits to Marlboro College and Green Mountain College in Poultney.
Goddard is known for its low-residency model, where students come on campus for eight days a semester and return home for 16 weeks. Its headquarters are in Plainfield, but it also has two locations in Washington state.
NECHE was until recently known as the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education at the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Commission formally separated from NEASC earlier this summer and rebranded.
