Editor’s note: Cate Marvin is a poet who teaches creative writing at the City University of New York. Her latest book is Oracle (Norton, 2015). She lives in Scarborough, Maine, and is a 1993 graduate of Marlboro College.
I am a 1993 graduate of Marlboro College, and I write today to apprise Vermont Digger readers of a matter that I believe reveals why the school’s present leadership should not be allowed to succeed in its goal of transferring its assets to Emerson College. This issue is in front of the Vermont Attorney General now, and the public should be aware.
Ironically, less than a year ago today, Marlboro College President Quigley stood in my backyard in Scarborough, Maine, holding forth to a group of some 30 alums on the wisdom of merging the college with University of Bridgeport. He was not originally expected to be in attendance at this alumni gathering. Once this merger was announced (to the immense surprise of the entire community), he repurposed this event to convey the wholly unanticipated message that the college was in dire financial straits.
Six years ago, I spearheaded an effort to raise an endowed fund to support an annual award that would honor a recently passed classmate, Jed Fels ’92. We raised over $15,000.00 in a matter of months.
This was the same year that President Quigley began his job at the college. At no point did he, as president, speak personally to the leaders of our group about widening our goals and assisting the college at a greater level. We had no idea the college was in jeopardy. If we had, would we have strived to create an endowed fund to fuel our prize so that it might be awarded throughout the future life of the college? No.
Last November, after learning of the college’s intent to gift its endowment to Emerson, we politely requested that the college return these funds. Rennie Washburn, then the chief officer of development (but now, coincidentally perhaps, an employee of Emerson College) confirmed the receipt of our request, stating that the college would reply soon. Four months later, I checked back in. She stated, “No word yet – still working with our attorneys on this.” We never heard from her again. In fact, the administration has never responded to our request. Mind you, there were over 100 donors to this particular fund. For a college of Marlboro’s size, that is a significant number of invested alumni.
I am disappointed by the manner in which the college has handled our simple request. Moreover, I find the way the administration and board has coordinated the “merger” and its fallout to be shockingly unprofessional. Alumni were blamed for not giving enough money (the insinuation being that the closure of the college is implicitly our fault); alumni were accused of harassment when they expressed dismay on social media forums that the college was closing. Alumni were scolded when they suggested strategies for keeping the college open. Alumni were ultimately blamed for the dysfunction of the current college community, something they knew little about prior to this situation.
I don’t recognize Kevin Quigley’s Marlboro College. It is truly not the school I attended. I believe that has much to do with the erosion of the laws of self-governance upon which the institution was founded. I hold Kevin responsible for the disappearance of fair representation of all voices, of Marlboro’s trademark transparency, and I don’t think he understands the central ethos of the college. Marlboro was never a fancy little college. It is meant to be a tough, almost rustic, idealistic place where, given its isolation from the larger world, you are allowed to focus solely on your studies and contributing to the community of which you are a part.
My Marlboro story is pretty simple – but it’s the kind of story the school was created for. When I showed up on the campus in 1988, I was a singularly dismal student, and it would be fair to say I had yet to learn how to appreciate the life I was given. Marlboro taught me how to love, how to be a contributing member of a community, how to be genuinely happy, and how to study.
I take my Marlboro experience with me everywhere, but most especially into the classroom, where I teach underserved populations. How do I bring Marlboro with me? I ask students to think for themselves. I direct them to find their passions and to pursue their higher callings. I try to do for them what Marlboro did for me, which is ultimately embodied by a highly personal form of mentorship. It is profoundly disappointing to know that this educational model on Potash Hill is in danger of going away – despite Marlboro’s deep resources.
It has been my aim to demonstrate the value of Marlboro College, and to, more importantly, make the argument that its fate should not be in the hands of such inept leadership. I urge readers who feel the same to make their voices heard, while this asset transfer to Emerson College is still under scrutiny by the Vermont Attorney General.
