Sterling College, the tiny Craftsbury Common work college, named a University of Wyoming dean to be its 12th president.
Scott L. Thomas, the dean of the College of Education for the University of Wyoming, will lead the ecologically centered school, administrators announced Tuesday.
“I was stopped in my tracks upon seeing the job posting, was further inspired by my conversations with Sterling alumnx and current students, and am deeply honored to be invited into Sterling’s story,” Thomas said in a Tuesday press release.
The tiny, 86-student college, which describes itself as “100% environmentally-focused,” will offer associate and bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies this fall. Tuition is roughly $40,600. Room and board is another roughly $11,000. All of the college’s residential students — about 90% of its total enrollment — are required to work in some capacity to earn a degree.
Sterling sits on 130 acres in Craftsbury Common. The 5-acre Sterling Farm contributes food to the dining hall and a locally offered CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture. The college also acts as a steward to 300 acres of wilderness in Wolcott.
Thomas was previously a dean at The University of Vermont and at Claremont Graduate University, according to his curriculum vitae. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a Ph.D in “Educational Policy, Leadership, and Research Methods” from the University of California, Santa Barbara, according to the release.
“Looking forward, we are not only humbled by Dr. Thomas’ credentials but also moved by his enthusiasm for Sterling’s ethos of community, the Work College model, and experiential learning,” Allison Hooper, the chair of the Sterling board of trustees, said in the press release.
Thomas will assume the presidency in June. He will replace interim President Lori Collins-Hall, who held the role since former college President Matthew Derr stepped down in 2021.
