(Host) Woodbury College in Montpelier will merge with Champlain College and move its operation to Burlington.
Woodbury is known for its programs in mediation, pre-law and paralegal training.
Woodbury President Larry Mandell says he wanted to expand the college’s offerings, but Woodbury couldn’t do it on its own.
(Mandell) “As we looked to the future, we saw how difficult it would be for a small school like ours to take advantage of the opportunities to grow our programs the way we would like. It was time for us to find a partner that could help extend the reach of our programs nationally and internationally.”
(Host) After the merger is completed, Woodbury’s programs will become an institute within Champlain.
For at least the next 18 months, the two colleges will operate separately.
But the goal is to merge the operations in Burlington.
It hasn’t been decided how many of the 24 Woodbury employees will be offered jobs at Champlain.
Woodbury’s faculty is comprised of part-time and adjunct professors. Most of them likely will be asked to teach at Champlain.
Champlain President David Finney says the Woodbury programs will be a good fit at his college.
(Finney) “It couldn’t be scripted better. Both institutions are career-oriented institituions. Programs that Woodbury runs with only one exception have no overlap with programs here at Champlain. It’s complementary because Woodbury presence here will give us instant expertise like mediation and legal studies, aside from paralegal that we currently don’t have. So, it’s a perfect meld in our view.” (:30)
(Host) Mandell says it’s likely that Woodbury’s campus on the northern edge of Montpelier will be sold after the merger is completed.