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 study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual ca ...

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper ...

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

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It opened in 1963 in

Dow Academy Dow Academy was a historic school in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1884, it served as the town's high school until 1958, after which its building, a Georgian Revival wood-frame building built in 1903, became a centerpiece of ...

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 is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, and

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...

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 African Americans, African-American clergyman and Civil and political rights, civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the National Civil Rights Museum, Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:0 ...

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 Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss-American conducting, conductor, educator, and scholar serving as the President of Bard College. Biography 1946–1975: Early life, education, and career Botstein was ...

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 ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...

'' 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 activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...

and

Kenneth Clark Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983) was a British art historian, museum director, and broadcaster. After running two important art galleries in the 1930s and 1940s, he came to wider public notice on television ...

in 1977. Franconia College closed due to bankruptcy in January 1978."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). The program currently resides at

Springfield College Springfield College is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. It confers undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is known as the birthplace of basketball because the sport was invented there in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor ...

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. Forest Hill House, Franconia, NH

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 land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College ...

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 S. Roupp, later president of the college, Robert Greenway,

Peter Elbow Peter Elbow (14 April 1935) is a Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also directed the Writing Program from 1996 until 2000. He writes about theory, practice, and pedagogy, and has authored several bo ...

, 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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

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

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

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. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

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. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

Peter Linebaugh Peter Linebaugh is an American Marxist historian who specializes in British history, Irish history, labor history, and the history of the colonial Atlantic. He is a member of the Midnight Notes Collective. Early life Peter Linebaugh was born in ...

, and

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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

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

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, journeywoman, or journeyperson 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 fie ...

marine machinist repairing diesel engines onboard Navy ships in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for " tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda Island, but also spans Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, as we ...

. 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 m ...

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

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', December 26, 2009. Accessed December 28, 2009. *

Lenny Feinberg Lenny Feinberg is an American movie producer, real estate investor, and owner of MAJ Productions, a documentary film production company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Feinberg has been active as a documentarian since the mid-2000s, when he ...

, documentary film maker *

Jamaica Kincaid Jamaica Kincaid (; born May 25, 1949) is an Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. She was born in St. John's, Antigua (part of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda). She lives in North Bennington, Vermo ...

, novelist *

Aurora Levins Morales Aurora Levins Morales (born February 24, 1954) is a Puerto Rican Jewish writer and poet. She is significant within Latina feminism and Third World feminism as well as other social justice movements. Biography Early life and education Levi ...

, writer, historian and activist *

Andy Statman Andy 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 banjo and g ...

, 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 Jeff Zinn (born 1949) is an American director and actor who has appeared in several films by Jay Craven, and in theatre, Zinn played Danny in the off-Broadway production of ''Sexual Perversity in Chicago'' by David Mamet, and Trety in the Broadwa ...

, 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 Educational institutions established in 1963 Buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire 1963 establishments in New Hampshire Franconia, New Hampshire