50 Years Ago…. In the Winter of 1971, nineteen year old Jay Craven (MA GGP ‘78) visited Goddard’s historic campus in Plainfield, VT. One of several stops of his tour of college campuses throughout the country, Craven sought to raise awareness about Vietnamese opposition to the Vietnam war. As part of a delegation of college… Continue reading MAYDAY 1971 RAW: 50th Anniversary Celebration
Category: Featured Posts
Mamadou “Mr. Papis” Traore Brings the Goddard Model to West Africa
Goddard students seeking the path of rigorous, cultural inquiry hail from across the world. Mamadou Traore (BA EDU ’14), whose family and friends know him as “Papi,” embodies Goddard’s holistic approach to education. Originally from Senegal in West Africa, he traversed the globe to attend the Vermont campus where he earned his Bachelor of Arts… Continue reading Mamadou “Mr. Papis” Traore Brings the Goddard Model to West Africa
Remembering Stokely Carmichael
By Russell Neufeld, BA RUP ’69 In the Spring of 1967, Stokely Carmichael spoke at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont and at the University of Vermont in Burlington. At the time, Carmichael was the chairman of SNCC – The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. SNCC was a leading organization of the Civil Rights Movement and Carmichael… Continue reading Remembering Stokely Carmichael
Spotlight: Evan Simone Frazier, MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts
Evan Simone Frazier’s poise, charm and grace reflects her depth of experience when she speaks about her work as a graduate student in the MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts program at Goddard. Graduate study has allowed her the space to interweave her interests in philosophy and psychology, Evan says, and the Interdisciplinary Arts MFA has given… Continue reading Spotlight: Evan Simone Frazier, MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts
Tim Pitkin’s Maple Sugar Time
In 1934, Goddard’s founding president Royce “Tim” Pitkin, prior to moving back to Vermont to help guide the Goddard Seminary to a Junior College, was serving as headmaster in the New London, New Hampshire public school system. In that year he published a book for young adults titled Maple Sugar Time that describes the entire… Continue reading Tim Pitkin’s Maple Sugar Time
Dr. Mayme Clayton, Renegade Librarian and Icon of Black History Preservation
Goddard College would like to formally recognize Dr. Mayme Clayton for her contribution to the field of preservation of Black History. We honor her legacy and commitment to the mission of her Library and Museum: “to collect, preserve, exhibit, and celebrate the unique history and cultural heritage of Americans of African descent.” “I am a… Continue reading Dr. Mayme Clayton, Renegade Librarian and Icon of Black History Preservation
Reckoning and Rupturing by Muriel E. Shockley
Beloved Community, We’ve been in the midst of a reckoning. As I write this missive, the banner across my tv screen reads “Fauci says no time frame for life returning to normal.” Which begs the question: what is normal? What does “ normal” mean when in 2021 the confederate flag, a symbol of treason and… Continue reading Reckoning and Rupturing by Muriel E. Shockley
Love and Ogres: an interview with alum Piers Anthony
This article is updated and adapted from an interview by Dustin Byerly (BA RUP ’01) that originally appeared in Clockworks magazine in 2015. Alumnus and award-winning fantasy author Piers Anthony (BA RUP ’56), has sold over 100 books, 21 of which were on the New York Times Bestseller List. While at Goddard from 1952-1956, he… Continue reading Love and Ogres: an interview with alum Piers Anthony
“The Day That You Bloom” a Commencement Address by Sherri L. Smith
Goddard MFAW Spring 2021 Commencement Speech by Sherri L. Smith (Transcript) Hi Everybody! Welcome to commencement. Okay, let’s just acknowledge it’s been a really weird week. And a really weird year, and the year’s only just begun. I spent some time last weekend thinking about what I was going to say today. And then Tuesday… Continue reading “The Day That You Bloom” a Commencement Address by Sherri L. Smith
Divested From Fossil Fuels, Goddard Invests in People and Planet
Adapted from a post originally published January 14th, 2015 Goddard College achieved the finalization of its divestment. In January 2015, the College moved its endowment funds out of fossil fuel investments and into fossil fuel free accounts at Trillium Asset Management in Boston. Goddard was the third college in Vermont to divest, joining both Sterling… Continue reading Divested From Fossil Fuels, Goddard Invests in People and Planet
The Revolutionary Sound of Archie Shepp
