August 28, 2008

For Immediate Release August 28, 2008

White River Junction, Vermont – Vermont Higher Education Council (VHEC) invites The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) to join its distinguished group of the state’s higher education institutions.

This past April, the Vermont Department of Education approved CCS to confer the Master of Fine Arts Degree and One- and Two-Year Certificates in Cartooning. This was the result of a nearly two-year application process for CCS, including self-study reports and reviews, and an onsite evaluation of its curriculum, facilities and resources, operations, students, faculty, staff, and governance.

“I’m thrilled to join VHEC and its impressive roster of higher education institutions. I’m looking forward to learning more about fellow member institutions, exploring collaborations, and ways in which CCS can support VHEC’s goals,” says Michelle Ollie, co-founder and president of CCS. “Our small college brings another choice to the state with a niche curriculum in cartooning. CCS offers a destination-based curriculum, which attracts unique creative capital to Vermont. It exemplifies the state’s entrepreneurial distinction,” says Ollie.

The Vermont Higher Education Council is an organization of all the Vermont public, proprietary and independent colleges. VHEC advises the State Board of Education to certify institutions seeking to offer degrees in Vermont, collects and publishes Vermont higher education data, and promotes the significant role of higher education to state agencies and Vermont citizens. Its review process and standards are based on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges processes and standards.

“I am delighted to have The Center for Cartoon Studies join the Vermont Higher Education Council,” says Barbara E. Murphy, president of Johnson State College. “Vermont already had a terrific cross-section of colleges and universities; but, the creativity and imagination quotient will increase exponentially once CCS sits at the table with us.”

The Center For Cartoon Studies (CCS) is America’s premiere cartooning school and studio located in the historic village of White River Junction, Vermont. CCS programs include a two-year Master of Fine Arts Degree, One- and Two-Year Certificates in Cartooning, and annual summer workshops. Faculty and visiting artists include many of today’s most celebrated cartoonists. CCS has received national acclaim for its work and prominent mention in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. For more information, visit: www.cartoonstudies.org.

VHEC members include: Bennington College; Burlington College; Castleton State College; The Center for Cartoon Studies; Champlain College; College of St. Joseph; Community College of Vermont; Goddard College; Green Mountain College; Johnson State College; Landmark College; Lyndon State College; Marlboro College; Middlebury College; New England Culinary Institute; Norwich University; Saint Michael’s College; SIT Graduate Institute; Southern Vermont College; Sterling College; University of Vermont; Vermont Law School; Vermont Student Assistance Corporation; Vermont Technical College; and Woodbury College. For more information, visit: www.vhec.info or www.vtcolleges.org.

– END –