Franconia College was a small experimental

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

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. It opened in 1963 in Dow Academy and the site of the Forest Hills Hotel on Agassiz Road, and closed in 1978, after years of declining enrollment and increasing financial difficulties. A small, eclectic faculty provided a diverse education. Areas of studies included the

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

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, and

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History

Franconia College opened in the former Dow Academy buildings as a two-year college in 1963 with nine founding staff members; the school began granting four-year degrees in 1965.Rosenblatt, Jean Tamarin. "Remembering a Defunct College Where Misfits Thrived", ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', September 8, 2000: A104. The school was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

1960s

The school first gained national attention in 1968 when William Loeb, publisher of the '' Manchester Union Leader'', vilified the students for behavior that included unmarried persons of the opposite sex sleeping together."The Perils of Being Offbeat"
''Time'', August 16, 1968. Accessed December 18, 2006. The headline "Bare Debauchery at Franconia College: Sex, Liquor, Drugs Rampant on Campus" made the front page of the newspaper the same day a larger, main headline announced the

assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05& ...

While the article was believed to be exaggerated, nine students were arrested in a marijuana raid that spring, and a cascade of changes happened at the school. College president Richard Ruopp resigned at the demand of the board of trustees in April, then the board let two teachers' contracts lapse against a faculty committee recommendation to rehire them. The teachers and staff responded in July with mass resignations, leaving the college with half the number of staff it had at the beginning of the 1967–68 year."The Youngest President"
''Time'', April 23, 1973. Accessed December 19, 2006. At the time, the school was running $100,000 per year in debt and the school's mortgage was threatened with foreclosure. In an attempt to ease its financial straits, the school made its grounds available as a weekend ski lodge the following winter.

1970s

Dow Academy cira 1972 as part of Franconia College NH

Franconia College again gained national attention in 1970, when 23-year-old Leon Botstein became the youngest college president in the country."The Student as President"
''Time'', July 13, 1970. Accessed December 18, 2006. After securing $800,000 in federal grants, Botstein oversaw new construction including three small dormitories and a student union. In 1976, the college appeared on a segment of '' ABC Evening News'' with president Ira Goldenberg, economics professor George Wheeler and two students discussing the experiences and responsibility learned at Franconia. Honorary degrees were conferred on

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

and

Kenneth Clark Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983) was a British art historian, museum director and broadcaster. His expertise covered a wide range of artists and periods, but he is particularly associated with Italian Renaissa ...

in 1977. Franconia College closed on January 23, 1978, two days before the scheduled start of its spring semester, due to bankruptcy."Deficit Ends Franconia College Experiment", ''The Washington Post'', January 24, 1978: A3. According to former dean of students and director of housing and counseling services Rich Colfer, every student who contacted counseling services during the closure was placed at another college. After Franconia College closed, the School of Human Services program moved to New Hampshire College (now

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...

). The program currently resides at

Springfield College Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanism, Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service ...

Campus

Situated north of the

White Mountain National Forest The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a federally managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had alre ...

, the college provided easy access for students to the outdoor sporting activities for which the North Country is most famous. Several students lived in their own tents and tepees in the nearby woods. The college initially used the former Dow Academy buildings. The trustees of Franconia College purchased the former Forest Hills Hotel property in 1960. The hotel had been in operation since its construction in 1882 and had been donated to the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

in 1956. Other buildings in town were used as classrooms and dorms. In June 1978, the campus was offered for sale at auction but failed to sell at that time. The main hotel building was torn down in 1985, and the former college president's house, known as "The Lodge" when built in 1892, opened as a bed and breakfast called The Inn At Forest Hills in 1993. The forested areas of the hotel property were subdivided into building lots. In the village, the Dow Academy buildings turned into condominiums and Dow Field into a town recreational area. In November 2019, the state's Division of Historical Resources installed New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 263 along NH Route 142 in Franconia at the site of the college.

Students

Enrollment

:1963: 75 :1965: 200 :1968: 325 :1970: 250 :1972: 400 :1978: 185

Faculty

The nine founding staff members included Richard R. Ruopp, later president of the college, Robert Greenway, Peter Elbow, and Nicholas Howe. Notable faculty included Eliot Coleman, who taught

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, and Nancy L. Walker, a widely published and award-winning

creative nonfiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, literary journalism or verfabula) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts ...

ist. After the closure of Franconia, Walker became Professor of English and Director of Composition at

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

in Springfield. The influential poet Robert Grenier taught at the college in the early 1970s. Other notable faculty included

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

, Peter Linebaugh, and Jerome Corsi in history, David Kettler in political science, and Michael Dorris in anthropology.

Extracurricular activities

The physics department sponsored a student UFO Study Group. In 1975, three student members contacted and interviewed Betty Hill.

Curriculum

Part of Franconia College's ''oeuvre'' (body of work) was alternative education classes that were the object of study in developing new ways to teach that gave more individualized instruction and more varied opportunities. There were no required courses, no formal academic departments, and no grades. Degrees were granted after students demonstrated competence in their fields to a faculty committee. In 1975, a group of students from the

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Alternative Curriculum program toured several New England schools that were offering new and progressive programs, including Franconia College. Several students were invited to come back for a special summer session that included classes for "Sugar Maple Woodlot Management" and "Auto Mechanics". Teachers with local professional experience offered hands-on education and experience with tools of the trade and actual work experience, such as the basics of auto tune-ups, as well as learning how to evaluate a woodlot for the healthiest growth of the trees. Students learned how to safely work on cars and use a chain saw to thin the sugar maple woodlots, as well as learning how to tap a tree and how to protect oneself from the notorious black flies. One of the students reports that she was able to use the skills and experience learned in the auto mechanics class to hire on as a

Journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

marine machinist repairing diesel engines onboard Navy ships in

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. In 1975, that same year, the college was denied a US$560,000 federal grant to support an experimental cooperative project with a local school district that met with opposition by both Governor Meldrim Thomson, Jr. and the ''Manchester Union Leader''.

Notable alumni

* Ron Androla, poet * Mark Beyer, artist * Henry Corra, filmmaker * Tim Costello (1945–2009), labor and

anti-globalization The anti-globalization movement, or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist ...

advocate and authorGreenhouse, Steve
"Tim Costello, Trucker-Author Who Fought Globalization, Dies at 64"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 26, 2009. Accessed December 28, 2009. * Lenny Feinberg, documentary film maker * Jamaica Kincaid, novelist * Aurora Levins Morales, writer, historian and activist *

Andy Statman Andrew Edward Statman (born 1950) is a noted American klezmer clarinetist and bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist. Life and career Statman was born in New York City and grew up in the borough of Queens. Beginning at age 12, he learned to play banj ...

, musician * Steven "Steinski" Stein, musician * Marc Steiner, radio talk show host and founder, Center for Emerging Media * Bill Talen, actor and activist AKA Reverend Billy * Jeff Zinn, actor, director, author

References

External links

Franconia College PagesWBUR: Franconia College: Attempt At Utopia, Or Unwelcome Counterculture Outpost?
{{coord, 44, 13, 34, N, 71, 43, 53, W, type:edu, display=title Educational institutions disestablished in 1978 Defunct private universities and colleges in New Hampshire Universities and colleges established in 1963 Buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire 1963 establishments in New Hampshire Franconia, New Hampshire