Presidential Search Prospectus
Search Calendar
Search Committee
Board of Trustees
Contact Information

College Mission  
The Sterling College community combines structured academic study with experiential challenges and plain hard work to build responsible problem solvers who become stewards of the environment as they pursue productive lives.

Introduction
Sterling College, founded as an institution in 1958, is searching for its seventh president whose duties will commence not later than July 1, 2006. The Presidential Search Committee invites persons with a record of institutional leadership and abiding interests in environmental stewardship and experiential learning to apply. Academic and professional couples are welcome. Review of applications begins October 1, 2005 and we hope to identify semifinalists by November 1.

Presidential searches are major events in the life of an institution and just as important for the person selected. The fit of a leader to a college is, however, hard to get right. For that reason, we describe the college as it exists today, honoring the progress we have made but acknowledging challenges for the next president. Sterling College is not a conventional institution, whether because of its environmental mission, small size, rural location, or challenges. And it will not prosper with an ordinary leader.

Our description will be direct and unadorned, partly reflecting the simple living of northern Vermont. But that quality alone would not define this special college. We need to convey the high ideals and romance of Sterling College, whose small learning community connects so intimately with its rural environment of great natural beauty. Sterling is a secular institution, but its culture supports spiritual growth in ways not found in a conventional school. The phrase “plain hard work” in our mission statement speaks to the community’s work ethic and Sterling is a place where all students and staff participate in the campus work program.

Evolution of a Small College
Located in the Northeast Kingdom, where people still live close to the land, Sterling was founded in 1958 as a boys’ preparatory school. It was named after Margaret Sterling, the wife of Douglas Field, one of the founders. Soon its educational philosophy became rooted in the precepts developed by Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound. His philosophy integrated four elements: academic study, physical challenge, craftsmanship, and service to others.

In the early 1960’s, Hahn’s concepts found fertile soil in Craftsbury Common under the leadership of a new headmaster, W. E. “Ted” Bermingham. In late November, 1964, the first Winter Expedition bivouacked at the base of West Mountain near the Canadian border. Winter Expedition still marks the end of fall semester.

The mottoes of the school (“Nourish the Roots”) and later, the college (“Working Hands, Working Minds”) epitomize this unique, dynamic, forward-looking institution. When the preparatory school market waned in the early 1970’s, Sterling responded creatively. First came the “Academic Short Course in Outdoor Leadership,” a twenty-one day program for students 13 to 16 years old. Hundreds of young people came to Sterling for an intense learning experience with one of our most effective teachers, a Vermont winter. The “Short Course” brought women to campus to share equally the benefits of a Sterling education. The concept was extended to a year-long “Grassroots Project.” Designed by dedicated faculty—Dave Brown, Ned Houston, Ann Ingerson, and Bill Manning—as well as veterans from the boys' school, Dave Linck and Steve Wright, the “Short Course” was an immediate success. Manning became president in 1977. He and this team, including Diane and Ross Morgan, led Sterling to higher education. The first Associate of Arts degree was awarded in 1982, and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges first granted accreditation to Sterling College in 1987.

The history of Sterling, like other small independent colleges, is one of incremental steps toward academic distinction and financial stability. For the first fifteen years of its existence as a college, Sterling enrolled less than 50 students, which restricted what the college could offer and constrained its budget. While community spirit was resilient, facilities were uneven. In the 1980s, the Trustees began to strengthen themselves as a governing body and the Board focused on financial stewardship and building endowment, which eased pressure on the operating budget. Major gifts helped build today’s endowment of $750,000. Other pivotal decisions were growing enrollment to its present level of 100, greatly aided by having a new, four-year Bachelors degree. These enhancements, in turn, made it possible to attract new faculty and leaders with advanced credentials. Still, a Sterling budget, past and present, requires close monitoring. 

More could be said about the early days as well as the progress a small community has made under spirited leadership. Substantial contributions, financial and moral, to the transformation came from other persons, notably Board Chairs Marvin Brown, Virginia de Ganahl Russell, Peter Albert McKay, and Lewis Cohen and Trustees Dave Behrend, Don Brigham, Georgiana Ducas, Dr. George Hill, Greg Leech, and Mark Schroeder. During President Steve Wright’s administration, for example, the Brown Library and the McCarthy Barns were constructed. The Library was designed by a trustee architect, Sam Russell, and built with student labor managed by another trustee, Greg Leech. Finally, several trustees came to the Board as parents of students who have used the Sterling experience to change their lives.

