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Castleton University

Coordinates: 43°36′25″N 73°10′48″W / 43.607°N 73.180°W / 43.607; -73.180
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This article is about the former independent university in Castleton, Vermont. For the current university in the same location, see Vermont State University.
Castleton University
Former names
Rutland County Grammar School (1787–1828)
Vermont Classical High School (1828–1830)
Castleton Seminary (1830–1876)
State Normal School at Castleton (1867–1920)
Castleton Normal School (1920–1947)
Castleton Teachers College (1947–1962)
Castleton State College (1962–2015)
Castleton University (2015–2023)[1]
SuccessorVermont State University
TypePublic university
Active1787; 238 years ago (1787)–July 2023
AccreditationNECHE
Academic affiliations
Vermont State Colleges
Endowment$7.86 million[2]
ChancellorSophie Zdatny
PresidentMike Smith
Academic staff
80
Administrative staff
200
Students2,399 (2020)[3][4]
Undergraduates1,823 (2020)[3][4]
Postgraduates576 (2020)[3][4]
Location
Castleton
,
Vermont
,
U.S.

43°36′25″N 73°10′48″W / 43.607°N 73.180°W / 43.607; -73.180
CampusRural college town, 165 acres (67 ha)
ColorsCastleton green, dark gray and white[5]
     
NicknameSpartans
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division III – Little East Conference
MascotSparty

Castleton University was a public university in Castleton, Vermont.

In July 2023, Castleton University ceased operations as an independent university after a merger with Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College, forming Vermont State University, of which it now serves as a branch campus.

At the time of its closure, Castleton had an enrollment of 2000 students and offered more than 30 undergraduate programs, as well as master's degrees. It was accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

History

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Castleton University traced its history to the Rutland County Grammar School, chartered by the Vermont General Assembly on October 15, 1787.[6] The Grammar School was a regional school, preparing young men for college through instruction in traditional academic subjects such as Latin and Greek. The institution frequently changed its name during the 19th century. At various times it was known as Castleton Academy, Castleton Academy and Female Seminary, Vermont Classical High School (1828–1830), and Castleton Seminary (1830–1876).[7]

In 1823, instruction in "the solid branches of female education" began for "young Ladies and Misses". By the time of the Civil War, the majority of the students attending Castleton were young women.[8]

In 1829, a three-story brick building costing US$30,000 was constructed on a small hill south of the village. Principal Solomon Foot (1826–1829), who would go on to be President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate during the Civil War, was the driving force in this expansion of the school. The Seminary Building (eventually known as the Old Seminary Building) was the most impressive structure in the village, but expensive to maintain and often too large for the school's struggling enrollment.[9]

Castleton Medical College (1818–1862) was also located in the village. It graduated 1400 students, more than any other medical school in New England at the time. Although Castleton Medical College and Castleton Seminary were separate institutions, they often shared faculty. Today the former medical college building, known as the Old Chapel, is the oldest building on the campus.[10]

The first female principal was Harriet Newell Haskell (1862–1867). She had attended the Seminary as a child, took classes at Middlebury College without being permitted to matriculate, and then attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which was not yet a college but offered a college-level curriculum for women. Although Haskell was in her 20s when she served as principal, the school flourished under her administration. With her departure to be principal of Monticello Ladies Seminary in Godfrey, Illinois, Castleton Seminary went into decline.[11]

The school began its transition from seminary to college in 1867, when the State Normal School at Castleton was founded as one of three state normal schools chartered by Vermont.[12] Normal schools educated students for teaching careers. For 30 years the Normal School property and grounds were privately owned by Abel E. Leavenworth and his son Philip. In 1912, the State of Vermont purchased the property, and the name of the school changed slightly to Castleton Normal School in 1920.[13]

In the 1920s and 1930s, under the direction of Caroline S. Woodruff, the college experienced dramatic growth in students and its stature. Woodruff modernized the school's curriculum, incorporating the theories of Vermont educator-philosopher John Dewey, especially his precepts of "learning by doing" and "learning by teaching". She hired staff with advanced degrees, and broadened her students' exposure to the world by bringing people such as Helen Keller, Robert Frost, and Norman Rockwell to Castleton. Woodruff was the first and only Vermonter to become president of the National Education Association.[14]

In 1947, the Normal School became Castleton Teachers College. With increased enrollment from men, intercollegiate athletics began in the 1950s.[6] In 1962, the institution became Castleton State College when it joined other state-supported colleges in becoming a part of the Vermont State Colleges, a consortium of colleges governed by a common board of trustees, chancellor, and Council of Presidents, each college having its own president and deans.[15] In 1979, the board of trustees proposed a name change to Southern Vermont State College; the proposal was never acted on.[16] On July 23, 2015, the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change the name of the institution to Castleton University.[17]

By 2020 the Vermont State Colleges were in poor financial shape. That year, Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Jeb Spaulding proposed closing Northern Vermont University, closing Vermont Technical College's Randolph campus, and laying off almost 500 employees.[18][19] Even with the proposal, Spaulding told trustees, the system needed an immediate infusion of $25 million to keep operating.[20]

Spaulding withdrew the proposal amid fierce opposition and the state appropriated additional funds to keep all campuses and colleges operating, but lawmakers asked the colleges to come up with plan to address their financial situation.[21] The Vermont State Colleges System formed a committee that recommended merging three of the system's four-year colleges into a single institution with multiple campuses.[22] The proposal was projected to save the system $25 million over five years.[23] The new, consolidated, Vermont State University opened in July, 2023 and Castleton as an independent academic institution ceased to exist.[24]

Athletics

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Main article: Castleton Spartans

The Castleton Spartans compete in 28 NCAA Division III varsity sports (14 men's 14 women's).

