| Castleton State College | |
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| Established | 1787 |
| Type | Public Liberal Arts |
| Chancellor | Timothy Donovan |
| President | David S. Wolk |
| Dean | Joseph Mark |
| Faculty | 89 |
| Students | 2,000 |
| Undergraduates | 1,800 |
| Postgraduates | 153 |
| Location | Castleton, Vermont, USA 43°36′28″N 73°10′41″W / 43.60778°N 73.17806°W |
| Campus | small town |
| Colors | Green and white |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Website | http://www.castleton.edu |
Castleton State College is a public liberal arts college located at Castleton in the U.S. state of Vermont. Castleton has an enrollment of 2000 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate programs as well as master’s degrees in education.
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History and governance
Castleton State College was founded in 1787 with a charter from the Vermont General Assembly. It is the oldest college in Vermont, the fifth oldest college in New England – after Harvard College (1636), Yale University (1701), Brown University (1764), and Dartmouth College (1769) – and the eighteenth oldest college in the United States.
Castleton was founded as the Rutland Country Grammar School, teaching Greek and Latin and helping to fulfill the Vermont Constitution's requirement of universal free education for Vermont's citizens. In 1867, the State Normal School was founded in Castleton (Normal school, a term based on the French école normale supérieure, is a school to educate teachers). For 30 years the Normal School was privately owned by Abel Leavenworth and his son Philip. In 1912, the State of Vermont purchased the property. In 1947, the Normal School became Castleton Teachers College.
The College saw dramatic growth in students and its stature in the 1920s and 1930s under the direction of Caroline Woodruff. 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." Caroline Woodruff 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 woman and first Vermonter to become president of the National Education Association. With increased enrollment from men, intercollegiate athletics began in the 1950s. In 1962 Castleton joined other state supported colleges in becoming a part of the Vermont State Colleges, a consortium of five colleges governed by a common board of trustees, chancellor and Council of Presidents, each college with its own president and deans.
Campus
The campus is bordered by Mechanic Street to the west, Glenbrook Drive to the East and is bisected by South Street. Seminary Street leads to the President's House after going past Wright House (Admissions), the Casella Fine Arts Center, Levenworth Hall and the Georgian Revival Woodruff Hall. Castleton incorporates a building known as the Old Seminary or Old Chapel (Castleton Medical College Building), which was once the home of an unrelated medical college that operated from 1818 to 1862 and attracted students from around the world. At present the College is undergoing a series of major renovations. A new fitness center was built in 2004. Dorms and an expansion to the science center was completed in 2007. An expansion to the campus center is now underway as part of a $27 million grant from the Vermont State College Directors. The college will also construct a multi-purpose field and new television and radio studios. Construction of the new "Spartan Stadium" is nearly complete. The stadium, designed by architect Chris Sgarzi, features a two-story structure complete with press boxes, bathrooms, a concession stand and seating for 1500 people.
The College's campus, portions of which are built in the Georgian Revival style, was featured in the sci-fi movie Time Chasers, which was spoofed in a classic episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The main character in this movie wears a Castleton tee-shirt through much of the film. More recently, and perhaps due to the cult popularity of the film and its MST3K treatment, the university bookstore has reissued the 1980s style shirts seen in the film.[1]
Athletics
The Castleton State Spartans compete in 20 NCAA Division III Varsity sports in the North Atlantic Conference and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). The Men and Women Varsity Ski Teams compete in the United States Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA). Castleton was also the 1963 NAIA Division III Men's soccer National Champions. Castleton started a football team for the 2009 season as a member of the newly formed Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.
See also
External links
- Castleton State College official website
- Castleton State College is one of the five colleges in the Vermont State Colleges consortium
- Castleton State College is at coordinates 43°36′28″N 73°10′41″W / 43.60778°N 73.17806°WCoordinates: 43°36′28″N 73°10′41″W / 43.60778°N 73.17806°W
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