Northern Vermont University (NVU) is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

and

Lyndon Lyndon may refer to: Places * Lyndon, Alberta, Canada * Lyndon, Rutland, East Midlands, England * Lyndon, Solihull, West Midlands, England United States * Lyndon, Illinois * Lyndon, Kansas * Lyndon, Kentucky * Lyndon, New York * Lyndon, Ohio * ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. Established in 2018 by the unification of the former

Johnson State College Johnson State College was a public liberal arts college in Johnson, Vermont. Founded in 1828 by John Chesamore, in 2018 it was merged with the former Lyndon State College to create Northern Vermont University. History and governance Both the ...

and

Lyndon State College Lyndon State College was a public liberal arts college at Lyndon, Vermont. In 2018, it merged with Johnson State College to create Northern Vermont University; the former campus of Lyndon State College is now the university's Lyndon campus. I ...

, the university offers over 50

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

programs and

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

programs. On July 1, 2023, it will become a campus of

Vermont State University Vermont State University (VSU) is a public university in the state of Vermont formed through the merger of three institutions: Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College. The university was first proposed i ...

History

In September 2016, the Vermont State Colleges board of trustees voted to unify

with

, located roughly 50 miles apart. The new combined institution was named Northern Vermont University, and JSC President Elaine Collins was named as NVU's first president to oversee the consolidation of both campus into the new university. The merger became effective on July 1, 2018 and ended over 100 years of the two colleges' existence as separate institutions, although the combined university remains public and under the Vermont State College system. For many years, the Vermont public colleges have experienced financial stress and chronic underfunding. Exacerbated by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, in April 2020,

Vermont State Colleges The Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) is the system of public colleges in the U.S. state of Vermont. It was created by act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1961. There are presently four colleges in the VSCS consortium, they are: Castleto ...

system Chancellor Jeb Spaulding recommended closing Northern Vermont University as well as

Vermont Technical College Vermont Technical College, commonly shortened to Vermont Tech, is a public technical college in Vermont with its main campuses in Randolph Center, Williston and Norwich. In addition, there are regional campuses in Brattleboro and Bennington, ...

. Under the proposal, some of the NVU academic programs would move to another public state college,

Castleton University Castleton University is a public university in Castleton, Vermont. It has an enrollment of 2000 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate programs, as well as master's degrees in education and accounting. It is accredited by the New England ...

. Faculty, staff, and others have protested the proposal. Due to ongoing financial challenges and low enrollment in the

, Northern Vermont University will be merging with

and

will begin on July 1, 2023.

Facilities

Johnson campus

The Dibden Center for the Arts

Named for Arthur J. Dibden, president of Johnson State College 1967-69, Dibden oversaw the expansion and development of the fine and performing arts programs. The center is located on the southwest side of the campus and houses the college's Dance, Music, and Theater programs as well as gallery exhibition space for the Fine Arts programs. The striking late modernist building, whose sculptural roofline echoes the contours of the Sterling Mountain Range–its backdrop to the south, is the work of architect Robert Burley. Burley apprenticed in the studio of

Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer noted for his wide-ranging array of designs for buildings and monuments. Saarinen is best known for designing the General Motors ...

. The large 500-seat Dibden Theater with a 44' proscenium stage is the centerpiece of the performing arts facilities at the center. Excellent acoustics are achieved by a system of hardwood baffles along the walls and ceilings. Practice and instruction rooms wrap around the theater and the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery on the front of the center showcases exhibitions of fine art and design by the college's fine art students as well as travelling exhibitions and the work of visiting artists. The Dibden Center for the Arts houses the faculties of the Department of Music and the Department of Theater, a recording studio, music studios, practice rooms, classrooms and a piano laboratory. Recitals and concerts, theater and contemporary dance performances, and open rehearsals bring performing arts into the daily life of the college. The

Vermont Symphony Orchestra The Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a symphony orchestra based in, and supported in part by, the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a 501(c)(3) corporation. It is one of the few, and the oldest, state-supported symphony orchestras in the United St ...

performs regularly at the center. Several performing arts series available to the college community, are also available to the public by subscription. The Dibden Center is an important fine and performing arts venue for all of Vermont. One of the best aspects of Dibden is the fact that it is fully student run, both working Front of House and backstage, so there is always learning and working opportunity for students that seek work opportunities and those who would like to learn more about the theater. The new Library and Learning Center in the main quadrangle's northwest corner. The LLC building, is home to the Department of Humanities and the Department of Writing and Literature.

