President Greene Announces Plans to Step Down in 2020
Thomas Greene, an acclaimed novelist who founded the Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2006 by creating a non-profit that bought the historic Vermont College campus and three MFA programs from Union Institute and University, announced that after 13 years he will be leaving the Presidency on July 1, 2020 following a year sabbatical and will join the faculty of the college’s MFA in Writing & Publishing program. The Board of Trustees will immediately begin a national search for his replacement.
Greene said, “Great colleges are never about one person, or any one set of people. They are a collaborative art, and a narrative. I have decided it is time for me return full-time to my literary career and to hand the baton to someone who, with our remarkable faculty and staff and dedicated Board, can help write the next chapter in VCFA’s history.”
Chair of the college’s Board of Trustees, Bill Schubart, said, “On behalf of the Board and the VCFA community, we thank President Greene for his visionary leadership since the college’s inception. His efforts not only saved a historic campus and jobs in Vermont, but he has also led this community in the creation of an important graduate arts college that now has a global reach. His new title by Board acclamation will be ‘Founding President Emeritus.’”
During his tenure, the college:
- Raised $13.5M in capital to purchase the historic campus and the MFA in Writing, MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults and MFA in Visual Art from Union Institute and University;
- Became the fastest college in the history of the region to gain accreditation;
- Raised more than $9M in philanthropic support;
- Added six new degree programs in graphic design, music composition, film, art and design education, residential writing and publishing and international writing;
- Invested millions of dollars into the historic campus, including building the first new building on the campus since 1965;
- Grew to a $10M annual operating budget that employs 250 people;
- Created the Vermont Book Award to honor writers in the state;
- Was named one of the best places to work by Vermont Business Magazine six years in a row, the only college in the state to receive that honor.
VCFA has a national board comprised of 22 artists, professionals, and leaders in higher education who are deeply committed to the success of VCFA. Chair Schubart said, “Consistent with our succession plan, we will begin an immediate search for interim leadership and a broader search for VCFA’s next leader. As of July 1, 2019, when President Greene begins his sabbatical, the leadership of the college will pass to its CFO Katie Gustafson and its Academic Dean Matthew Monk until such time as an Interim President is announced. Meanwhile, the Board has immense respect for and confidence in the current leadership team that manages the day-to-day successes of VCFA.”