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Motto: Scientia et Virtus "Knowledge and Virtue" Seal's Inscription: Coll. Med. Virid. Mon. "Collegium Medioburiense Viridis Mons: Middlebury College in the Green Mountains"
Founded	1800
School type	Private coeducational
President	Ronald D. Liebowitz
Location	Middlebury, Vermont
Enrollment	2,350 undergraduates
Annual Fees	$42,120 (2005–2006)
Campus surroundings	Rural
Campus size	350 acres (1.4 km²) (main campus) 1,800 acres (7.3 km²) (mountain campus)
Sports teams	Panthers

Middlebury College is a small, selective liberal arts college located in the rural New England town of Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800, the college has a long history of distinguished scholarship, and is particularly well known for the strength of its foreign language, writing, environmental, and international studies programs. Today, Middlebury consistently ranks among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. The 350 acre (1.4 km²) main campus is located in the Champlain Valley between Vermont's Green Mountains to the east and New York's Adirondack Mountains to the west; the nearby 1,800 acre (7.3 km²) mountain campus, hosts the college's Bread Loaf School of English and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference every summer. The Conference was founded on an idea first born of poet Robert Frost.

Approximately 2,300 students attend Middlebury during the regular academic year, representing all 50 United States and over 70 foreign countries. Founded in 1915, the Middlebury Language Schools take over the campus during the summer, teaching about 1,200 students Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The C.V. Starr - Middlebury Schools Abroad host students at 21 sites in Argentina, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Uruguay.

Alexander Twilight, class of 1823, was the first black graduate of any college in the United States. In 1883, the trustees voted to accept women as students in the College, making Middlebury one of the first formerly all-male liberal arts colleges in New England to become a coeducational institution.

In May 2004, an anonymous benefactor made a $50 million donation to Middlebury. It was the largest cash gift the school has ever received. The donation brought Middlebury's total endowment to more than $700 million. The donor asked only that Middlebury name its recently built science building, Bicentennial Hall, after outgoing President John McCardell Jr. In 2005, Middlebury signed an affiliation agreement with the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a graduate school located in Monterey, California.

Campus

Middlebury's campus is one of the most beautiful in the country. The campus is characterized by quads and open spaces, views of the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks, and historic granite, marble and limestone buildings. Old Stone Row, consisting of the three oldest buildings on campus, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Painter Hall, constructed in 1815, is the oldest extant college building in Vermont. The campus is situated on a hill to the west of the village of Middlebury, a traditional New England town centered around Otter Creek Falls.

Since the mid-1990s, student housing has been grouped into five residential Commons: Atwater, Brainerd, Cook, Ross, and Wonnacott. All are named for illustrious college figures. The creation of the commons accompanied an increase in the size of the student body and an ambitious building campaign. Recently completed building projects include the 220,000 sq. ft. McCardell Bicentennial Hall (1999), a 135,000 sq. ft. library (2004), two new Atwater Residence Halls (2004), and a new Atwater Dining Hall (2005).

Athletics

Middlebury competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, a group of schools often referred to as the "Little Ivies." Middlebury enjoys national success in cross country running, lacrosse, hockey, and skiing, and fields 30 varsity NCAA teams and over 10 competitive club teams. Middlebury's success in intercollegiate sports is evidenced by the college's second place ranking in the 2005 National Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings after six NESCAC Championships, two NCAA titles, four NCAA individual championships and 33 All-Americans for 2004-2005. This included winning both the men's and women's NCAA Division III National Championships in ice hockey for the second year in a row. Middlebury's athletic facilities include a state-of-the-art 50-meter by 25-yard swimming pool, 3,500-seat football/lacrosse stadium, a 2,600 spectator hockey arena, a downhill ski area, the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, the 18-hole Ralph Myhre golf course, and the Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring Center at the Bread Loaf mountain campus. The college mascot is the panther.

Environment

Middlebury has a strong reputation as an environmentally conscious campus. The student population is very active in environmental issues, with numerous activist groups on campus and frequent trips to the state capitol and beyond. For example, several students recently retrofitted a bus to run on biodiesel, then drove it to Detroit in order to protest the auto industry's environmental practices. The Environmental Studies major also encourages discussion about the environment. As the oldest major of its kind in the country, the interdepartmental program has had remarkable success bringing together a broad range of diciplines, from biology, to english, to architecture. In addition, the college is a leader in sustainable programs. Local farmers as well as the student-run organic garden supply more than a quarter of the food consumed in the dining halls. The campuswide recycling program has a 60% diversion rate and the college has used green building techniques in some of its recent buildings. The college is committed to environmental sustainability and stewardship, both in its academic programs and in practice.

Rohatyn Center

Middlebury College is home to the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs, founded by Felix Rohatyn. In October of 2004, the Center sponsored a conference on the Privatizaton of National Security.

Points of interest

• Gravity Research Foundation monument

See also

• List of colleges and universities in the United States
  • List of colleges and universities in Vermont
• Dissipated Eight a capella ensemble
• New England Review

External links

• Middlebury College official website
• The Middlebury Campus - The student newspaper of Middlebury College
• Monterey Institute of International Studies homepage

v t e Colleges and universities in Vermont
Public	University of Vermont Vermont State Colleges (Vermont State University, Community College of Vermont)
Private	Bennington College Champlain College Landmark College Middlebury College Norwich University Saint Michael's College School for International Training Sterling College Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont Law and Graduate School
Unaccredited	Center for Cartoon Studies Northeastern Baptist College
Organizations	Association of Vermont Independent Colleges
Defunct	Burlington College Castleton Medical College Castleton University College of St. Joseph Goddard College Green Mountain College Johnson State College Lyndon State College Marlboro College Northern Vermont University New England Culinary Institute Southern Vermont College Trinity College Vermont Technical College Windham College Woodbury College

• Educational institutions established in the 19th century
• Liberal arts colleges
• New England Small College Athletic Conference
• Universities and colleges in Vermont