Library and Learning Center

Johnson's Library and Learning Center (LLC) opened in 1996 and incorporates the collections of the older John Dewey Library with expanded collections and new technology. The print collection includes 130,000+ volumes and over 700 journals and periodicals. The LLC houses the largest collections of fine arts publications in Vermont and is a designated

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

repository. The contemporary,

green design Environmentally sustainable design (also called environmentally conscious design, eco-design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability ...

building makes use of passive and active solar heating. Its south-southwest orientation for reading rooms utilizes natural light. The LLC is built of terra cotta brick, Vermont gray granite, Vermont blue-gray slate, steel, and green-tinted glass. The LLC was designed by the architectural firm of Gossens Bachman Architects and has won numerous awards for its architecture and environmental efficiency. Awards include the 1997

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

(AIA) Vermont "Excellence in Architecture Award." The LLC also houses the faculties of the Department of Humanities, and the Department of Writing and Literature. A skybridge links the LLC with Wilson Bentley Hall. The LLC has become a community centerpiece and serves as a gateway to the northwest side of the quadrangle. An informal outdoor amphitheater facing the quadrangle has become a popular outdoor social area in warmer weather.

John Dewey Hall

John Dewey Hall on the south side of the quadrangle was built in 1963 in the International Style to house the college's library. It is named for the philosopher and educator

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

. The building is lit by natural light from a panoramic glass clerestory around the perimeter of the building. Today the building houses the college bookstore, the office of the dean of students, the Student Association, the Registration and Advising Center, TRIO, academic advising, and career & internship offices.

Visual Arts Center

Johnson's Visual Arts Center (VAC) houses the college's Visual Arts Programs, which was renovated in 2012, with studios for design, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics and woodworking. The Digital Imaging Laboratory (DIL) is also located here with state-of-the-art oversized high-resolution laser CMYK and

Inkjet printer Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper and plastic substrates. Inkjet printers were the most commonly used type of printer in 2008, and range from small inexpensi ...

s. The VAC augments exhibition space at the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery in the Dibden Center with a gallery for exhibiting works in progress and student projects. Exhibitions play a major role in both academic and student life at Johnson. Students have opportunities to show their work beginning in their freshman year. Exhibition programs support and expand the studio curriculum, providing students with frequent opportunities to share their work and receive input; and, by exhibiting faculty and visiting artists' work, providing insights into teachers’ approaches to making art and critique. Exhibitions in many mediums both of work produced within the college, and by work exhibited by visiting artists exposes students to a wide range of contemporary thinking and art-making methods. Fine arts majors in the freshman and sophomore levels most commonly exhibit work in the VAC. Students in their junior and senior years, especially those presenting thesis level work exhibit in the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery at the Dibden Center for the Arts.

Wilson Bentley Science Hall

Named for the scientist-artist,

Wilson Bentley Wilson Alwyn Bentley (February 9, 1865 – December 23, 1931), also known as Snowflake Bentley, was an American meteorologist and photographer, who was the first known person to take detailed photographs of snowflakes and record their featu ...

(1865–1931) who first photographed snowflakes in the nineteenth century in nearby Jericho, Vermont. Bentley brought an objective scientific eye to the examination of snow and ice crystals via hugely magnified images called photomicrographs. Bentley published a monograph titled ''Snow Crystals'' which documented more than 2000 snowflakes and ice crystals. Wilson Bentley Hall, designed by noted architect Robert Burley, houses the faculties of the Department of Mathematics, and the Department of Environmental and Health Sciences. A 200-seat lecture hall with digital projection facilities, an interactive television studio, and laboratories for biology, chemistry, physical sciences, cartography, and geographic information systems. Bentley Hall also houses a state-of-the-art interactive multimedia computer laboratory and is a designated

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

research facility. The building also houses a meteorological station, and green house.

