Timeline

1971

• Charles Drake, Ed.D. founds the Landmark School in Prides Crossing, MA.

1982

• Landmark School creates a successful college-prep component. This success makes Drake and others on staff begin to consider the feasibility of a college geared exclusively to students with dyslexia.

1983

• The Learning Disabilities Foundation (Landmark School) purchases buildings from the U.S. government.
• A group of concerned citizens, later known on campus as the Putney Saviors, purchases the land on which the buildings sit from an out-of-state investor and immediately sells it to LDF with no profit to themselves.
• Landmark College legally established on Nov. 4.

1984

• Renovations to transform the old Windham College campus to the new Landmark College campus begins.

1985

• September 17:  Landmark College, with 55 employees, opens its doors to 77 students.

1986

• VT Higher Education Council authorizes College to grant an associate degree.
• Chumley B Residence Hall renovated.

1987

• Hall Four (Edward Durell Stone Hall) Residence Hall renovated.
• Self-Study conducted as part of accreditation for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC, now the New England Commission of Higher Education since 2018).

1988

• Landmark College Day Care opens.
• First three students graduate with an associate degree. 

1989

• Davis Residence Hall renovated.

1990

• First publication of student literary art magazine, Impressions.

1991

• Gene Cesari, Ph.D. inaugurated as 2nd President.
• The College awarded NEASC accreditation (now NECHE, the New England Commission of Higher Education, since 2018).
• Faces of Dyslexia stage production tours local schools and colleges.
• 80 Faculty; 170 students.
• 700 alumni.
• Landmark College creates Training Institute for Educators, the precursor to the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training.

1992

• Fine Arts Building purchased.

1993

• Publication of Teaching a Study Skills System That Works!

1994

• Lynda J. Katz, Ph.D. inaugurated as the College's 3rd president.
• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Chapter begins.
• Eleanor Harner, founder of the S.A.L.T. Program, receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.

1995

• Landmark College sponsors Opening Our Gifts Conference.
• Fine Arts Building renovated.

1996

• Dr. Charles Drake receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Dedicated Internet arrives at College.
• Publication of Off the Ground: An Anthology of Student Writing.

1997

• Charles Strauch, founding trustee and benefactor, receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Student Center renovated and renamed Strauch Family Student Center.

1998

• U.S. Representative Carrie Meek and founding faculty member John Bagge receive honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Landmark College sponsors Sharing Our Gifts Conference.
• Frost Residence Hall renovated.
• Study Abroad program initiated.
• Admissions Building constructed.

1999

• Edward Hallowell, M.D., noted expert in ADHD, receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Title VII Grant awarded.
• Library renovation completed.
• Kurzweil assistive technology software first made available in the Library.

2000

• Senator James Jeffords (VT) receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Men's basketball wins the league title.
• Ground-breaking for Click Family Sports Center.
• Title III Grant awarded.

2001

• The new gymnasium is dedicated and renamed the Click Family Sports Center.
• Sports "Bubble" taken down to the playing of "Taps."
• The Landmark College Institute for Research and Training (LCIRT) is established for the training of educators throughout the world.
• Publication of Promoting Academic Success for Students with Learning Disabilities.

2002

• Dr. Ray Kurzweil, the pioneer in assistive technology, receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Publication of Teaching in the Disciplines: Classroom Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities.
• Wireless technology and the Student Notebook Program introduced.

2003

• Rod Risley, Executive Director of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator from VT, receive honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• Publication of Understanding Learning Disabilities at the Postsecondary Level.
• Growth and development of the Intramural Sports Program.
• Beta Alpha Epsilon chapter of Phi Theta Kappa receives three awards from the national organization: Pinnacle Award, Five-Star Award, and Milestone Award.

2004

• Founding trustee John Allen Perkins receives honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at Convocation.
• East Academic Building, new residence halls, and Dining Hall expansion began.
• Initiation of Business Studies and Business Administration Degree Programs.
• Publication of Biology Success! Teaching Diverse Learners.

2005

• College initiates a service-learning project in Costa Rica.
• Beta Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa receives 13 awards at the regional convention.
• The College is awarded a Sony Virtuoso System Education Grant.
• Renovation of Photography Lab begins with a generous donation.
• Bridges Residence Halls, East Academic Building, and expanded Dining Hall open for use.
• Landmark celebrates the 20th anniversary of founding.
• New logo unveiled.

