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Reporter urges stronger town ties with Vermont State College amid enrollment drop
Summary
A Caledonian Record reporter urged the Planning Commission to explore ways the town and Vermont State College can collaborate after the college's enrollment fell from about 1,500 to 400 over 16 years; he said he will meet trustees to discuss next steps.
Paul Hayes, reporter for the Caledonian Record, used the public-comment period to press the Town of Lyndon and its Planning Commission to seek stronger ties with Vermont State College and to consider the college's role in local economic development.
Hayes said the college's public presence has diminished and cited long-term enrollment decline, noting "the decline in enrollment at the college, from 1,500 to 400 over 16 years, and the recent sale of land to the National Guard." He said past local efforts to connect students and community institutions have stalled and that he planned to meet with the chair of the trustees and the college president to explore institutional needs.
The commission did not take formal action on Hayes's request during the meeting. The comment highlights a community concern that could be raised again as town staff advance downtown designation and capital planning work that, commissioners said, could intersect with local economic strategies.