In the fall of 2003, a merger that brought the Center for Northern Studies to Sterling College was completed. With a background in Arctic science, Steven Young, Ph.D., had founded the Center for Northern Studies in 1971 as an institution to help prepare young researchers for work in the North. The Center pioneered Winter Ecology, an intensive January course about adaptations to the cold, capitalizing on its conserved land in adjacent Bear Swamp with its sub-arctic environment. The Center, focusing on the flora, fauna, and cultures of the circumpolar north, has been running since 1973 in nearby Wolcott. Its facility sits on the edge of Bear Swamp and 300 acres of protected boreal forest. The sphagnum, heaths, and stunted black spruce trees are comparable to those of interior Alaska—students from Sterling and other colleges now study with the Center and its distinguished faculty. Dr. Young also initiated contacts with the University of the Arctic, the educational initiative of the Arctic Council, thus opening up the potential for international student and faculty mobility. His field research in Siberia, Mongolia, and Alaska continues.

Sterling College in 2005
The rate of progress for the last ten years at Sterling has been remarkable. Carrying forward the academic vision of Hahn and Bermingham, the Sterling community recruited Jed Williamson, former Outward Bound School Director, mountain climber, and U.S. National Biathlon Team member. As a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire, Jed designed a graduate program in experiential education. As the editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering, he is a recognized authority on mountaineering safety. Jed was appointed president in 1996 and was joined by his wife, Perry, who served as Sterling’s development officer. During Jed and Perry’s tenure, re-accreditation in 1997 included the Baccalaureate, a significant academic expansion for the college. The Williamsons’ spirited leadership attracted new members to the Board, new faculty members, and new sources of funding.

Curriculum
The curriculum offers far more than that of a conventional college. In addition to an academic program, Sterling students participate in the Work Program and 70% enjoy field-study trips to the circumpolar north, and travel programs to Belize’s jungles and to Himalayan mountain cultures. Students choose one of five majors: Outdoor Education and Leadership; Sustainable Agriculture; Wildlands Ecology and Management; Northern Studies; or a Self-designed Major. On-campus programs are augmented by the off-campus internships, which allow students to gain valuable work experience and provide service to others while earning college credits. Being a member of the national Work Colleges Consortium, which is partly supported by the Department of Education, means that every student engages in chores and work on all aspects of campus life.

A Sterling education integrates academic learning with environmental stewardship. Students use laptops for their studies and also learn to make a canoe paddle. Recommended clothing includes rugged work clothes, long underwear, backpack, mess kit, orienteering compass, hardhat, skis and snow shoes, and leather work boots with steel toes and felt liners.

College Setting
Sterling’s campus is very much a part of life in Craftsbury Common, a village of classic New England beauty that sits on a ridge overlooking the forested sweep of northern Vermont's hills and mountains. The college's white-clapboard buildings blend in with those of neighbors around the Common, where on spring afternoons baseball games are played, a farmers’ market opens Saturday mornings, and fairs and social events occur all summer long. On summer evenings the town gathers for bandstand concerts.

Our setting is not mere scenic backdrop. Students engage local crafts-people and other community members as part of a living laboratory for Sterling's unique approach to learning. The surrounding rivers, woods, and mountains, as well as the college's farm and woodlot, are all teaching facilities. Sterling also has arrangements with northern Vermont landowners, farmers, schools, and businesses to provide students with work and "lab" experiences not available on campus.

Sterling’s home, Craftsbury Common, was first settled in 1789, and the local economy has always been based on forestry, farming, and education. The Town of Craftsbury has its own school system, three churches, two public libraries, a volunteer fire department (on which several faculty members serve), and small businesses. Northern Vermont is also the home of creative artists, among them writers, musicians, and visual and film artists. Most notable among regional events are annual productions presented by Bread and Puppet Theater, concerts by the Craftsbury Chamber Players, a group of professional musicians who summer in our community, and Jay Craven’s films, which are nationally known.

Craftsbury is surrounded by outdoor resources that draw sports enthusiasts worldwide. Craftsbury Outdoor Center offers 50 km of groomed cross-country trails. Stowe and Jay Peak are popular for downhill skiing and snow-boarding. The Green Mountains of Vermont, White Mountains of New Hampshire, and their lakes and streams are just outside the back door. Burlington, a lively college town, is 65 miles to the west, while the French culture of Quebec is 30 miles to the north. Montreal is two hours by car.  Students enjoy the lakes of the "Eastern Townships," the Gaspe Peninsula and Prince Edward Island, and the Maine coast.