2006

• College launches pilot Executive Function Bridge Semester program.
• VT Governor Jim Douglas speaks on the Promise of Vermont Initiative at Convocation.
• Enrollment reaches 450 students.
• Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D. speaks on "How to Recognize Inadequately Treated ADD/ADHD in High IQ College Students."
• Landmark hosts World Usability Day/New England.

2007

• College initiates a service-learning project in Chile.
• 41 students graduate.
• Phi Theta Kappa co-champions in national case study contest.
• Alumni reunion takes place in Putney.
• College presents at annual AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability) Conference.

2008

• Professional Visit Day Program initiated.
• New Facilities Department headquarters constructed.
• 50 students graduate in 44th Commencement.

2009

• Aiken Hall renovated with third-floor addition.
• Enrollment reaches 498.
• LCIRT initiates regional workshops model.

2010

• College celebrates its 25th anniversary.

2011

• Peter A. Eden, Ph.D. inaugurated as College's 4th president.

2012

• College's first four-year degree approved: B.A. in Liberal Studies.
• New associate degrees also approved: A.S. in Life Sciences & A.S. in Computer Science/Gaming.
• Graduate-level program Certificate in Universal Design: Technology Integration offered with the Marlboro College Graduate School.
• January Term offered for the first time.
• The Landsharks evolve into the Landmark College Sharks with Finn as their mascot, and a new athletics logo is born.

2013

• LCIRT holds first annual Learning Disabilities Innovation Symposium with the theme "Diverse Technologies for Diverse Minds."
• Landmark College adopts the motto "Nosce te ipsum" ("Know thyself.")
• Fine Arts Building fountain restored, flowing for the first time since the campus's Windham College years. (Fountain photo by Landmark College alumnus Brandon Nogueira.)

2014

• Landmark presents actress Whoopi Goldberg with the inaugural LD Luminary Award at a fundraising gala in New York City.
• Residence hall Hall Four renamed Edward Durell Stone Hall after the campus's architect.
• A $1 million gift from noted economist Paul McCulley establishes the Morgan Le Fay Center for Advances in Economics, Business, and Entrepreneurship Education.
• New bachelor's degrees approved: B.S. in Computer Science and B.A. in Studio Art.

2015

• College celebrates its 30th anniversary.
• The Nicole Goodner MacFarlane Science, Technology & Innovation Center opens after a successful $7 million capital campaign.
• Residence hall Middle Hall renamed Alumni Hall in honor of Landmark College's alumni.
• A record 77 students graduate during spring commencement.

2016

• College graduates its first 12 baccalaureate students.
• National Science Foundation awards $650,000 in STEM scholarship and support.
• Landmark Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (LEAP) begins, providing $10,000 in annual funding from the Morgan Le Fay Dreams Foundation to student entrepreneurs.
• Morgan Le Fay Center for Entrepreneurship holds its first symposium, featuring keynote speaker Paul McCulley.
• Transfer, Career and Internship Services launches Landmark College Works, a comprehensive student employment program including experiential work opportunities and on-campus internships.

2017

• College receives "Tree Campus USA" designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.
• Charles Drake Field opens as a regulation-size soccer and lacrosse turf field.
• College graduates its first B.A. in Studio Art student.
• Center of Neurodiversity announced.

2018

• John Elder Robison presents talk: "Different ≠ Disorder: The Case for Embracing Neurodiversity" as part of his role as visiting lecturer and advisor to the Center for Neurodiversity.
• College graduates its first three B.S. in Computer Science students.
• B.A. in Psychology program and an online post-baccalaureate certificate program approved by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE; formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).

2019

• B.A. in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership (BA-COMEL) program approved by NECHE in the spring and begins in the fall.
• "Transition at College" program begins as a post-graduation/gap year track launched for high school graduates.
• First certificate in LD and Neurodiversity awarded.
• Landmark College is ranked #1 for both "Best Undergraduate Teaching" and "Most Innovative College" for the North region in U.S. News & World Report's 2020 college rankings for the first time.

2020

• The COVID-19 pandemic: students completed the spring semester online after the March break, and the first online commencement in College history was held.
• First degrees awarded for the B.A. in Psychology and B.A. in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership (BA-COMEL).
• Despite the pandemic, in-person classes safely resumed in the summer and fall of 2020.
• TV studio established.
• One million dollar grant awarded by the Johnson Scholarship Foundation to support continued expansion of online programs.

2021

• College awarded a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation for "Access to Innovative Education: Providing Learning Opportunities and Scholarships for Neurodivergent Students in STEM."
• College completes a second and third (and final) semester with a "12-3" academic calendar, with up to three courses offered for 12 weeks, followed by a course or experiential education for three weeks.