GODDARD COLLEGE OFFICIALS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE
PLAINFIELD -- It's would be a small miracle, but president Jack Lindquist expects
struggling Goddard College to be on firm financial footing by next spring for
the first time in a decade.
Gradual increases in on- and off-campus student enrollments, reductions in
unemployment compensation costs resulting from past layoffs and payment of
back debts to creditors are helping.
"For the first time in about a decade, Goddard is going to be clear of prior
expenses and to achieve the balance of current income and expenditures," Lindquist said.
Assuming the size of next year's student body is not surprisingly small, the balance
should be achieved in the year, he said.
"We've been in real trouble since the early 1970s," the president said. "Things
are slowly starting to turn around."
Goddard is expecting to have 60 to 70 on-campus students next fall, up from about
40 this term, he said.
The college also is counting on 100 to 120 off-campus students in the fall.
Whereas 100 would be a slight decrease, 120 would be an increase, which is a
more probable outcome, he said.
"If we had something in between those figures, we would clear out all the past
payables and unemployment and have a small surplus next year," Lindquist said.
"If we hit the bottom level of that, we'll probably be running close to a
balance (financially). And so, essentially, next year will see us out of
the reorganization pains of two years ago."
He hopes to invest any surplus income into improvements in advertising, the
president said. "Then, we'll have more flexibility in going after folks
(recruiting students)."
Lindquist's upbeat forecast came despite a U.S. Department of Agriculture
spending cut that will cost the tiny institution $45,000 in anticipated
income this summer from a training program for meat inspectors.
Instead of 40 inspectors Goddard had planned on enrolling, there will be 10.
The loss "was not a whole lot of fun for us to absorb, but it looks as if we
will be able to do it with some jockeying around," Lindquist said.
The level probably will begin rising from 10 toward 40 again during the next
two terms, which fall within the next federal fiscal year, he said.
"They (department officials) are still very committed to holding that number
if they can in the program because they have quite a few people they're trying
to get through this (training) process," Lindquist said.
"They're trying to get money back in the budget to move back to 20 for the fall
and then move it up again in the winter if it's possible."
Although $45,000 would seem a trifling amount for a college, Goddard's budget
is so tight that even such a small loss of revenue is cause for grave concern.
PLAINFIELD --
Struggling Goddard College's entire 1983 graduating class of resident
undergraduates was for students, all women who took feminist studies
courses, among others.
The number of graduates is less than six percent of the number 15 years
ago when the college was in its heyday.
This year's graduates are: Pamela Powell of Arlington, Mass., who also
studied creative writing; Laura Arata of Mount Sinai, N.Y., physics and
philosophy; Robin Klein of Novato, Calif., psychology; and Janice Risch
of Philadelphia, non-violence and piano.
In graduation ceremonies Saturday, the Goddard madrigal chorus performs
three a cappella pieces and President Jack Lindquist conferred the
bachelor's degrees.
Next weekend 22 non-resident undergraduates and graduate students
will be graduated.
"It has tightened up our belts for this summer, but we haven't had to lay
off any employees," the president said. "The outlook is okay."
The outlook was not so rosey in 1980, when the worst deficit in the school's
history nearly forced it to close.
"That deficit almost broke the place," Lindquist said. A lingering legacy
of that period is what he characterize as a "huge loan" from the Chittenden
Trust Company to keep the college going.
With a brightened financial outlook, Goddard will begin to grow in students,
faculty and program diversity but at a controlled rate, he predicted.
"There won't be momentous growth because we don't want it," the president said.
Areas of planned growth include: adding computer equipment and instruction,
expanding library facilities, increasing career internship possibilities and
adding faculty positions in media, graphic arts and photography, physical
sciences, computers and math.
Some of Goddard's graduates from the 1960s and 1970s, when the college was a
haven for people seeking freedom of lifestyle and a loosely structured education
program would find the 1980s vision different.
For one thing, student life is much more geared toward the practical goal of
getting a job after graduation, Lindquist said.
"The graduate, particularly one from the 1970s, would find the college change
to a little bit more pragmatic emphasis," he said.
"It's a little less a place of political rhetoric. I think it's becoming
more of a place for thoughtful action."
4 RESIDENT UNDERGRADUATES RECEIVE GODDARD DIPLOMAS
