Our History

2010

• Champlain introduces its new Center for Financial Literacy.
• The Roger H. Perry Hall on South Willard Street celebrates its grand opening.
• The Emergent Media Center, along with the help of soccer star Samuel Eto'o, releases a soccer game tailored to educate youth on a global level.
• The College launches its Master's in Fine Arts in Emergent Media.
• Champlain President David Finney is honored at NEBHE's 2010 New England Higher Education Excellence Awards.
• Notable Names on Campus: Sudanese "Lost Boy" John Bul Dau; author Catherine Manegold; travel author Ted Conover;

2009

• The College announces the purchase of the Ethan Allen Club on 298 College Street in Burlington.
• The College donates use of its Eagle's Club property to COTS to ease housing shortage in the community.
• The College is awarded the 2009 IIE Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education at the United Nations in NYC.
• The Lola P. Aiken Hall is reopened and re-dedicated as a residence hall.
• The College hosts a national symposium celebrating the Quadricenntenial anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's discovery of the region.
• The College unveils its new statue of Samuel de Champlain.
• The College announces the addition of five new trustees.
• Newly opened Aiken Hall receives the College's first LEED Gold Rating.
• Notable Names on Campus: Congolese playwright and author Pierre Mujomba; leading Chinese environmentalist Wang Canfa; award-winning journalist Amy Goodman; ecologist Patrick Moore.

2008

• The College completes the construction of a new residence hall, called Lakeview Hall, and the renovation of a house into a residence hall called Adirondack House.
• Champlain acquires Woodbury College, creating the Woodbury Institute at Champlain program and creating the foundation for the College's new Master's program in mediation and applied conflict studies.
• The College opens its campus in Dublin, Ireland called Champlain College Dublin.
• The BYOBiz program launches it's first annual Elevator Pitch Contest.
• Governor Jim Douglas announces an incubator project with Champlain College to award grants to small businesses developing state-of-the-art software.
• Champlain's Workforce Development Center delivers online workshops in human resource management.
• The College purchases The Eagles Club property, located on Maple and St. Paul Streets.
• Notable Names on Campus: environmental activist Bill McKibben; justice activist Daryl Hunt; author T.C. Boyle; U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy.

2007

• Champlain's campus comprises nearly 40 buildings on 22 acres — a blend of Victorian-era mansions and high-tech facilities nestled in Burlington's historic Hill Section.
• The College launched the Accounting Excellence Scholarship Fund, celebrating a combined 200 years of teaching excellence by Champlain’s Accounting faculty.
• Champlain created a study-abroad campus in the heart of Montréal. Starting in Fall 2007, students may spend a semester in Montréal taking Champlain courses. It’s believed to be the first American campus in Montréal — one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.
• Champlain College rolls out its inaugural Vermont First Scholarship, attracting 30 first-generation college students.
• Notable Names on Campus: author Dave Eggers

2006

• The College institutes new centers on campus: the Emergent Media Center, the Champlain College Center for Digital Investigation, and a Conference and Event Center.
• President Finney announces two new scholarship programs: The New American Student Scholarship for students with refugee or asylum status and the Vermont First Scholarship for first-generation college students from the Green Mountain State.
• The College launches a new program called BYOBiz — in which young entrepreneurs grow their businesses while they attend Champlain.
• The College works with the Burlington and Champlain communities to create a new master plan for its campus.
• The College launches a new Digital Filmmaking major.

2005

• Dr. David F. Finney of New York University succeeds retiring Champlain president Dr. Roger H. Perry on July 1, 2005. His Inauguration as the College’s seventh president is celebrated on November 19, 2005.
• The Champlain College Workforce Development Center is instituted, enhancing the College’s capacity to be a catalyst for economic development.
• The campus celebrates the September dedication of the IDX Student Life Center. Complete with a gym, fitness center, dining hall and student activity space, it is the third building to be constructed as part of The Power of Three capital campaign.
• Champlain welcomes the Vermont Global Trade Partnership to its campus, serving businesses that want to explore markets abroad and putting students to work on trade research.
• The College launches its second master's program: a highly integrated, online MBA.