The Babcock Nature Preserve

The

Babcock Nature Preserve The Babcock Nature Preserve is located in Eden, Vermont Eden is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,338 at the 2020 census. Geography Eden is one of the largest towns in Vermont by area. According to the Unit ...

, located ten miles from Johnson in Eden, Vermont is a 1,000 acre (4 km²) tract of forest land owned and maintained by the college for scientific and educational study. A large, environmentally significant bog, and three large ponds dominate the physical landscape. The Babcock Nature Preserve is a natural laboratory for field biology, ornithology and environmental sciences courses. The summer field program at the Babcock Nature Preserve features a number of intensive courses designed to provide field experience in the environmental and natural sciences.

Lyndon campus

Theodore N. Vail Center

The Vail Center has classrooms and teachers' offices, especially English, mathematics, and education. It also contains the Vail Museum, mail room and The Hornet's Nest, the campus snack bar. The science wing contains classrooms and laboratories. There is a television wing for the television studies and is home to News 7, Lyndon's daily live broadcast facility. It also contains the small

Alexander Twilight Alexander Lucius Twilight (September 23, 1795 – June 19, 1857) was an American educator, minister and politician. He is the first African-American man known to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university, graduati ...

Theater.

Samuel Read Hall Library & Academic Center

The Samuel Read Hall Library & Academic Center (LAC) contains classrooms, a 24-hour computer lab, and the three-floor

Samuel Read Hall Library The Samuel Read Hall Library is the library at Lyndon State College, a member of the Vermont State College system. The library is named for Samuel Read Hall, an educational pioneer and native Vermonter and is located in the Library Academic Cen ...

. There is a large pond adjacent to the library.

Harvey Academic Center

The Harvey Academic Center (HAC) is located at the center of campus, and houses offices and classrooms for arts and outdoors classes. The Center also hosts the Quimby Gallery, a small regional art gallery named after alumnus Susan Quimby.

Academic and Student Activity Center

The Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC) is on the western side of campus, and houses science and business classrooms, along with the Moore Community Room and the university's weather station.

Veteran's Park

Veteran's Park is a small grassy common area in the center of campus dedicated to alumni and current students who served or are serving in the armed forces. Multiple walkways surround the park.

SHAPE Center

The SHAPE Center is Lyndon's fitness center, containing multiple fitness-related rooms. The George W. Stannard Gymnasium is the primary gymnasium for sporting events, with a seating capacity of 1,500. The smaller Rita L. Bole Gymnasium is primarily used for intramural athletics and exercise science classes, as it has no permanent seating. The SHAPE Center also contains a swimming pool, fitness center, racquetball court, and rock climbing wall.

Brown House

On the north side of the campus across from the baseball fields is the Brown House, the university's health and counseling center. The Brown House also houses Lyndon Rescue, Inc., a regional ambulance service that evolved from the Lyndon State Rescue Squad, a former club formed in 1972.

Gray House

The Gray House is a special residential opportunity, currently for those performing service to the community.

Residence halls

Half of the student population lives on campus in one of the nine residence halls. The Stonehenge residence hall complex is located on the southern end of campus, and consists of six residence halls: Whitelaw/Crevecoeur (first-year students), Arnold/Bayley, and Poland/Rogers. They are clustered around a central courtyard and shaped in a circle, hence the nickname "Stonehenge." Wheelock is a residence hall that is located in the center of campus. Rita Bole is the newest of the residence halls, which features apartment-style living for upperclassmen. The ninth hall, Gray House, is a living-learning community dedicated to performing community service on campus and in the local area.

