Abstract:
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.
