Yesterday, Landmark College President Jim Dlugos appeared on Vermont Edition, the premier public affairs radio broadcast of Vermont Public in an interview with Mikaela Lefrak. The interview was part of an episode titled "Alternative approaches to education, from pre-k to college."
In the interview, President Dlugos discussed the College's history of leadership and innovation at the intersection of education and neuroinclusivity. "We have a rich history, and we are the first institution to be active in this area (of neurodivergent education). If you have a question about your child, or their learning needs, come to us, and we'll help you figure it out."
Reflecting upon the pedagogical approach of the College, Dlugos said that "Landmark begins with an understanding that actually, everyone learns differently, whether they are identified as having a learning difference (or not)... If we begin by recognizing that learners are our primary concern, not content or material, we can do a better job of listening to where they are and what they're telling us they need to succeed. We don't assume that we understand where a person is."
President Dlugos also spoke exciting plans for the future of the College. "We are at the front end of the next strategic planning process for Landmark to identify our goals over the next five to ten years... Our commitment to neuroinclusivity should be found in everything that we do. We're excited to break ground on a new building (in the coming weeks) which has been designed with neuroinclusive design principles."
Also featured in the episode was Matt Schlien, Founder and Executive Director of Willowell Foundation, which provides land-based alternative summer education in Addison County, Vermont.
Listen to the full episode at Vermont Public, or wherever you find your podcasts.