 Norwich
strikes deal with Ohio school; details to come
By William Knox
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer
The separation of Vermont College from Norwich University, a process
which university president Richard Schneider originally believed
would take up to three years, may be finalized in a matter of months.
On Saturday, April 14, Schneider issued a press release announcing
an agreement "in principle" with the Union Institute of
Cincinnati, Ohio, which would "unite" Union with Vermont
College.
"The Union Institute was very interested in Vermont College
from the beginning," said Norwich public relations director
Tom Greene. "They had a vision for what they wanted to do,
and Vermont College fit into that vision, so they were aggressive
in trying to make a deal work."
The institute also met several important requirements for a buyer,
Schneider emphasized, which included honoring current Vermont College
faculty and staff and keeping Vermont College in Montpelier.
"It appeared to be a perfect match," Greene said, "and
they were able to consummate a deal quickly."
While the details of the agreement will be kept confidential, Greene
said that the two schools had established the "basic framework"
of an agreement, meaning that major issues such as price and the
integrity of the Montpelier campus had already been resolved.
"The Union Institute has said they intend to keep Vermont
College in Montpelier," Greene said. "The students who
are enrolled there will finish their degrees there."
Included in the press release were comments by Union Institute
President Dr. Judith A. Sturnick. She referred to the joining of
the two institutions as a "pivotal moment in the history and
the vision of both institutions.
"The historic union of these two pioneering institutions with
parallel missions and values ensures our position as a global leader
in creating alternative pathways for higher education," Sturnick
said. "The opportunities for our future together are boundless."
Sturnick said she believes that the "highly respected"
undergraduate and master's degree programs of Vermont College will
enhance her institute's baccalaureate and doctoral programs, providing
a "seamless" progression from bachelor's to master's to
doctoral degrees.
Greene said that while "she was on campus last week, Dr. Sturnick
articulated a vision for a global university that is not dependent
on place. Place is still important, though, and that's one of the
advantages of Vermont College: it gives them a historic campus."
Greene explained that the Union Institute, like Vermont College,
is a school of higher learning which takes advantage of the Internet
revolution, with all of its degree programs available online.
"The Union Institute and Vermont College share a history,"
Sturnick said, "of passionate commitment to innovative, transformational
degree programs for adults."
Sturnick visited the Northfield campus the week prior to the agreement.
After meeting with her, Greene described Sturnick as "bright,
articulate, and eloquent.
"Everyone who met her was very impressed with her," Greene
said. "She's had a lot of experience in higher education. She
had two presidencies prior to this one. Dr. Sturnick has been a
strong voice in higher education for a lot of years."
Concerning the Vermont College faculty, Greene said the combination
with Union is a step in the right direction.
"People at Vermont College are largely excited about the change,"
Greene said. "It's a new opportunity for them to grow and prosper.
The Union Institute is a very like-minded organization; they both
have similar philosophies of education. I think people at Vermont
College are very optimistic about the future."
The decision to sell Vermont College came in January of this year
when the Norwich Board of Trustees decided that the sale of the
college's facilities and programs would be in the best interests
of both institutions. The plan was adopted over two previous plans,
which would have either reduced the size of Vermont College in its
present location or moved the academic programs to new facilities
on the Northfield campus.
"The Union Institute was the perfect choice for Vermont College,"
Schneider said in the press release. "We wanted to find a new
steward for the campus and programs who would honor our faculty
and staff, nurture the programs, and maintain the campus in Montpelier."
Schneider said the sale will also prove advantageous for the Northfield
campus.
"This will now allow Norwich University to focus its energy
on its undergraduate programs," Schneider said, "emphasizing
leadership and character development for both civilians and cadets."
Norwich senior vice president Dr. Richard Hansen has since Feb.
8 been formally assigned responsibilities for all of the academic
programs at, and administration of, Vermont College.
Hansen's job has been to streamline the academic programs and administration
in preparation for the sale.
