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Item Bennington College Fifth-Year Interim Report prepared for the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc.(2014-08) Bennington CollegeInstitutional Overview. Areas for Special Emphasis: Financial Stability, Deferred Maintenance, Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment, Strategic Planning. Standards Narrative. Reflective Essay. Plans. Appendices.Item Bennington College Report for Consideration to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges(2011-08-15)The following report was drafted by a core team of senior administrative staff members in consultation with the President. The Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; the Associate Provost; the Vice President for Planning and Special Programs; the Vice President for Administration and Planning were all integrally involved in preparing the report. As directed by the Commission, the narrative focuses on four areas: (1) ensuring financial stability; (2) deferred maintenance and campus renovations; (3) implementing a comprehensive approach to the assessment of institutional effectiveness; and (4) implementing the Strategic Planning Framework.Item Bennington College Report for Consideration to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges(2013-01-15) Bennington CollegeThe following report was drafted by a core team of senior administrative staff members in consultation with the President. As directed by the Commission, the narrative focuses on two areas: (1) implementing a comprehensive approach to institutional effectiveness and assessment; and (2) implementing strategic planning.Item Bennington College Self Study(1994-03) Bennington CollegeThe academic strengths of the College remain inseparable from its originating ideas: students taking responsibility for designing their education; the central role of academic counseling; the immersion of students from the outset in the center of the working life of the faculty; the continual pursuit and elaborations of the interrelationships between life inside the classroom and life in the world (the Field Work Term, emphasis on the practitioner teacher, teaching and learning as performing arts). In those instances where the college works, the power and intensity of the educational experience remain formidable. The academic weaknesses of the College are: the recalcitrant rigidity of the divisions and the subsequent problems for faculty and students in putting together educational programs that transcend divisions; the unevenness in the quality of the counseling experience; the excesses of the focus on the individual and, conversely, the inadequacies in the experience of shared purposes and of social responsibility; an absence of uniformly high standards with respect to the demands made on students; and the freshman year experience.Item Bennington College Self-Study in preparation for the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc.(2009-11)For more than seventy-five years, Bennington has remained wholeheartedly committed to the mission and purposes envisioned by our founders, based on the belief that the most compelling education is one that students actively shape themselves. The paradox of that steady commitment is that the College’s philosophy contains within itself a kind of restlessness, a perpetual propensity for reflection and renewal. Just as we have continually confronted the inherent tension between our students’ self-directed and reflective processes and the role of the individual in a larger social community, so too have we worked as an institution to balance stability with relentless innovation. Just as our students’ academic plans formulate and reformulate in a constant state of strengthening and refining that engenders their intellectual and personal growth, so too does the College continue to evolve. Maintaining that delicate balance—whether in our own strategic planning or in each student’s individual plan of study—remains a central challenge.Item Correspondence between Elizabeth Coleman and Charles M. Cook(1996-06)Correspondence regarding requests modifications and edits to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education 1996 accreditation report.Item Correspondence to Charles Cook from Elizabeth Coleman(1994-11-10) Coleman, ElizabethItem Correspondence to Elizabeth Coleman from Barbara E. Brittingham(1992-03-23) Brittingham, Barbara E.I write to inform you that at its meeting on March 6, 1992 the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education considered the Annual Report on Finance and Enrollment (ARFE) submitted by Bennington College and voted to take the following action: that the Annual Report on Finance and Enrollment submitted by Bennington College be accepted; that the College submit another such report for consideration in Spring, 1993; that the ARFE submitted for consideration for Spring, 1993 focus on: 1. progress of the Capital Campaign with particular reference to the income and allocation of Capital Campaign funds; 2. success in building the endowment; 3. progress toward downsizing the institution; 4. the enrollment of Fall, 1992 and future enrollment projections and budgetsItem Correspondence to Elizabeth Coleman from Barbara E. Brittingham(1992-03-23) Brittingham, Barbara E.I write to inform you that at its meeting on March 6, 1992 the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education considered the Annual Report on Finance and Enrollment (ARFE) submitted by Bennington College and voted to take the following action: that the Annual Report on Finance and Enrollment submitted by Bennington College be accepted; that the College submit another such report for consideration in Spring, 1993; that the ARFE submitted for consideration for Spring, 1993 focus on: 1. progress of the Capital Campaign with particular reference to the income and allocation of Capital Campaign funds ; 2. success in building the endowment; 3. progress toward downsizing the institution; 4. the enrollment of Fall, 1992 and future enrollment projections and budgets; that the scheduling of the next