Greenway Institute plans new Vermont college to reform higher education

The Greenway Institute is planning a new college in Vermont designed to reinvent the higher education model for the 21st century. The initiative aims to address the rising costs and systemic failures of the current system, which has seen 152 colleges and universities close or merge since 2016, with 442 others considered at risk.

Led by founding president Mark Somerville, a former provost of Olin College of Engineering, the institute intends to strip away expensive nonacademic amenities and administrative layers. Instead, the model will focus on real-world training under faculty mentorship. Somerville noted that the institution will prioritize meaningful faculty relationships over luxury, stating, “It’s not fancy... but you also take out your own trash.”

The project arrives during a period of significant instability for higher education in the region; for instance, seven private colleges in Vermont have closed within the last decade.