Pit Stop #77 came about as a bit of an odd twist. On Saturday, November 16, a group of my wife’s family convened on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA to watch the Crusaders host Bucknell University in football. My grand-nephew, Sam Milligan, plays for the Bucknell Bisons (and scored two touchdowns in the first half!) — a great way…Continue readingPit Stop #77: College of the Holy Cross
As readers of this blog will know, every institution I visit (76 now and counting!) bears the inimitable stamp of its own individual history, place, and mission. Discovering and sharing these unique traits is what makes my “On The Road” journey so rewarding and NECHE’s purpose so compelling. The University of New Haven is, of course, no exception to that…Continue readingPit Stop #76: University of New Haven
Founded in 1942, Fairfield University is a coeducational, comprehensive Jesuit institution thatprepares students for leadership and service in a constantly changing world. Since its inception,the University has grown from an initial class of 303 undergraduate male students, admitted tothe College of Arts and Sciences, into a vibrant coeducational university with this year’s incoming class totaling more than 1,450 first-time,…Continue readingPit Stop #75: Fairfield University
UMass Lowell is a nationally ranked research university located among the historic mill townsnorth of Boston and home to 17,000 students– offering more than 120 undergraduate and 77graduate programs across five colleges. While the pandemic slowed the university’s growth, itsenrollment has increased 50% since 2007, and the sprawling campus is evidence of that, with$1 billion invested in capital projects since 2010. …Continue readingPit Stop #74: University of Massachusetts Lowell
In my last stop in Vermont, I was thrilled to visit with Community College of Vermont (CCV) President Joyce Judy on the Winooski campus, just minutes from neighboring Burlington. The Community College of Vermont was founded in 1970 and today serves more than 10,000 students each year at its 12 academic centers and through extensive remote learning options. President Judy is a NECHE Commissioner finishing her…Continue readingPit Stop #73: Community College of Vermont
This is a post of a different type– not about a visit to one of NECHE’s schools, but to the two colleges where I spent my early career. My visits came within a few weeks of each other and together they produced a surprising reaction in me. I’ll start with the trip that took me back…Continue readingOlder Roads
Stop #3 on my Vermont trek was lovely Champlain College, at home on a sweeping campus overlooking the lake from which it takes its name. NECHE accredits all the Burlington, Vermont area institutions of higher education including the University of Vermont, Champlain, St. Michael’s, plus a campus of the Community College of Vermont. In fact,…Continue readingPit Stop #72: Champlain College
This third week of October was Vermont Week for our blog. Allegedly, it was days after peak leaf season but the trees hadn’t gotten the message. The drive up was breathtakingly gorgeous. First stop was Norwich University. Norwich was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge, a military educator and former superintendent at West Point. Partridge believed in the “American…Continue readingPit Stop #71: Norwich University
Talk about a road trip! Throughout October, NECHE staff is holding eight regional meetings to engage our members in conversation about the revision of our Standards of Accreditation, a process that takes place every ten years. This is the most important undertaking that I will lead during my tenure as NECHE President. Our Standards are used…Continue readingPit Stop #70: Community College of Rhode Island
While I have visited the campus of Endicott College before, my first comprehensive tour of this Beverly, Massachusetts institution was hosted by President Steven DiSalvo on the kind of glorious mid-September day that makes you believe that summer will never end. There’s plenty I can (and will) say about this strong and thriving college, but…Continue readingPit Stop #69: Endicott College