Goddard Trustees Postpone Decision Till August

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(Host) Trustees at Goddard College will wait a little longer to decide whether or not to close down the private, non-profit liberal arts school. At a weekend meeting, trustees at first voted to shut down the college’s residency programs, which would have closed the Plainfield campus. The Board then decided to postpone a final decision on Goddard’s future until August 15.

The postponement came after a group of Goddard graduates, faculty and staff asked the trustees for an chance to raise enough money to save the college. Clo Pitkin is one of the group’s organizers. Pitkin says it will take $5 million to keep Goddard operating. She says there’s been a lot of initial support from the college’s alumni:

(Pitkin) "It’s one of those things that if you were to say go ahead and raise $5 million in nine weeks, I would say that’s ridiculous. But with the response we’ve had, I’m not sure it’s ridiculous. I think we can do it."

(Host) Despite a balanced budget and rising enrollment, Goddard hasn’t been able to meet the financial requirements necessary to remain accredited. The college is also faced with millions of dollars in deferred maintenance on campus buildings.

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