We can’t wait to welcome you to campus for a day filled with good company and autumn fun at our October Open House & Harvest Festival! 

(Please note, the below schedule is entirely flexible. Please come to the events that interest you most. And if you happen to be nearby on Friday, you are more than welcome to join us for our monthly Community Dinner!)

Saturday, October 11th, 2025

10:00 - 10:30 am:
Arrival and Registration, Dunbar Foyer

Upon arrival, please head to the registration desk to check in, sign up for your chosen Mini-Course, browse the Sterling Swag & Farm Sale, and meet members of our community.

10:30 - 10:45 am:
President's Cabinet Welcome, Dunbar Dining Hall
Grab a cup of coffee or a pumpkin scone while you get a quick update on the new happenings at Sterling from the College Leadership team. Our team will walk you through the schedule before sending you out to enjoy the day.

10:45 am - 12:00 pm:
Mini-Courses with Sterling College Faculty & Students, Various Locations
Step into the classroom for a chance to join current parents, alumni, prospective families & community members for an opportunity to sample what Sterling students are learning now. 

• Insect-Plant Interactions in VT with Gustavo Requena Santos, Faculty of Ecology

  Robert B. Annis Science Lab, Simpson Hall

• Fall Words: Seeing Place through Language with Dr. Carol E. Dickson, Associate Dean of Academics and Advising & Faculty in Environmental Humanities

  Reading Room, Brown Library

• Fall Garden Prep in the No-Till Garden with Gwyneth Harris, Farm Manager-Garden and Faculty in Sustainable Agriculture

  Wash House, Lower Campus

• Fungal Foray with Dr. Laura A. Spence, Dean of Academics & Faculty in Ecology

  Meet in Dunbar Foyer

12:00 - 1:00 pm:
Harvest Luncheon, Dunbar Dining Hall
Enjoy a delicious and true farm to table meal with ingredients sewn, weeded, watered, and harvested by our students and prepared by our talented kitchen staff. The best of the fall harvest!

12:30 pm - 1:15 pm:
Walking Tour of Campus, Dunbar Foyer 
After the luncheon, stretch your legs and join a guided walking tour of our picturesque campus. We’ll see Academic Spaces, Dunbar Dining Hall, Dorms, Brown Library, Farm & Livestock, Strong Hall Fiber Arts Studio & Robert B. Annis Center for Ecology.

1:15 pm - 2:15 pm:
Alumni Panel: Crafting a Life and a Living Rooted in Values, Place, and Purpose, Moderated by Farley Brown ‘85, Faculty in Ecology, Sterling College

1958 Room, Simpson Hall

• Jo D. Saffeir ‘82

  Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

• Daniel Weber ‘25

  Live-in Support Staff, Heartbeet Lifesharing

• Liz Poulsen, DVM ‘85

  Community Pet Clinic Veterinarian, Humane Society of Chittenden County

• Connor Quinn ‘21

  Aquatic Biologist with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

• Luke Hardt ‘06

  Native Vermonter & Woodsmen with a degree in Northern Studies, specializing in Forest Ecology

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Harvest Festival
Join the Sterling and greater Craftsbury Communities to celebrate autumn for a public Harvest Festival!

• 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

  Outdoor Climbing Wall Open with Faculty in Outdoor Education, John McKinnon

  Climbing Wall, Lower Campus

• 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

  Wagon Rides with Livestock Manager & Faculty in Sustainable Agriculture, Azsa Greiner

  Wagon rides will leave from Sterling Drive in front of Dunbar Dining Hall every 20 minutes.

• 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

  Live Music with Ursa and the Major Key, Biergarten featuring Local Brews & Hot Pretzels (cash/card accepted), Lawn Games, Apple Pressing & Cider Tasting.

  Kestrel Quad

Any questions leading up to the events?

Please reach out to Director of Advancement, Hannah Rushing.