The Vermont General Assembly created the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) in 1961, creating a "loose confederation" of colleges that also included the Community College of Vermont after its founding in 1970, but never included the University of Vermont.[8] Beginning in 1977, the Vermont State Colleges adopted a more centralized model, with its trustees overseeing the operations of all its constituent schools. This began to reverse somewhat beginning in 2000, when the system allowed more autonomy for the schools while still encouraging cooperation, including uniform course numbering so students could take courses from different VSCS institutions.[9]
In 2018, financial challenges led to the merger of Johnson State College and Lyndon State College, creating Northern Vermont University. In 2020, continuing budgetary constraints led Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Jeb Spaulding to propose closing Northern Vermont University, closing Vermont Technical College's Randolph campus, and laying off almost 500 employees.[10][11] Additionally, the Vermont State Colleges would require an emergency infusion of $25 million, regardless of Spaulding's proposed closures.[12] Spaulding withdrew the proposal amid fierce opposition and the state appropriated additional funds to keep all campuses and colleges operating, but lawmakers asked VSC to come up with a way to fix its financial situation.[13] VSCS formed a committee, named the Select Committee on the Future of Public Higher Education, which ultimately recommended a similar proposal to Spaulding's closure plan. Instead of closing campuses, however, the committee recommended merging all three of the system's four-year colleges into a single institution with multiple campuses. While the committee did not recommend including the Community College of Vermont in the merger, it did recommend that it focus more on workforce education and adult learning.[14] The proposal was projected to save the system $25million over five years.[15] Students, faculty, and staff protested these planned changes, leading the university to change aspects of its merger plan.[16]
In July 2023, Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College merged to form Vermont State University.[17] The combined institution included the roughly 5,500 students at its three predecessor institutions.[18] Interim President Mike Smith announced an initiative in September 2023 to "examine our list of academic offerings" and consider combining or closing additional degree programs.[19]
Vermont State University offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. The Castleton, Johnson, and Lyndon campuses offer liberal arts education while the Randolph and Williston locations house technical programs. Students have the option to take online courses as well as hybrid courses from other campuses.[21][22]
Library and Learning Center at Vermont State University - Johnson campus
The Johnson campus is 350 acres and includes the Dibden Center for the Arts and the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery.[25] Nearby Babcock Nature Preserve is a 1,000-acre forest owned and maintained by Johnson for scientific and educational study.[26]
The campus in Randolph is the largest of the five at 544 acres and hosts engineering labs and an advanced manufacturing center.[5] The campus has received United States Department of Defense funding to establish the first advanced manufacturing education, research, and development facility in the state.[31]
Williston
The suburban Williston campus, located just outside Burlington, houses several labs and a small residential building.[5]
Leadership
The Theodore N. Vail Center at the VTSU Lyndon campus
Parwinder Grewal was appointed as the university's first president in 2022.[32] Grewal was previously an administrator at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.[33] However, Grewal resigned abruptly in April 2023 before the university officially opened. His resignation was preceded by a vote of no confidence by the faculty, who also voted no confidence in the Vermont State College's chancellor, chief administrative officer, and its entire board of trustees.[34]
On September 22, 2023, David Bergh, a former administrator at Johnson State College and the final president at the former Cazenovia College in New York, was selected as the college's next interim president.[36] Immediately after Bergh's rise to the interim president position at the beginning of November 2023, the student government associations at the Castleton, Randolph, Johnson, and Lyndon campuses submitted a vote of no confidence regarding staff and faculty terminations proposed by the university's administrators.[37] In August 2024, Bergh's contract was extended through June 2026.[38] Bergh announced in May 2025 that he would step down when his contract expires in 2026.[39]
In March 2026, Vermont State University appointed Sherry Kollmann, a New Mexico State University administrator, to take over as president of the institution, beginning in July.[40]
List of presidents
Parwinder Grewal (July 2022 – April 2023; prior to establishment)[41]
Mike Smith (April 2023 – October 2023; interim)[42]
Vermont State University has the former Northern Vermont University (Johnson Badgers and Lyndon Hornets), Castleton University, and Vermont Technical College athletics teams. Owing to the university's unique composition from a series of formerly independent colleges, four of its five campuses have their own athletics programs. Students are able to participate in athletics based on their campus, with some campuses competing against each other in athletic conferences.[44]
The Castleton campus offers a wide variety of sports, including football, alpine skiing, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. They currently compete in NCAADivision III in the Little East Conference.
In 2018, women's triathlon was added to the varsity sports roster, representing the only NCAA institution in New England to carry women's triathlon as a varsity sport.
