Dear Readers, I have asked Lisa Gates, associate dean of experiential education, assessment, and planning, to be this month’s guest blogger. She is writing about the vision behind the new Center for Education in Action and how the center’s work is critical to a liberal arts education. Not only is her post informative, it also [...]

Dear Readers, I  first met Jacob Udell at a meeting with the Religious Life Council, at the very beginning of my first year as Dean of the College. His intellectual fire, fierce leadership, and disarming honesty instantly impressed me. Subsequently, he followed up with a meeting in which we explored how to bring together students [...]

An alum recently told us that he had just learned that Alexander Twilight—the first black person in America to receive a college degree—earned his degree from Middlebury in 1823. He wanted to know why we don’t speak more frequently about this amazing man and this noteworthy historical fact. His question made me think—not only about [...]

Dear Readers, Mike Schoenfeld graduated from Middlebury in 1973 and has worked for the College in many capacities over the years, including working extensively with alumni. As this month’s guest blogger, he offers a singular perspective on Middlebury’s impact on our lives. —Shirley M. Collado When I worked in the Admissions Office, I once encountered [...]

Last week, we said goodbye to the Feb Class of 2010.5, and this week we are welcoming a new group of Febs to Middlebury. It was an honor to play a formal role in this year’s midyear celebration for the first time as dean of the College. Febs bring with them a certain energy and [...]

Dear Readers, I have the honor of serving as co-chair of Community Council with Raymond Queliz. I have asked him to write this week’s post about student leadership on campus and ways in which students can shape the future of the College. As co-chair of Community Council, president of KDR, a member of Student Government, [...]

Dear Readers, I asked Natasha Chang to share with us part of her story, and to talk about why she decided to do her work as a faculty member and Commons dean. In this week’s post, Natasha shares her experience about finding a sense of identity and provides a very personal and enlightening viewpoint. As [...]

As the Class of 2014 and I start the school year together, we share a similar sense of excitement and anticipation of what life at Middlebury will be like. We may also share some concerns and questions. And as I step into my new role as the dean of the college, there is one question [...]

When you hear my Brooklyn accent, you know that I am not from Vermont. But I feel as if this is where I am meant to be. When I left Middlebury in 2008, after serving two years as vice president for institutional planning and diversity, I did not anticipate that I would be fortunate enough [...]

When I launched One Dean’s View in September of 2007 I wanted to open up “a more direct line of communication with students.”   My belief then—and now—is that blogs such as this one give administrators and students a forum for discussing issues that get often sidetracked or shortchanged in more conventional forms of communication, [...]