Nov 10
In the first episode of our new series, Middlebury Unlocked, myself and fellow Middblog writers Mackenzie and Cody will take you on and adventure of the secret spots of Middlebury’s campus.
This episode features the Cupola of Old Chapel and the Trustee’s board room, among other secret or hard to reach spots on campus.
Stay tuned for more episodes!
Mar 10
Ever since the macroeconomy nearly collapsed, I’ve been convinced Middlebury’s Utopian dining hall system would not last. Within the context of a leaner College, it would seem logical to modify our open dining hall system. In a post today on his blog, President Liebowitz hinted that the he is now taking a hard look at the issue. He writes that the current system “seems ludicrous” from a purely financial perspective. But he also discusses how the dining hall system is valuable to the Middlebury experience.
President Liebowitz is certainly doing the necessary political posturing if he wants to modify the system. Unilaterally changing the cherished set-up without input would cause an uprising (I exaggerate, but people would be pissed). Beyond President Liebowitz’s possible politicking, he seems to get that the dining hall system is important. His post is thoughtful and genuinely asks for input into what part of the dining hall system is most important for the Middlebury experience.
This issue isn’t easy. In my mind, the dining hall system brings our student body together. Any student can go to Ross or Proct[eu]r and relax with friends. There’s no swiping or meal plan standing between us and our ideal socialist society. Which, all kidding aside, is really valuable. Liberal Arts Colleges are by definition not the real world, and equalizing the student body by not having a meal plan furthers our goals as an institution.
And yet, within the context of the recession, changing our expensive system seems to be something we should at least consider. In this discussion, I think it’s also important to acknowledge that the food has in, in my mind, gotten noticeably worse in the past year. (Anyone who disagrees should try the new replacement cream cheese.)
Ultimately, I believe the dining hall system plays a critical role in bringing out the best parts of Middlebury: community, friendships and open-mindedness. We should make sacrifices to retain this essential part of the Middlebury experience.
Regardless, I think President Liebowitz is being sincere in asking for input.
So I encourage you to read President Liebowitz’s post and drop a comment.
Feb 17
Both Inside Higher Ed and a New York Times blog have now reported on President Liebowitz’s speech last Friday. The stories focus on Liebowitz’s proposal to not increase the comprehensive fee at a rate of more than one percent of Consumer Price Index.
The New York Times piece cites Professor Laura Perna of UPenn, who argues that Middlebury does not yet need to cap increases on tuition out of financial necessity. Intuitively, this makes sense: we are not yet at the point at which affluent families will stop paying for Middlebury.
If Professor Perna’s analysis is correct, President Liebowitz is proposing this cap on tuition for reasons beyond price elasticity. Instead, I see this cap as a bi-product of the real significance of Liebowitz’s speech—his calling out the “arms race” between colleges in better economic times.
As I see it, this “arms race” included the perceived need to increase spending on facilities, faculty, and student life in order to attract students and donations. This led to increasing the comprehensive fee above the Consumer Price Index.
I find it really encouraging that President Liebowitz seems to have the right priorities: cutting back on Middlebury’ increases in spending, while keeping the College’s core mission in place.
To be clear, an integral part of Liebowitz’s plan is to use our auxiliary programs to cover some of the losses from the decreases in revenue from tuition and donations. I’m a little skeptical of the ability of our auxiliary programs to cover these losses over the long-term, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see more cuts, at least in the near future.
But I find President Liebowitz’s overall message and approach really encouraging. So please continue covering this story, dear New York Times. Because Middlebury can’t end the “arms race” alone.
Original midd-blog coverage of the speech here. Transcript here.
Feb 12
President Liebowitz outlined a sober vision of the future of the College in a speech delivered in Mead Chapel today, assessing how the College cannot continue to operate as it did during better economic times, while maintaining that the College’s most important priorities will not change.
The speech, which received a lengthy ovation after its conclusion, was also notable in that it offered solemn assessments of various issues in higher education. Liebowitz proposed lowering expectations for profits on the endowment, and also explained that families would stop investing in institutions like Middlebury if comprehensive fees continue to increase at present rates. Faculty, students and staff filled Mead Chapel for the speech, which had been publicized through campus-wide emails.
Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage from The Campus in the coming days, but here is an overview of the some of the policy proposals outlined by Liebowitz:
The Campus also covered the event through its Twitter account, and I once again recommend staying tuned to the paper’s coverage in the coming days for more analysis.
UPDATE: Read a transcript of the speech HERE.
Campus News Editor Anthony Adragna contributed reporting to this post, and for full disclosure, I am also on The Campus Editorial Board.
Dec 16
The official e-card from the President’s Office, complete with slideshow.
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