Letter from the President

In the spirit of our namesake — Samuel de Champlain — Champlain College is undertaking a bold expedition: to become the finest small, professionally and globally focused college in the United States. To do this, we must equip students with the agility to negotiate a 50-year professional cycle in an ever-changing and increasingly complex world, as well as further develop our local and global partnerships.

Listen first, create together 

As President of Champlain College, I am personally inviting you to join students, alumni, parents, guidance counselors, employers, government officials, faculty, staff and our Board of Trustees at the Champlain College Strategic Summit, August 10-11 on the campus of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.

During this unprecedented two-day event, we will work side by side to discover, dream and design a one-of-a-kind career cycle model for the 21^st century — a model that enables our students, graduates and connected businesses to thrive. To accom

plish this, we have turned to what we do best: listen, learn and use the information you share to create innovative programs that meet the needs of students, businesses and graduates.

Only by listening to you can we meet employers' current and future workforce needs (knowledge, flexibility, leadership, global-connectivity) while also e

nsuring that our students and alumni succeed over the course of their working life. Together, we will create a model tha

t further differentiates our students and alumni in the world of work. We will craft concrete strategies to prepare the workforce of 2020 and beyond to foster economic vitality in Vermont.

Why we can do it

Many of you have seen Champlain College undertake bold initiatives in the past. From the Center for Financial Literacy to the Emergent Media Center to our award-winning Global Modules, Champlain College has demonstrated the ability to create transformative partnerships, innovate processes and realize outcomes that simply aren't possible using the old models of learning. These and other novel initiatives keep us on the edge of innovation and relevant in the global professional landscape.

Your voice matters 

Join us as we envision a new approach to support a thriving professional community and develop needed human capital for the workforce. Only with your participation can we frame a new model designed to address the challenges and opportunities of the coming century. I look forward to seeing you in August.

Warm Regards,

Dave Finney