Notable alumni

[edit]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Castleton Accreditation Documents: Castleton University Self-Study Report 2021". www.castleton.edu. Castleton University. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  2. ^ As of December 31, 2015. "2015 Performance Indicators Executive Summary" (PDF). VSC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-10.
  3. ^ a b c "Quick Facts".
  4. ^ a b c "Castleton University | Data USA".
  5. ^ "Colors". Castleton University. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  6. ^ a b "A Brief History of Castleton". Castleton State College. 2010. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  7. ^ Peffer 2012, pp. 317–318.
  8. ^ Peffer 2012, pp. 20, 42.
  9. ^ Peffer 2012, pp. 21–25.
  10. ^ Waite, Frederick Clayton. The First Medical College in Vermont: Castleton 1818–1862. Vermont Historical Society (1949).
  11. ^ Peffer 2012, pp. 36–45.
  12. ^ "About the College - Castleton State College - Acalog ACMS™". catalog.castleton.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  13. ^ John Duffy; Samuel H; Ralph Orth, eds. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. Burlington, Vt.: University Press of New England. p. 78. ISBN 9781584650867.
  14. ^ "Undergraduate Catalog 2011–12" (PDF). Castleton State College. 2011. p. 5. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  15. ^ Vermont State Colleges Manual of Policies and Procedures, Section A: Statute and By-Laws. Vermont State Colleges (2003). pgs. 4, 21.
  16. ^ Peffer 2012, pp. 238–239.
  17. ^ Crawford, Logan (July 23, 2015). "CSC becomes Castleton University". WCAX. Burlington, Vt. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  18. ^ Duffort, Lola (2020-04-17). "Vermont State Colleges chancellor to recommend closing three campuses". VTDigger. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  19. ^ Sabataso, Jim (January 14, 2021). "Report Offers Another VSC Plan". Rutland Daily Herald. p. A3.
  20. ^ Duffort, Lola (April 21, 2020). "Vermont State Colleges need $25 million now — even if three campuses close". VTDigger. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  21. ^ Bakuli, Ethan. "After backlash, Vermont State Colleges chancellor withdraws proposal to close three campuses". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  22. ^ Bakuli, Ethan. "VSC Will Freeze Tuition". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  23. ^ "Three Vermont Schools Merge to Stay Afloat During Pandemic". The College Post. February 22, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  24. ^ Bauer-Wolf, Jeremy (October 3, 2023). "Vermont State University looks to eliminate 10 programs, up to 33 full-time faculty". Higher Ed Dive. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  25. ^ Rutland Herald (September 16, 2010). "Former MLB Pitcher, Castleton's Bentz blooming at Vermont". Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  26. ^ Carleton, Hiram (1903). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont. Vol. II. New York, NY: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 105 – via Internet Archive.
  27. ^ "Brattleboro Judge Dead at Age of 70". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. October 23, 1937. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Bill Carris' Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  29. ^ "Barbara Crampton". Why Horror?. Archived from the original on 2014-11-03.
  30. ^ Writer, James Biggam Staff. "World Cup skier joins Castleton football". Rutland Herald. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  31. ^ Callahan-Bever, Noah (August 27, 2010). "R.I.P. Scott La Rock – Remembering the BDP Legend 23 Years Later". XXL Magazine. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  32. ^ Secretary of the Vermont Senate (2017). "Biography, Kevin J. Mullin". Vermont State Senators, 2017-2018. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly.
  33. ^ Poole, Murray Edward (1893). "411. CYRUS OLIVER.". The History of Edward Poole of Weymouth, Mass. (1635) and His Descendants (Public domain ed.). Press of the Ithaca Democrat. p. 39.
  34. ^ Carter, Cornelia M. Redington (1909). Leach, Josiah Granville (ed.). John Redington of Topsfield, Massachusetts, and Some of His Descendants With Notes On the Wales Family. Boston, MA: David Clapp & Son. pp. 21, 27 – via Google Books.
  35. ^ "Representative Jarrod Sammis". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  36. ^ Friedman, Lilli (June 27, 2014). "Summer Stars: Twiddle", Relix. Retrieved June 12, 2016.

Further reading

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  • Peffer, Tony, ed. (2012). Big Heart: The Journey to Castleton's Two Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Birthday. Castleton, Vt.: Castleton State College.
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