Mission and History

The history of Sterling is one of change and innovation. Attuned to the times, it adapted and evolved; this characteristic is part of our institutional DNA. Today, Sterling is a leading voice for the liberal arts through the lens of ecology.

Founded in 1958, first as a traditional boarding school for boys, Sterling has embraced for over fifty years the value of small classes, hard work, and the College’s beautiful rural location as inspiration for its pioneering place in the landscape of American education.

Sterling was among the early initiatives in the United States to combine academic study and practical training in an effort to prepare environmental stewards in agriculture, conservation, and outdoor education. Through its “Grassroots Project,” Sterling was one of the first colleges in the nation to look at the relationship between conservation and agriculture. What we see as advocacy for “sustainability” and “local food” in contemporary media has been the underlying purpose at Sterling College for three decades.

“At the core of all Sterling programs is the concern for the relationship between man [sic] and his [sic] environment. No more critical issue faces society today, and it has become very clear that neither the narrow technician nor the uninformed idealist can reach a solution alone. Sterling provides a comprehensive bridge between thought and deed as its students confront questions that affect the future of us all.”

- Sterling College publication, 1978