Sterling Terrain V02 - Flipbook - Page 2
Allison Hooper
Board Chair
Dear Sterling Community,
As the incoming chair of the Board of Trustees, I am often asked, why Sterling? I am not an
alumna. I am not a Craftsbury neighbor. When I joined the board in 2012, I knew next to nothing
about higher education. I have a lot of heart for Sterling because I feel for the youth entering college today. They all struggle to navigate a complicated post-pandemic world of rapid
climate change, systemic racism, and culture wars. Sterling attracts students who desire to
tackle this long and seemingly intractable list of global problems. They start by finding meaning
and community in their college experience.
When I graduated from a New England liberal arts college in 1981, my accomplished classmates
were headed to Wall Street or pursuing advanced degrees. Looking for a different path to find
my meaning and community I traveled to France to work on farms and make cheese. I recall
the day two years later when I left my home and farm job in New Jersey for Vermont. Traveling
north on Route 22A in my rusted, beater Volvo, I was certain to find a community that embraced my entrepreneurial ideas of developing a new kind of agriculture in the U.S. with goats
and goat cheese. Against a tidal wave of skepticism, I stayed true to my audacious idea with
grit and hard work. At the tender age of twenty four, the communities of support and encouragement helped Vermont Creamery and Ayers Brook Goat Dairy to thrive. Every twenty-something deserves a supportive community where they are free to be themselves and act on their
audacious ideas. Sterling is this kind of community.
With great humility, Sterling meets students where they are practicing inclusion, aspiring towards anti-racism, and finding reverence for the natural world, all of which are urgent competencies to act on the climate crisis. The daily intentionality of the Sterling ethos prepares
students to be the leaders that our world desperately needs. Today more than ever we rely on
this generation to be creative thinkers, problem solvers, and most importantly caring humans.
We who have benefited from our lifelong learning must remain steadfast in assuring a “return
on investment” on a generation of college students who are prepared to create and lead in a
livable and just world for all. I hope that this publication inspires and sparks your continued
support of Sterling College. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we thank you for all you do for
this special community.
Allison Hooper
Board Chair