Union Institute / Vermont College merger?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Dennis Madarang, Apr 16, 2001.

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  1. I just stumbled across this press release:
    http://www.tui.edu/WhatsNew/News/VermontCollege.html

    I'd been considering Vermont College's MA program; as a relative novice in the DL arena, I'd be interested to know if anyone predicts a "down" side to this merger.
    I know that both schools have essentially good reputations, but is the sum necessarily always as good as its parts?
     
  2. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    That's interesting. Thanks for posting the news. (I wonder what Steve Levicoff will say, since I think that he has studied both places.)

    My reaction: It's a better fit for "progressive" Vermont College than their being a branch of a military college.

    The Union Institute doctoral programs will probably add a bit of luster to the Vermont College offerings. At the very least, it will boost Vermont College from USNews' "regional university" to their "national university" category. While in real terms that means basically nothing, a lot of people (including some academics) do seem to take that stuff very seriously.

    On the down side, it might give Vermont College a slightly more political or "alternative" feel. Less "serious". Again, the Union Institute with its rather politicized interdisciplinary core areas is not Norwich University with its well known international relations programs or its corps of cadets.

    I guess that this is what's behind the Union Institute's planning to change its name. Heaven only knows what the new Union Institute/Vermont College will end up calling itself. I just hope that they don't hire the same consultants used by Regent's College or the U. of Sarasota.
     
  3. levicoff

    levicoff Guest

    The Union/Norwich talks have been going on for a while and, needless to say, I am delighted at the merger. There had also been talks between Norwich and a for-profit buyer a few years ago, and y'all know how I feel about for-profit schools . . .

    Another story on the agreement can be found in the 4/15/01 edition of the Montpelier Times Argus at: http://timesargus.nybor.com/Local/Story/24439.html

    Regarding Dennis Maderang's question, "Is there a down side to this merger?" None that I see. Several years ago, Union considered adding a master's program, but never got around to it. Master's-level studies are the one thing that Union was missing (because, historically, some of the founding institutions that made up the original Union already offered them, thus Union has offered only bachelor's and doctorate degrees over the years). Not only does Union acquire an M.A. program, they also get several additional programs (like the focused M.A. in Art Therapy, the M.F.A. programs in Writing, and a newer M.Ed. program) that are highly respected.

    I agree with Bill Dayson that V.C. and Union make a much better fit than V.C. and Norwich (despite the fact that Norwich is a highly respected university). The cultures are so drastically different between Norwich and V.C. that everyone should end up happy with this.

    Anecdotal note: When Norwich's trustees decided to divest V.C., my first reaction was, "What are we, your bastard children?" Then I saw the A&E special on the Norwich Corps of Cadets and thought, "Man, I didn't realize that I graduated from such a whacked-out school." You see, at V.C. we didn't see the kick-butt cadet culture of the Northfield campus (except for trips to the main Norwich bookstore, where we merely saw the rooks walking in square corners like good little boys and girls). Granted, Norwich and V.C. have always had a symbiotic relationship that contributed to their mutual growth, but the cultures are different, to say the least. V.C. had the liberals, feminists, gays, Wiccans, Quakers, and all-around-funky-and-laid-back folks, while the Northfield campus had . . . the cadets. After 1997, when the civilian residential students at V.C. moved over to the Northfield campus, the old "Military College of Vermont" was downplayed (much to the dismay of the cadets and, I'm sure, the alumni). The key question regarding Norwich now, perhaps, is what will ultimately happen to the other bastard children, the civilian students at Northfield.

    The regional-versus-national university issue has never been a big factor for Vermont College, since the V.C. programs have been focused primarily on the liberal arts and social sciences. In fact, one cannot currently major in the hard sciences in the V.C. Graduate Program (as one can in the Union Ph.D. program). V.C. has also been an international program (like Union) and, indeed, the fit is excellent since the V.C. learning model is so close to the Union model. (The number of persons on an academic committee is less, and the jargon is somewhat different between the programs, but they are both essentially the same in terms of learning methodologies.)

    In the meantime, I'm certainly pleased. V.C. has an outstanding core faculty and a great campus, and it will be interesting to see how the two separate institutions integrate with each other. Philosophically, they're already on the same wavelength.
     
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    From today's Chronicle of Higher Education Online (for subscribers only. First two paragraphs of long copyrighted story.
    -------------------------
    Union Institute to Merge With Vermont College
    By SCOTT CARLSON

    The Union Institute, a nontraditional institution focused on adult learning, announced last week that it would merge with Vermont College, a nontraditional and distance-education division of Vermont's Norwich University. Union, in Cincinnati, will assume control of Vermont College's Montpelier campus, which will sever its ties to Norwich.

    Thomas C. Greene, a spokesman for Norwich, the nation's oldest private military college, said that both parties were keeping the terms of the deal confidential. But he added that the Union Institute had agreed to honor the contracts of the staff and faculty members at Vermont College.
     
  5. Jonathan Liu

    Jonathan Liu Member

    So what will be the name of the new institute? Vermont Union University or Union Vermont University?

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    Jonathan Liu
    http://www.geocities.com/liu_jonathan/distance.html
     
  6. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    Hmmm. Not sure that short of, say, Evergreen College or Marlboro College that one could get more of an "alternative" feel than at Vermont. While I've personally not visited there, I have three friends that got degrees there, and have talked with several staff members at VC.

    An excellent program -- certainly one of the most flexible out there, allowing a 15 credit custom-designed project, rather than requiring specific courses -- but it does seem to attract a lot of the earth mother/ hippie/left wing/touchy-feelie types. And since I went to both a high school and a college that attracted the same crowd, I don't mean that in a demeaning way at all...
     
  7. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Peace Man! Like, uh, you know, like all I want is a credible degree, Man! [​IMG]

    Russell
     
  8. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member


    After Excelsior and Argosy both of these sound great. I would bet they will come up with something less professional sounding unfortunately.


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    Best Regards,
    Dave Hayden
     
  9. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

     

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