Athletics

Johnson Badgers

Johnson State College teams participate as a member of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

. The Badgers are a member of the

North Atlantic Conference The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) is an athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division III, consisting primarily of small liberal arts colleges in the Northern New England states of Maine and Vermont, as well as New York. The con ...

(NAC). Men's sports include * Basketball * Cross country * Golf * Soccer * Tennis * Track & field * Volleyball Women's sports include * Basketball * Cross country * Soccer *Softball * Tennis *Triathlon * Track & field * Volleyball In 2018, women's triathlon was added to the varsity sports roster, representing the only NCAA institution in New England to carry women's triathlon as a varsity sport.

Lyndon Hornets

The Lyndon State Hornets are a member of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

, and compete on the

level in the

. LSC has 12 NCAA sponsored teams, which include: Men's Sports *

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

* Men's basketball * Men's cross country * Men's lacrosse * Men's soccer *

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

* Men's tennis Women's Sports * Women's basketball * Women's cross country * Women's soccer * Women's tennis * Women's volleyball LSC has five club teams: * Men's ice hockey * Men's rugby * Women's rugby *

Ultimate Frisbee Ultimate, originally known as ultimate Frisbee, is a non-contact team sport played with a frisbee flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by AJ Gator in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its ath ...

Dance team A dance squad or dance team, sometimes called a pom squad or song team, is a team of participants that participates in competitive dance. A dance squad can also include: a jazz squad, ballet squad, or any kind of religion dance squad. Dance squads ...

Notable alumni

Lyndon State College

* André Bernier, 1981 (Lyndon State College), Meteorologist

WJW-TV WJW (channel 8) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, WJW maintains studios on Dick Goddard Way (named for the station's late longtime weatherman—previously ...

, Cleveland, Ohio *

Jim Cantore James D. Cantore (born February 16, 1964) is an American meteorologist. He is best known as an on-air personality for The Weather Channel. Career A native of Beacon Falls, Connecticut, who was raised in White River Junction, Vermont, Cantore g ...

, 1986 (Lyndon State College), Meteorologist-announcer on

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecas ...

Nick Gregory Nick Gregory (born April 24, 1960) is an American meteorologist and pilot. He is the chief meteorologist for WNYW in New York City. His first weather forecast for WNYW aired on December 26, 1986. Career A native of New Rochelle, New York, Gregory ...

, 1982 (Lyndon State College), Meteorologist

WNYW WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship W ...

-TV, New York City * Mark Valade, (Lyndon State College), CEO

Carhartt Carhartt, Inc. is an American apparel company founded in 1889, known for heavy-duty working clothes such as jackets, coats, overalls, coveralls, vests, shirts, jeans, dungarees, fire-resistant clothing and hunting apparel. Carhartt remains a fam ...

Johnson State College

* Susan Bartlett, former member of the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

from the Lamoille district *

Jim DeRose Jim DeRose (born c. 1967 in Cinnaminson Township, New Jersey) is an American college soccer coach at Bradley University. He also spent one season as a goalkeeper with the New Mexico Chiles in the American Professional Soccer League. Player De ...

, head coach of the

Bradley Braves The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I leve ...

men’s soccer team *

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

, singer, songwriter, actress and

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

activist * Raymond J. McNulty, Dean of the School of Education at

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

Walter Mosley Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private inv ...

, crime fiction novelist *

Anthony Pollina Anthony Pollina (born February 17, 1952) is an American Progressive politician who has served as a member of the Vermont Senate since 2011. Biography Anthony Pollina was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey on February 17, 1952, the son of Salvatore P ...

, member of the Vermont Senate from the Washington district * Julian Scott,

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

drummer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

References

External links

* {{Coord, 44.641609, -72.671653, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-VT, display=title Public universities and colleges in Vermont Educational institutions established in 2018 Vermont State Colleges Buildings and structures in Lyndon, Vermont Education in Caledonia County, Vermont Buildings and structures in Johnson, Vermont Education in Lamoille County, Vermont 2018 establishments in Vermont