"Goddard College, a tiny Vermont school that thrived on the counterculture of the 1960s, is back, with the highest enrollment in 30 years, says its new president who will be inaugurated on Saturday [May 7].

The college, which has turned out famous alums such as playwright, director and screenwriter David Mamet, actor William H. Macy and members of the rock band Phish, was on the brink of closing in 2002. It decided to end its full-time on-campus housing and programs and focus on programs that let students spend short stints on campus but do their studies elsewhere.

Now, the college's mostly older students spend eight days on the campus each semester and do their studies off campus working closely with faculty. Enrollment has grown from about 100 students in 1981 and 500 in 2002 to 804 this past fall.

"It's back to take a leadership position at a time when we are in desperate need of thinking differently about education in this country," said Barbara Vacarr, president since July.

"And Goddard has always done that."

The school now has 125 faculty -- up from 75 in 2002 -- and its first 10-year accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges."

From an article in the Portland (ME) Press Herald (5/7/11).

According to the Phish.net FAQ and /people, Page studied at Southern Methodist University from 1982 through the spring of 1984, when he transferred to Goddard College. There, he recruited Trey and Fish (and earned $50 for each in a 1986 recruitment drive which helped save the school). Page graduated in December 1987 and wrote his Senior Study “The Art of Improvisation” under the guidance of Karl Boyle. He now holds a bachelor's degree in Arts from Goddard.

Trey received a Bachelors of Arts degree from Goddard College (fall 1986 to spring 1988), where he wrote The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday for his Senior Thesis.

Fish transferred to Goddard College In the fall of 1986 and graduated in spring 1990, where his Senior Study was titled “A Self-Teaching Guide to Drumming Written in Retrospect.” Fish also holds a bachelor's degree in Arts from Goddard.

Mike is the only non-Goddard Phish alumni; he remained at the University of Vermont and graduated in 1987 with a bachelors degree in Arts.