Faculty and Staff
Sterling attracts faculty and staff who are dedicated to undergraduate teaching, an interdisciplinary curriculum and varied learning modes. A diverse group with a broad range of teaching styles and research interests, they are unified by an affinity for small-town life, by a passionate interest in relating human experience to natural resources, and by a commitment to working with students as whole people. Their research includes investigations of the relationship between work and learning on college campuses, comparative studies of the flora and fauna of polar regions, and field trials of alternative energy technologies. Full descriptions can be found online on the college’s website.

Sterling Students
The majority of Sterling College students arrive from the northeast United States, with the greater number coming from New England. Annually, students arrive from the Midwest, California, and the Northwest. International students are welcome, with the greatest number from Japan. Two thirds of Sterling's student body are graduates of traditional public and private high school education. The remaining third have been home schooled, attended high school in an alternative setting, or took a few years to travel and work before attending college. The average age of the entering student is 19.

Of the entering class of 31 in 2004, forty-four percent submitted their SAT scores with a combined average score of 1121. Fifty percent have taken AP or Honors courses in Algebra, Chemistry, Calculus, English, Geometry, History, Computer Science, and Physics. Seventy-two percent graduated from public high schools, twenty-two percent from private high schools, one student was home-schooled. Previously, Sterling’s transfer students attended institutions such as Bowdoin College, Community College of Vermont, Dartmouth College, Middlebury College, National Outdoor Leadership School, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Northeastern Illinois University, State University of New York, University of Maine, University of Vermont, and University of Wisconsin.

Personal interests describe an unusual student body: art, broadcasting, cooking, environmental activism, gardening, horses, long-boarding, martial arts, meditation, milfoil eradication, raising chickens and sheep, reading, running, and singing. Our students have been volunteers with AmeriCorps, animal shelters, English as a Second Language Program, environmental education programs, fire departments, inner-city gardens, meals-on-wheels, Pakistani refugees, the Food Project, walks for cancer, hunger and homelessness, women’s center, and work projects in Haiti. Seventy-seven percent have engaged in outdoor or challenge activities such as backpacking, biking, camping, canoeing, fishing and hunting, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, and water sports.

Sterling Alumni/ae
Sterling has 1,159 alumni/ae who pursue careers such as a large animal veterinarian, a park ranger in New Jersey; a program director for the Farm School; an environmental technician for a waste management firm; a Ph.D. in physics who now develops environmentally safe batteries; a surveyor for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska; a firefighter with the U.S. Park Service; a film maker who works for WGBH radio, runs marathons, and reports on women and mountain climbing; an owner and manager of an organic turkey farm; a lawyer working on environmental issues; a director of research in fire ecology; a Montpelier policeman; a director of Asian projects for a major philanthropic organization; a landscape artist living on the coast of Maine; a middle school math teacher; and an Outward Bound instructor. 

Sterling students also go on to graduate school. Of 48 graduates from the new baccalaureate program, 17 % are in graduate school, or have completed at least one graduate degree at institutions like the University of Maine (fire ecology), the School for International Training (social justice), Simmons College (English), and the International Plant Science Center, New York Botanical Gardens (systematic and economic botany).

College Facilities
The 132 acre campus includes twelve buildings. Among them are newly renovated residential, administrative, and classroom facilities, a wood shop, and focused library. Modest dorm facilities house 80 students. Two small computer labs support the curriculum and all classrooms are wired for Internet access. Northern Studies property, six miles west, includes a classroom and lab building and a 300 acre boreal forest and swamp. Outdoor teaching facilities include a managed woodlot, climbing wall, organic garden, moveable hoop-house, glass greenhouse, and a working livestock farm with two barns. The meat and organic vegetables harvested from the Sterling farm and nearby plots are served in the dining hall.   

Institutional Finances and Fund Raising   
Perhaps the strongest indicator of Sterling’s financial health is the fact that long-term liabilities are only 10% of assets. The college has $341,118 in long-term liabilities set against property and equipment of $2,179,796 and an endowment of $750,000. The audited operating budgets for the college have been in balance for the last eight years. The budget projection from February, 2005 is for total income at $2,088,498. Tuition revenue is projected at $1,500,000, annual giving is at $230,000 and restricted grants total $198,000, the largest portion in conjunction with the Work Colleges Consortium. Financial aid covers, on average, about 30% of total cost for a student. Cash on hand at the start of 2004 was $300,000. A planned deficit of $80,000 is projected for this year to cover an enrollment shortfall and expenses connected with the Center for Northern Studies merger. A line of credit has not been used in recent years and endowment income has been reinvested rather than contributed to operations, which is another sign of conservative fiscal policy. Tuition, room and board for 2005-06 was approved at $23,285, an increase of 5% over the previous year.  