2004

• The campus celebrates the September dedication of the S.D. Ireland Family Center for Global Business & Technology, an academic center that enhances Champlain’s ability to put students to work on real business and technology projects.
• Trustees announce the creation of the College’s first endowed chair, naming it in honor of retiring President Roger Perry. The $1 million academic fund is called The Doctor Roger H. Perry Endowed Chair.

2003

• The College celebrates its 125-year anniversary.
• The first of three new buildings opens to students: The Main Street Suites and Conference Center

2002

• The College kicks off The Power of Three Capital Campaign to raise funds for three exciting new buildings.
• Champlain begins its first master's program in Managing Innovation & Information Technology.
• The College hosts Vermont’s first Governor’s Institute on Information Technology

2001

• Champlain creates a partnership in India to offer its degree programs to students in that country.
• Teen writers descend on Champlain for first annual Young Vermont Writers' Conference.

2000

• Terry F. Allen pledges $1.5 million for scholarships for Vermont students.
• Governor Howard Dean comes to campus to announce Putnam Investment's new work@home jobs and online training through Champlain College OnLine.

1999

• The first annual Summer Reading Program features a visit by Dominican-born author Julia Alvarez.
• Champlain hospitality students operate a new café called "The View."

1998

• The Robert E. and Holly D. Miller Information Commons, the College's state-of-the-art library, welcomes its first students.
• The College begins a satellite program in United Arab Emirates.

1995

• Champlain offers its academic programs at satellite campuses in Israel.

1993

• SuccessNet, the predecessor to Champlain College OnLine, is established and is Vermont's first computer-based, online distance learning program.

1992

• Dr. Roger H. Perry inaugurated into presidency as Dr. Robert Skiff steps down.

1991

• College offers bachelor's degree programs for the first time-in Business and Accounting-thanks in part to a major donation from philanthropist and educator Walter Cerf.

1989

• The Hauke family pledges the first million-dollar gift in the College's history and a new campus center is named in their honor.
• 10,000th graduate crosses the stage at Commencement.

1987

• The Single Parents Program is a new joint venture with the State of Vermont.

1982

• Champlain opens a Computer Camp for children and Computer Resource Training Center for businesspeople.

1977

• C. Bader Brouilette retires and Dr. Robert Skiff is inaugurated as President.

1970s

• New programs are initiated in the social services-expanding Champlain's repertoire.

1969

• Champlain's first computer, an IBM 1130, arrived in the spring. It had a removable disk drive that held 256K of storage — 1/2800th of the space found on a typical CD today.

1966

• Champlain continues to expand its dormitory space with the acquisition of Ward Hall, North House, and Smith House.
• The College begins the process of reorganization to non-profit status.

1965

• Champlain residential students move into the College's first dormitories: Jensen and Sanders Halls.

1964

• The College embarks on its first construction project and builds Hamrick Hall, which becomes a dining facility.

1962

• The Clarence Morgan home on South Willard Street is purchased and becomes Cushing Hall.

1960

• The Roberts' home on the corner of South WIllard Street is purchased by the College, and becomes Edith Baker Hall, home to the College's administrative offices.

1958

• The College moves to the Hill Section of Burlington and takes on the name of Champlain College. It moves from Main Street to a large carriage house located on the former Roberts' estate on South Willard Street and is renamed Freeman Hall.

1956

• C. Bader Brouilette, in partnership with Albert Jensen, acquires the College. Brouilette becomes president.

1920

• A. Gordon Tittemore acquires the College, changes its name to the Burlington Business School, and would run the college for 36 years.

1910

• A fire breaks out at noontime in the two-room College. A few students climb in a back window to rescue the books-saving nearly all of them. The College is moved to Main Street, above what is today Nectar's restaurant.

1905

• The College is located on Bank Street.

1884

• E. George Evans acquires the school and changes its name to Queen City Business College.
• Admission is opened to women.

1878

• G.W. Thompson founds Burlington Business School to prepare young men for "the business cares and responsibilities of life."