Once a young undergrad with a focus on dramatic arts, Jazz legend Archie Shepp returned to Goddard College’s Haybarn Theater in January 2014 for a rare concert for Plainfield Vermont. He played as a featured guest of The Ronnie Burrage Trio. Archie Shepp’s newest release “Let My People Go” (Archieball records) is a collaboration with… Continue reading The Revolutionary Sound of Archie Shepp
Corona Diary: Reuben Radding, MFAIA-VT Alum
Reuben Radding (MFAIA-VT ’19) in conversation with MFAIA co-Chair Ruth Wallen Q: How has your creative practice changed or evolved during the pandemic? RR: Honestly, my process has hardly changed at all. It’s only the world that’s changed. Working during the pandemic has however brought me back to my origins and bolstered my sense of… Continue reading Corona Diary: Reuben Radding, MFAIA-VT Alum
School of Phish: Jon Fishman’s Goddard Journey
Jon Fishman (BA ’90) is the legendary drummer and vacuum machine-player from the rock band Phish. Phish’s potent blend of progressive rock, jazzy funk, and harmony-infused jam first reached its setting point at Goddard College in Plainfield Vermont where three of the four members earned BA degrees and forged the bond that would carry them… Continue reading School of Phish: Jon Fishman’s Goddard Journey
Trust the Process: Adam & Greer’s leap of faith at Goddard
MFAIA co-Chair Ruth Wallen in conversation with recent graduates, Greer Reed and Adam Cates, MFAIA-VT F2020. During part three of this interview, conducted in November 2020, Greer and Adam continue to reflect upon their graduate studies at Goddard. Ruth Wallen: Could you say specifically what you learned or how you grew during your graduate study… Continue reading Trust the Process: Adam & Greer’s leap of faith at Goddard
Why I Chose Goddard College: Interview with Adam Cates, MFAIA-VT
MFAIA co-Chair Ruth Wallen in conversation with recent graduates, Greer Reed and Adam Cates, MFAIA-VT F2020. During part two of this interview, conducted in November 2020, Adam discusses his creative practices prior to graduate study, his motivation for enrolling in the MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts Program, and his experiences during his first semester. Ruth Wallen:… Continue reading Why I Chose Goddard College: Interview with Adam Cates, MFAIA-VT
Why I Chose Goddard College: Interview with Greer Reed, MFAIA-VT
MFAIA co-Chair Ruth Wallen in conversation with recent graduates, Greer Reed and Adam Cates, MFAIA-VT F2020. During part one of this interview, conducted in November, 2020, Greer discussed their creative practices prior to graduate study, her motivation for enrolling in the MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts Program, and her experiences during her first semester. Ruth Wallen:… Continue reading Why I Chose Goddard College: Interview with Greer Reed, MFAIA-VT
Goddard College Invented Low-Residency (and we’re Re-Inventing Online Degrees)
At Goddard College, we believe higher education degrees should match the ambitions of the student, helping them envision and advance their particular concern, career and goal. Getting a degree should bring about exciting, transformational change, not just a piece of paper for the mantle. And most importantly, you shouldn’t have to turn your life and… Continue reading Goddard College Invented Low-Residency (and we’re Re-Inventing Online Degrees)
Bread & Puppet’s Pandemic Resilience
The Puppeteer Pod It’s Monday on a fall afternoon, when I arrive at the Bread & Puppet Theater on the Heights Road, also known as RT 122 in Glover Vermont. I can hear the puppeteers chatting and doing dishes in the kitchen on their day off. Two veteran puppeteers agreed to sit in the backyard… Continue reading Bread & Puppet’s Pandemic Resilience
Ghost Stories From the Greatwood Campus
Halloween time again, little pretties. Students, faculty, staff, and locals have recounted tales of strange occurrences rumored to have taken place at the Greatwood Campus of Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. The former sheep farm owned by the Martin family transferred ownership in 1938 to the Goddard Seminary and became the Greatwood campus for Goddard… Continue reading Ghost Stories From the Greatwood Campus
President Emerita Reflects on Louise Glück’s Poetic Influence
Dear Goddard, This is an epic moment for us—what Goddard is now, what it has been, what it always will be: our DNA. As we rejoice and celebrate both affirmation of our accreditation status and our former Vermont State Poet and faculty winning the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, I want to share a personal… Continue reading President Emerita Reflects on Louise Glück’s Poetic Influence