Tiny Vermont Work College Will Stop Teaching as Enrollment Dips

Sterling College, a tiny college in northern Vermont with less than 40 students, plans to wind down its degree programs, liquidate a handful of assets to pay off debt and see if it can re-imagine its mission at a time when small schools are struggling to stay afloat.

The school is one of 10 federally recognized work colleges, a designation that means students are required to work as part of their courses. Along with their academic curriculum, students tend gardens, look after livestock and cook in a farm-to-table kitchen to earn two- and four-year degrees in environmental studies.