In & About Town

“Tucked into the southwest corner of Vermont, Bennington offers an exceptional college experience for those who want a small- town atmosphere. The downtown is walkable, and there is a vibrant arts and culture scene. There are green spaces for hiking, biking, swimming and skiing. The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests are nearby as well. Like its community namesake, Bennington College is small and unique. The school has a strong focus on the arts but also requires all students to complete an internship to ensure they have real-world work experience prior to graduation. Bennington ranks 12th for entertainment and very highly for the percentage of adults older than age 25 who have a bachelor’s degree. The city also ranks in the top 10 percent for its median rent as compared to the median income in the area. That means it offers an affordable option for those who want to live in New England but are hoping to avoid sky-high rents.” – Schools.com

The 25 Best College Towns in America

#15 Bennington

The Art Scene

Bennington’s cultural collaborations create a hotbed for arts in the community. By Heather DiLeo.

T(OWN): Alumni Entrepreneurship in Bennington

Alumni making a life and running a business in and around Bennington. By Heather DiLeo.

The Come Back Block

The collaborative approach to revitalizing Bennington’s downtown. By Heather DiLeo.

Downtown Assignments

Inspired classes and assignments that take the town as a class and the class into town.

Understanding PFOA in Our Water

When residents in nearby Hoosick Falls, NY and North Bennington, VT discovered their wells and water contaminated, the College stepped in to study, train, and educate students and citizens.

A Conversation with Ben Hall '04

Making a Difference in Detroit: Entrepreneurship, Activism, and Art with Ben Hall '04

The Economic Impact

A brief look at the College’s economic and cultural impact on the Bennington region.

Ganas: Immigration & Bennington

A student-led community partnership that weaves advocacy, activism, academics, and community partnership to make a safer, less isolated environment for Vermont’s 3,000 undocumented migrant workers.

Awards & Honors

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

The Friends of Robert Frost has generously gifted The Robert Frost Stone House Museum to Bennington College.

Alumni Online Course

Bennington: Real and Imagined – The Libraries

From The President

The campus connection.

Recent Releases

Recently released alumni work.

Bookshelf: Winter 2018

Image of Dietland by Sarai Walker MFA ’03

Sarai Walker MFA ’03 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2015)

Jill Eisenstadt ’85 (Lee Boudreaux Books, June 2017)

Image of Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice by Susanna Reich ’75

Susanna Reich ’75 (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, March 2017)

“Rockaway Beach is granted the sort of soulful reflection that knocks you flat…” New York Times Book Review

“The ‘We Shall Overcome’ songwriter’s legacy spans decades, and this will surely help a new generation understand his fervor and still-relevant message.”
Booklist

“A bracing personal narrative set against the backdrop of a simpler New York.” The National Book Review

“An overriding debate in this collection is over how forthright to be with children about the president’s proclivities and prejudices.” The Washington Post

“...one of the most buzzed-about books of fall... [a] brave and vulnerable memoir—the author’s first—that touches on themes of family, love and survival.”
Today Show

“Making the Mark provides a richly detailed grass-roots perspective of the procedure (and of male circumcision) among the Kuria people in southern Kenya.” The Washington Post

The Assassination of Fred Hampton by Jeffrey Haas MFA ’07 is being developed into a movie directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven).

AMC has greenlit 10 episodes of Dietland—adapted from the 2015 novel by Sarai Walker MFA ’03—to be written and produced by Marti Noxon (Mad Men, UnREAL, Buffy the Vampire Slayer).