The 2003-04 Annual Fund raised $230,922 from 341 persons and three foundations where the largest categories were alumni/ae and parents. Trustee giving for the last ten years averages $75,000 not including major gifts to the Capital Campaign. With few exceptions, Board giving has been at the level of 100%. The college launched a Capital Campaign that has raised $1.6 million to date, making it possible to improve facilities. We are pleased to report that the Freeman Foundation has agreed to continue its scholarship support for Vermont students and for an Asian exchange program.

Institutional Strengths  
Sterling’s most important asset is its lively learning community, certainly so in comparison to large public and private institutions that might use the term. The academic curriculum, work and travel programs, the college’s community culture, and contacts with rural networks—all are integrated in the student’s college experience.

Sterling’s curriculum is unique, powerful and fascinating to a student of teaching and learning. A faculty member who is new to the community talks about the fertile integration of indoor and outdoor education, whether stimulated by field study trips, outdoor adventures, or the work program. Integration is a powerful concept, too, for campus studies because academic study at Sterling is interdisciplinary in spirit, in contrast to what students may find in a conventional school. In recent years, the academic curriculum also has been enriched and the faculty envisions additional changes to improve quality and assessment.

The campus culture is of human scale. People know each other by first names and come to depend upon one another to work a garden, write a paper, or plan a trek. Faculty, students and staff eat in a common area where, depending upon the season, the food is produced by the college or local farmers. Classes are small—students and faculty become known to each other as whole persons. A small, close community of people with high principles also means that individuals have to learn to manage conflict and to learn how to compromise and care for one another.

Sterling has growing international aspirations. Travel programs to South America, Japan, Canada, and the Himalayas have been discussed earlier. The recent merger with the Center for Northern Studies has brought academic networks for field studies of the circumpolar north, active relationship with the Smithsonian Institution, and contacts in Mongolia. More than ever in its history, Sterling College is an active partner in associations like the Work Colleges Consortium and the University of the Artic.

Sterling’s board brings deep experience to the college and, for the last five years, it has focused on building its ranks and increasing giving. It is a working board that understands the prerogatives of the president and is comfortable with candid discussion about appropriate boundaries between administrative and board responsibilities. In sum, the college has built a durable platform for growth. The right leader for Sterling can make a major contribution to a worthy institution and know that he or she is changing lives while protecting the environment. The community has shown its openness to change and will support a new president whose initiatives advance Sterling’s values.

Institutional Challenges
The community is ready for a new vision for sustainable growth, one that is consistent with Sterling commitments. By all accounts, Sterling College has made remarkable progress in the last ten years. But challenges remain and several of them in combination describe an exciting opportunity to the right leader. The college is completing a long-range plan, which has been a two-year process with input from all constituencies. That plan seeks to increase enrollment, to strengthen the academic curriculum, and to improve sustainability in college operations.

Growth in enrollment is essential. The curriculum will offer more options for students and just work better if, in five years, annual enrollment is increased to 125 students, if not 140. While the budget is balanced, strategic investments are needed in facilities, faculty salaries, and scholarships. Sterling also needs to upgrade its computer and science labs, and communications technology, in general. Ideally, the new president would attract external grants to improve the sustainability of campus facilities.

An enrollment of 140 students would require fund raising to support an expanded vision. Fund raising, of course, is part of any president’s portfolio and Sterling has laid a good foundation. Certainly, the new president would want to continue building the Board of Trustees and to create a partnership for growth with the Chair of the Board.

New academic programs will be needed, such as a low-residency masters program, or innovative ways to use the campus during summer. A person with the right vision would reach out for quality partners like our ongoing relationship with the Smithsonian Institution. Classrooms are nearly at capacity and new extracurricular programs in athletics, arts, and music will be needed to attract students who today do not consider us. Sterling’s dorms also need improving and additional beds would have to be added to support on campus enrollment of more than 100, our current level. The board and the administration understand that financial models are needed to advance this thinking and that work will commence in the fall.

Finally, to grow the college will take increased national and international visibility of Sterling College, its values and academic programs.

Selection Criteria
Sterling College seeks an experienced leader who understands the college’s mission and has the vision, energy, and leadership to increase public awareness of the college, to expand enrollment, to increase fund raising, and to strengthen the academic program. Most important is a commitment to the values espoused by the college and the character to live by those values. The president is expected to live on the Common in college housing and to be active in the college community.

