In a landmark address on Friday, President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz outlined a sweeping new vision for Middlebury’s future that would raise the profile of the College’s affiliates while reducing the financial burden carried by students and families. Liebowitz’s remarks reflect a growing recognition among administrators that the College’s historical business model has become unsustainable.
“Demand for a four-year liberal arts degree, while still great, is not inelastic,” Liebowitz said. “There will be a price point at which even the most affluent of families will question their investment.”
In addition to striking out the possibility of any further staff layoffs, a move that drew standing applause from the audience, Liebowitz announced proposals to keep future increases in the student comprehensive fee to within one percent of general inflation and to increase revenue drawn from Middlebury’s most successful partner programs – including the Bread Loaf School of English, the Language Schools, and the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy, among others.
If the Board of Trustees upholds Liebowitz’ proposals at its scheduled meeting next weekend, the College will likely see the broadest reorientation of its strategy since implementing the Commons residential system almost two decades ago.
Written by ANTHONY ADRAGNA and GEORGE ALTSHULER
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