Green Mountain College
Encyclopedia
Green Mountain College is a coeducational private environmental liberal arts college
located in Poultney, Vermont
, in the USA
.
Green Mountain is located in the Vermont
countryside, at the foot of the Taconic Mountains
between the Green Mountains
and Adirondacks.
The College has a core set of courses known as the Environmental Liberal Arts (ELA) curriculum, in environmental and natural sciences, writing, reading, history and philosophy.
Green Mountain College also offers 28 minors: Adventure Recreation, Animal Studies, Asian Studies, Biology, Biopsychology, Chemistry, Communications, Economics, Education, English, Environmental Education, Environmental Studies, General Business, Geology, History, Math, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Recreation, Recreation Management, Religious Studies, Sociology/Anthropology, Theatre Arts, Therapeutic Adventure, Visual Art, Women's & Gender Studies, and Writing.
and formed on a philosophy similar to that of Goddard College
— a Vermont institution recognized for its dedication to progressive education— the students in the program define their own education goals and work with faculty members individually to meet them.
. Green Mountain College also offers the first ever distance Masters in Business Administration with a focus on sustainable business.
Club Sports: Men's Rugby, Quidditch (Welsh Green Dragon), Ultimate Frisbee, and Women's Rugby.
Other Clubs: Anime Club (Green Mountain Otaku), Farm Crew, and Spirituality Club.
Skills Clubs: Equestrian Club, HERBAL Tribe, Shakti Tribal Dance Coupe, and Slow Foods Chapter.
Social Action and Awareness Clubs: Black Culture Club, Club Activism, DREAM Mentoring, International Awareness Club, Intercultural Club, PANTS (People Are Not Their Sex), and Pride.
Green Mountain was named an EPA Energy Star Showcase Campus following campus-wide retrofitting of light fixtures.
Students have installed a wind turbine to power the campus green house and solar panel on the roof of the student center.
On April 22, 2010, GMC formally opened a new combined heat and power (CHP) biomass plant costing $5.8m. The school expects to reduce carbon emissions by more than 50% and reach carbon neutrality by 2011. The plant will burn about 4,000-5,000 tons of locally harvested woodchips each year as the primary fuel and it is expected to provide 85% of the school's heat and generate 20% of its electricity and is capable of generating 400,000 kWh of electricity.
Through the Student Campus Greening Fund (SCGF) every GMC student contributes $30 from the college activities fee. Students design projects and submit proposals. Awards are based on a student vote. SCGF money has been used to install bike racks, purchase recycling bins, use bio-diesel in campus maintenance equipment, and upgrade the alternative energy systems that power the farm greenhouse.
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
located in Poultney, Vermont
Poultney, Vermont
Poultney is a village in Rutland County of the U.S. state of Vermont. The village is entirely within the town of Poultney. The population was 1,612 at the 2010 census...
, in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Green Mountain is located in the Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
countryside, at the foot of the Taconic Mountains
Taconic Mountains
The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range are a physiographic section of the larger New England province and part of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western...
between the Green Mountains
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...
and Adirondacks.
The College has a core set of courses known as the Environmental Liberal Arts (ELA) curriculum, in environmental and natural sciences, writing, reading, history and philosophy.
History
Green Mountain was founded in 1834 as Troy Conference Academy, a coeducational institution. In 1863 the school’s name changed to Ripley Female College; in 1874 back to Troy Conference Academy; in 1937 to Green Mountain Junior College. Green Mountain became a two-year junior college for women in 1943. In 1974, the school changed its name to Green Mountain College and returned to coeducational status, offering four-year baccalaureate degrees. Beginning in the 1990s the college began to focus on environmental literacy and citizenship.Education
Green Mountain College offers 24 majors: Adventure Education, Art, Art with Secondary Licensure, Biology, Biology with Secondary Licensure, Communications, Elementary Education, Elementary Education with Special Education Endorsement, English, English with Secondary Licensure, Environmental Studies, Fine Art, History, History with Secondary Licensure, Interdisciplinary Studies, Natural Resources Management, Philosophy, Psychology, Resort & Hospitality Management, Sociology/Anthropology, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Production, Sustainable Business, Writing, and Youth Development & Camp Management.Green Mountain College also offers 28 minors: Adventure Recreation, Animal Studies, Asian Studies, Biology, Biopsychology, Chemistry, Communications, Economics, Education, English, Environmental Education, Environmental Studies, General Business, Geology, History, Math, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Recreation, Recreation Management, Religious Studies, Sociology/Anthropology, Theatre Arts, Therapeutic Adventure, Visual Art, Women's & Gender Studies, and Writing.
The progressive program
GMC is home to an educational tract known as the Progressive Program. Based on the ideas of philosopher John DeweyJohn Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
and formed on a philosophy similar to that of Goddard College
Goddard College
Goddard College is a private, liberal arts college located in Plainfield, Vermont, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Goddard College currently operates on an intensive low-residency model...
— a Vermont institution recognized for its dedication to progressive education— the students in the program define their own education goals and work with faculty members individually to meet them.
Graduate programs
Green Mountain offers a distance Masters program in Environmental StudiesEnvironmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
. Green Mountain College also offers the first ever distance Masters in Business Administration with a focus on sustainable business.
Sustainable business
Sustainable business, or green business, is enterprise that has no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy—a business that strives to meet the triple bottom line. Often, sustainable businesses have progressive environmental and human rights policies...
Green Mountain College choir
The GMC choir is the only collegiate choir in the U.S. with a repertoire of Welsh language music.Student clubs
Academic Clubs: Agora, Bio/Enviro, Camp Club, Education Club, Forestry Club, History Club, Outdoor Recreation Association, Pre-Law Club, Pre-Med/Pre-Vet Club, and Psychology Club.Club Sports: Men's Rugby, Quidditch (Welsh Green Dragon), Ultimate Frisbee, and Women's Rugby.
Other Clubs: Anime Club (Green Mountain Otaku), Farm Crew, and Spirituality Club.
Skills Clubs: Equestrian Club, HERBAL Tribe, Shakti Tribal Dance Coupe, and Slow Foods Chapter.
Social Action and Awareness Clubs: Black Culture Club, Club Activism, DREAM Mentoring, International Awareness Club, Intercultural Club, PANTS (People Are Not Their Sex), and Pride.
Green campus
In 2007, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) awarded Green Mountain College the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award in the "Under 1,000" category. The award recognizes Green Mountain for commitment to environmental sustainability in its governance and administration, curriculum and research, operations, campus culture, and community outreach.Green Mountain was named an EPA Energy Star Showcase Campus following campus-wide retrofitting of light fixtures.
Students have installed a wind turbine to power the campus green house and solar panel on the roof of the student center.
On April 22, 2010, GMC formally opened a new combined heat and power (CHP) biomass plant costing $5.8m. The school expects to reduce carbon emissions by more than 50% and reach carbon neutrality by 2011. The plant will burn about 4,000-5,000 tons of locally harvested woodchips each year as the primary fuel and it is expected to provide 85% of the school's heat and generate 20% of its electricity and is capable of generating 400,000 kWh of electricity.
Through the Student Campus Greening Fund (SCGF) every GMC student contributes $30 from the college activities fee. Students design projects and submit proposals. Awards are based on a student vote. SCGF money has been used to install bike racks, purchase recycling bins, use bio-diesel in campus maintenance equipment, and upgrade the alternative energy systems that power the farm greenhouse.