Demonstrated Leadership. The ideal candidate will have five years of experience as an effective, compassionate, visionary leader. He or she encourages openness in decision making, is a supervisor who motivates others, and empowers a small community with skills in strategic planning and evaluation. Qualities of leading by example, modesty, humor, and personal warmth will help the president be successful in an intimate community. While on campus, the president interacts with students daily and he or she should feel comfortable with Sterling’s informal culture.

Academic Preparation. The ideal candidate will have earned a terminal degree, have teaching and advising experience at the college level, and a commitment to learning and scholarship, broadly defined. Experience with integrating career studies with the liberal arts is desirable as well as managing a curriculum that has competing interests such as sustainable agriculture and outdoor leadership. Sterling’s curriculum has expanded to include upper division courses in the last five years and now the faculty faces challenges with curricular sequencing and coordination, for which prior experience would be valuable.

Financial Management. The ideal candidate will understand the budget process and have had experience monitoring an institutional budget. Sterling’s budget is not complex and the president is expected to know its details. Presently, the president functions as the Chief Financial Officer with staff support.

Record of Fund Raising. The ideal candidate has a record of fund raising for institutions like Sterling and can document specific accomplishments. The candidate will have experience with the technology of fund raising and have built a volunteer board by attracting new friends and donors.

Experience with Admissions and Marketing. The ideal candidate understands the technology of enrollment management, both admissions and retention, and has a record of growing enrollment at comparable institutions.

Advocate for the Environment and Experiential Education. The ideal candidate will have led an organization of national or international scope to protect the environment. The candidate also understands the theory and methods of experiential learning. He or she is a dynamic public speaker and effective writer who will use the bully pulpit of a college presidency to advocate for the college and its values. The ideal candidate will appreciate living and working in a rural environment, knowing its beauty and special challenges, and enjoy the outdoors and activities that the college sponsors.

Presidential Compensation
The Trustees and the Search Committee will give special attention to compensation of the president or, in the event of a partnership, total family compensation. Sterling is a small institution, enrolling 100 students, but base salary and benefits are attractive. Housing and other allowances are provided for living and entertaining such as participation in the college food plan with other staff and faculty members.

Directions to the Sterling Campus
Sterling College is located in the town of Craftsbury in Orleans County, Vermont. This area of Vermont is known as “The Northeast Kingdom.” Craftsbury is 30 miles south of the Canadian border in the center of the state. Sterling College by car is two hours from Montreal, four hours from Boston, and six hours from New York City. There is airline service to Burlington, one and a half hours away. Access to this area by car is provided by I-91, I-93, and I-89.

Contact Information

Inquiries, nominations and applications can be forwarded in confidence to: Jackson Kytle, Chair, Search Committee, Sterling College at: jkytle@sterlingcollege.edu. Electronic applications should include a cover letter, statement of interest, and curriculum vitae and they will be reviewed starting October 1, 2005. Sterling College is an equal opportunity employer and candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.  

Anticipated Search Calendar

Presidential Search Committee

Jackson Kytle, Ph.D., Chair of the Committee Vice-Chair of the Board  jkytle@sterlingcollege.edu

Susan Bryant P'00 Chair of the Board bryantsu@post.harvard.edu

Dean Engle Trustee deancengle@gmail.com

Lewis Cohen P'96 Emeritus Trustee and Chair of the Board lewcoh@aol.com

David Stoner Trustee davestoner@direcway.com

E. Perry Thomas, Ph.D. Dean of the College pthomas@sterlingcollege.edu

Abigail Faulkner  ‘84 Secretary of the Board hguion@pshift.com

Kate Clark, J.D. '88   Trustee kclark@scmllp.com

Shona Sladyk Staff to the Committee Administrative Assistant to the President and Assistant Director of Development ssladyk@sterlingcollege.edu

Board of Trustees

Susan Bryant P'00 Chairwoman Norfolk, VA Independent Educational Consultant

Jackson Kytle, Ph.D. Vice Chairman New York, NY Deputy Provost, New School

Mark Schroeder, Ph.D Treasurer Belvidere, VT  CEO, Oliver Grain and Seed (Retired)

Abigail (Apple) Faulkner '84 Secretary East Montpelier, VT Homemaker, Volunteer

Trustees

Advisory Council

Caroline Alexander, Ph.D. Holderness, NH Classics Scholar and Author

Peter Fairbanks '64 San Francisco, CA Owner of Montgomery Art Gallery, San Francisco

John Graham Langley, WA Executive Director, The Giraffe Project

Paul Hawken Sausalito, CA Author and Entrepreneur

Susan J. Herman, Ph.D. Professor, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Gary Peter Kofinas, Ph.D.     Professor, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Marcia Stone Randolph, VT Development Consultant