comprehensive evaluation for Fall, 1993 be confirmed.Item Correspondence to Elizabeth Coleman from Frances C. Volkmann(1994-12-07) Volkmann, Frances C.I write to inform you that at its meeting on November 18, 1994, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education took the following action in regard to Bennington College: that action on the accreditation of Bennington College be deferred; that the College submit a report on its finances and enrollment by December 1, 1995 for consideration in Spring, 1996; that an evaluation be scheduled for Spring, 1996, focusing on the College's success in the following areas: L reinvigorating the academic life of the institution in order to enhance the academic quality of the undergraduate experience; 2. ensuring that the faculty is sufficient to carry out the institution's recently redefined educational objectives and that it appropriately participates in educational policymaking and institutional governance; 3. improving the quality of student life; that the scheduling of the next comprehensive evaluation be determined based on the Commission's findings following the focused evaluation.Item Correspondence to Elizabeth Coleman from Jean A. Wyld(2013-03-25) Wyld, Jean A.At its meeting on March 8, 2013, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education considered the report submitted by Bennington College and took the following action: that the report submitted by Bennington College be accepted; that the fifth-year interim report scheduled for consideration in Fall 2014 be confirmed; that, in addition to the information included in all interim reports, the institution continue to give emphasis to its success with the matters identified in our letter of April 14, 2010, specifically: 1. ensuring financial stability, with particular attention to managing debt, managing the tuition discount rate and reducing the gap between net tuition revenue and operating expenses; 2. reducing deferred maintenance and completing renovations to the campus; 3. implementing a comprehensive approach to the assessment of institutional effectiveness, including the use of data to inform planning and decision making; 4. implementing the Strategic Planning Framework; that the comprehensive evaluation scheduled for Fall 2019 be confirmed.Item Correspondence to Elizabeth Coleman from Mary Jo Maydew(2011-10-26)At its meeting on September 22, 2011, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education considered the report submitted by Bennington College and took the following action: that the report submitted by Bennington College be accepted; that the College submit a report for consideration in Spring 2013 that gives emphasis to the institution's continued success in: I) implementing a comprehensive approach to institutional effectiveness and assessment, including the use of data to inform planning and decision-making; 2) implementing its strategic planning; that the fifth-year interim report scheduled for consideration in Fall 2014 be confirmed; that, as noted in our letter of April 14, 2010, in addition to the information included in all fifth-year reports, the College provide evidence of its continued success in addressing the four matters included in the current report; that the comprehensive evaluation scheduled for Fall 2019 be confirmed.Item Correspondence to Mariko Silver from Patricia Maguire Meservey(2014-12-02) Meservey, Patricia MaguireAt its meeting on September 19, 2014, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education considered the interim report submitted by Bennington College and voted to take the following action: that the interim (fifth-year) report submitted by Bennington College be accepted; that Bennington College submit a report for consideration in Fall 2016 that gives emphasis to the institution's success in: 1. achieving its goals for enrollment and financial stability; 2. continuing to implement a comprehensive approach to assessment of institutional effectiveness with an emphasis on student learning outcomes; 3. undertaking the next iteration of strategic planning aligned with its revised mission; that the comprehensive evaluation scheduled for Fall 2019 be confirmed.Item Draft Report to the Faculty, Administration, Trustees, Students of Bennington College Bennington, Vermont by An Evaluation Team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges(1996) Edwards, Robert H.; Knable, Bobbie M.; McPherson, Michael S.; Yu, Clara"This is the report of the "focused evaluation" team that visited Bennington College from April 15-17, 1996. Our charge was to estimate the College's success in the following areas: 1. Reinvigorating the academic life of the institution in order to enhance the academic quality of the undergraduate experience; 2. Ensuring that the faculty is sufficient to carry out the institution's recently redefined educational objectives and that it appropriately participates in educational policymaking and institutional governance; and 3. Improving the quality of student life. Shortly before the team's visit an additional area of focus was added, and the team was asked: 4. To assess the financial well-being of the institution and its capacity to meet the standard on Financial Resources."Item Report by Bennington College to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education New England Association of Schools and Colleges Prepared for a Focused Evaluation October 1-3, 1989(1989) Bennington CollegeOn April 27, 1984, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) placed Bennington College on warning status, requested various reports (on applications, admissions, enrollment, financial condition, and fundraising), and mandated an evaluation visit in 1985 to review the warning status. Because of a change in the College's presidential leadership , that visit was postponed to the Fall of 1986. As a result of the report by the 1986 visiting team chaired by Richard P. Traina, President of Clark University, the College was asked to submit yearly reports on applications, admissions, enrollments, and financial matters, and to prepare for a focused visit