Sterling College
Tel:
(802) 586-7711
- The Sterling College community combines structured academic study with experiential challenges and plain hard work to build responsible problems solvers who become stewards of the environment as they pursue productive lives.
School Highlights
Sterling College serves 136 students (80% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 9:1 is lower than the state community college average of 11:1.
Minority enrollment is 41% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the state average of 23%.
Top Rankings
Sterling College ranks among the top 20% of community colleges in Vermont for:
- Category Attribute
- School Resources Percent of students receiving financial aid
School Overview
The teacher population of 16 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
| Sterling College | (VT) Community College Avg. | |
| Carnegie Classification | Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus | Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus |
| Institution Level | Four or more years | Four or more years |
| Institution Control | Private not-for-profit | Private not-for-profit |
| Total Faculty | 16 staff | 81 staff |
Source: 2019 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- Sterling was founded by Norman Rioux in 1958 as a boys' college preparatory school. It was named after Margaret Sterling, the deceased wife of Douglas Field. Mr. Field was one of several Berkshire School (MA) faculty members who came here with Mr. Rioux. When the alternative preparatory school market waned in the early 1970s, Sterling was well positioned to respond creatively. First came the Academic Short Course in Outdoor Leadership, a 21-day program for 13 to 16 year olds. It brought hundreds of young people to Sterling for an intense winter learning experience. The Short Course solidified women's presence on campus to share equally in the benefits of a Sterling education. An extension of this idea became the year-long Grassroots project, an immediate success that led Sterling into the world of higher education. Sterling's first Associate of Arts Degree in Resource Management was awarded in 1982. Full accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges was granted in 1987. Several members of the Grassroots Faculty continue to teach at the College today. Facilities on the hundred-plus acre Sterling College campus include fourteen residential, administrative, and classroom buildings, a woodworking shop, and library. Outdoor teaching facilities include a managed woodlot, a challenge course, a 30-foot climbing tower, organic gardens, and a working livestock farm with two solar/wind powered barns. Much of what is grown and raised is consumed in the dining hall. The Center for Northern Studies at Sterling College includes a 300-acre boreal wetland and a building containing a library, science lab, seminar rooms, offices, and central lounge. Sterling College offers bachelor's degrees in Conservation Ecology, Outdoor Education and Leadership, Northern Studies, Self-Designed Studies and Sustainable Agriculture.
Nearby Schools
The nearest community college to Sterling College is Woodbury College (27.4 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- Woodbury CollegePrivate, non-profit132 students | 27.40 Mi660 Elm St
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 229-0516 27.40132 - 73 students | 28.80 Mi7 School Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 223-6324 28.8073 - 5,378 students | 40.90 Mi660 Elm Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 828-4060 40.905,378 - 1,353 students | 52.00 Mi136 Clinton Point Dr.
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
(518) 562-4200 52.001,353 - 1,638 students | 52.40 Mi124 Admin Drive
Randolph, VT 05061
(802) 728-1000 52.401,638
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