"The coming together of these two institutions represents
the best opportunity for continued growth and leadership in providing
self-directed, individualized, and socially relevant studies for
adults who seek nontraditional education." Hansen said.
Hansen will be staying at Vermont College after the completion
of the sale. His previous position of senior vice president will
no longer exist at Norwich. All of Hansen's prior responsibilities
are being divided among current administrative offices.
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Hansen leaves Norwich;
duties divided among other administrators
By William Knox
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer
The position in the Norwich University hierarchy formerly
held by senior vice president Hansen will not be replaced.
On Feb. 8, Hansen was formally assigned responsibility for
all the academic programs and administration of Vermont College
by NU president Richard Schneider as part of the pending sale
of Vermont College.
"I do not intend to replace the positions formerly held
by Dr. Hansen and Ms. Simon, which will provide the first
step in cost reduction for the Northfield campus," Schneider
wrote in a memo dated March 9. "I have decided to reassign
remaining responsibilities of Dr. Hansen on the Northfield
campus to various existing administrators."
In "Transition Memo #1," an e-mail issued over
the university mail server concerning the sale of Vermont
College, Schneider outlined the administrative realignment
that will compensate for the loss of Hansen while allowing
the university to cut from its payroll two full-time positions.
"This reassignment provides me the opportunity to restructure
the administration at Northfield to better align with what
will become Norwich University's more tightly focused vision
and mission," Schneider wrote.
Schneider is personally assuming the balance of Hansen's
former responsibilities in the areas of university planning
and student life. Commandant of cadets Col. Leonard Doscinski
and Martha Mathis, dean of students, have temporarily joined
the President's Cabinet so that they may report directly to
the president.
This measure is temporary, because a restructuring of the
commandant's office for next year will alter the administration
of student life on the Northfield campus.
"I intend to restructure the commandant's position to
that of Commandant and Vice President of Student Life,"
Schneider wrote. "This position will fill the role of
the chief student advocate for both the cadets and civilian
students on the cabinet, just as Dr. Hansen has done."
Unity of corps and civilian life is one of the potential
benefits Schneider sees as being a result of student life
coming under the authority of the commandant.
"This reorganization is a wonderful opportunity to pull
together both the commandant's staff and the dean of students'
staff," Schneider wrote, "to more fully integrate
both staffs to better represent the way all of our students
need to work together to accomplish their individual and collective
objectives."
NU director of public relations Tom Greene said that the
restructuring would not result in the elimination of any administrative
positions.
The new responsibilities of the commandant's office will
be a challenge for a new commandant, since Doscinski has announced
his intention to retire on May 31, 2001.
According to the president's memo, the new commandant will
need to have had commissioned military service, at least a
master's degree if not a doctorate, and at least three to
five years experience in student life.
"The way the president is talking, here, the position
of the commandant will no longer be a person who is focused
exclusively on the cadet corps," Doscinski said. "They
are taking someone and putting them in a position where they
can better serve both communities and then emphasize all the
services that support the students directly."
Another responsibility reassigned includes the director of
athletics, Tony Mariano, who will temporarily report to Karen
McGrath, the dean of enrollment management.
The secretary of the board position was assigned by the board
of trustees, on recommendation from the president, to Dave
Whaley, vice president for institutional advancement. Whaley's
duties as assistant secretary of the board were taken over
by Judy Bailey, executive assistant to the president.
Col. Robert Beaudoin, director of the leadership development
program, along with Dr. Mel Miller, director of counseling,
will report to the provost's office until June 1, when the
permanent changes to the administration will be instituted.
"I think the loss of Dr. Hansen and Ms. Simon, no matter
what the organization is, is going to have an impact on the
entire school," Doscinski said. "The senior vice
president was a key position that was carrying a lot of load
and is now gone. The workload is going to have to be picked
up by other folks. That means that something is going to be
dropped or de-emphasized. What that is, I don't know."
Doscinski said he didn't believe the restructuring would
result in current programs being cut; rather, there would
simply be less time spent on them by faculty.
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