in the Fall of 1989. The requested yearly reports were submitted on December 29, 1987 and November 21, 1988. At its meeting of March 2, 1989 the CIHE accepted the 1988 yearly report and confirmed the evaluation visit of October 1-2, 1989 focused "on the College's success in addressing its fiscal problems and the impact of those problems on the ability of the institution to offer high quality academic programs." In addition, the College was asked specifically to report on: 1. annual giving and plans for the capital campaign; 2. plans for securing the long-term financial strength of the College and the projected growth of the endowment; and 3. plans for correcting deferred maintenance.Item Report from Bennington College to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education New England Association of Schools and Colleges(1991-11-25) Bennington CollegeThe fall of 1991 finds Bennington College at a crossroads in its quest for long-term financial stability. Most signs are extremely promising: the Capital campaign is on target; the quality of the undergraduate students Bennington attracts continues to improve; efforts to achieve a modest expansion in graduate programs have met with success; and new ventures, the most exciting of which is the College's impending association with Jacob's Pillow, are on the horizon. Not surprisingly, the one discordant note is undergraduate enrollment. Yet, even on this score , there is reason to believe the College is rebounding.Item Report from Bennington College to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education New England Association of Schools and Colleges(1990-12-01) Bennington CollegeThe report by the 1986 visiting team chaired by Richard P. Traina, President of Clark University, asked that Bennington submit yearly reports on applications, admissions, enrollments, and financial matters, and to prepare for a focused visit in the Fall of 1989. The requested yearly reports were submitted on December 29, 1987 and November 21, 1988. Bennington prepared an institutional report during the summer of 1989, and in October, 1989, a team chaired by Kathryn McCarthy, Professor of Physics at Tufts University, conducted a focused visit. As a result of that report and visit, at its meeting on March 2, 1990 the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education: accepted the report submitted by the College; asked that the College continue to submit Annual Reports on Finance and Enrollment; confirmed the scheduling of evaluation for Fall, 1993; and the next comprehensive asked "that the self-study undertaken in advance of the evaluation give particular attention to the institution's success in achieving financial wellbeing, as measured in part by its ability to address long-standing concerns resulting from deferred maintenance."Item Report from Bennington College to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education New England Association of Schools and Colleges(1992-11-20) Bennington CollegeSince last year's report to NEASC there have been a number of changes at Bennington College. In recognition of the absence of desired growth in undergraduate enrollment and an unwelcome increase in institutional financial aid awards, the Board of Trustees at its April 1992 meeting mandated permanent expenditure cuts. It also directed the president and the deans to devise an enrollment strategy which would lead to an annualized enrollment of 550 undergraduates by 1996/97. Finally, it authorized additional spending from Capital Campaign proceeds for the period during which the abovementioned actions will be carried out. The Board statement on these matters is attached as Appendix D. The goal of these Board actions is the attainment by 1996/97 of financial stability which foresees a reasonable increase in undergraduate enrollment, a decrease in institutional financial aid and no budgetary reliance on the Capital Campaign other than the spending of endowment . earnings. Bennington has taken the first steps toward that goal. Appendix E. Steering Committee Report Faculty Reduction RecommendationsItem Report from Bennington College to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education New England Association of Schools and Colleges(1995-11-29)As the fall term of 1995 draws to a close, we are cautiously optimistic that the bold restructuring announced by the Board of Trustees in June of last year has set Bennington College on the road to long-term financial viability. The two principal keys t o success in this venture are enrollment and fund raising. Even as we are sobered b y the challenges we face on both these fronts, we remain confident that we will be successful.Item Report from Bennington College to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges(1988-01-01) Bennington CollegeBennington College began the current academic year on an optimistic note, and with good reason. The financial and enrollment information contained in the accompanying tables makes clear that the College has turned an important corner in stabilizing its current situation, in identifying areas that require more and sustained attention, and in laying the reasonable groundwork for a more secure future. In all of this, the College has retained the essential features of its educational program, features that have led all the New England Association teams that have visited Bennington to remark on the educational vitality of the institution and the importance of preserving its unique place in American higher education. This narrative will identify four different features of the current situation that provide the grounds for optimism. Attention will be directed first to changes in the College's administrative personnel. Though these changes are not reflected directly in the statistical information contained in the accompanying tables, they are crucial to an understanding of the College's improved situation. Detailed information on the remaining three (applications and enrollment, annual budgets, and planning guidelines for the near-term future) is contained in the accompanying tables and will be discussed in turn.