The economic downturn is jeopardizing the future of small colleges. Small colleges tend not to receive large donations to support financial aid packages in comparison with large colleges. As such, small colleges such as Sterling College in Craftsbury Commons, Vt., are at risk of closing their doors.

Sterling College have requested $350,000 from the state to go towards building a new dorm. They hope this will entice more students to enroll and lift the school’s number of registered students to 115, the minimum number required for them to carry on.

According to the American Council on Education, nine colleges shut down across the US in 2008. This is more than the average of four per year. Amongst these were several small Christian colleges. Another alternative taken by schools at risk is to sell themselves to a for-profit, online university, a step taken by Waldorf College in Iowa.

Sterling College offers a different kind of curriculum to other schools. Students are taught survival skills, such as how to use an axe, sleep outdoors in the winter without a tent and raise their own food. Located 30 miles from Canada, its campus buildings include logging and blacksmith shops, two barns, and greenhouses.

States normally assist private colleges indirectly through student aid programs but only around five offer direct aid that Sterling is in search for, and Vermont is not one of these states. Many people are prickly over the idea of giving private colleges extra funding, especially when Vermont is under pressure to fill a budget deficit of over $250 million.

Sterling is struggling for donations since its major benefactor has also felt the effects of the financial crisis. The cost of tuition is $26,500 but only four or five students are able to pay this in full without financial aid assistance.

Federal funding is not available to Sterling College, as the $8.8 billion set aside in the stimulus plan has already been designated to K-12 projects. Instead, state Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Essex-Orleans, has advocated that the state’s general fund should donate money towards the school. Hopefully this plan will rescue Sterling from the risk of shutting down, and keep its unique school program alive.