Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury , Vermont in the United States . Founded in 1800 , it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States . Drawing 2 , 500 undergraduates from all 50 states and over 70 countries , Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts , humanities , literature , foreign languages , social sciences , and natural sciences . Middlebury follows a 4 – 1 – 4 academic calendar , with two four - course semesters and a one - course January term . Middlebury is the first American institution of higher education to have granted a bachelor ' s degree to an African - American , graduating Alexander Twilight in the class of 1823 . Middlebury was also one of the first formerly all - male liberal arts colleges in New England to become a coeducational institution , following the trustees ' decision in 1883 to accept women . In addition to its core undergraduate program , the College organizes undergraduate and graduate programs in modern languages , English literature , and writing . The Middlebury College Language Schools offer instruction in 10 languages . The Bread Loaf School of English is a summer graduate program in English literature , and the Bread Loaf Writers ' Conference is one of the oldest writers ' conferences in the country . The College also operates 38 C . V . Starr - Middlebury Schools Abroad in 17 countries across 5 continents . The Monterey Institute of International Studies is a graduate school of Middlebury College . The Institute enrolls graduate students in the fields of international environmental policy , international relations , international business , language teaching , and language translation and interpretation . Middlebury ' s 31 varsity teams are known as the Middlebury Panthers and compete in the Division III NESCAC conference . History . Founding and 19th century . Middlebury received its founding charter on November 1 , 1800 , as an outgrowth of the " Addison County Grammar School " , which had been founded three years earlier in 1797 . The College ' s first president — Jeremiah Atwater — began classes a few days later , making Middlebury the first operating college or university in Vermont . One student named Aaron Petty graduated at the first commencement held in August 1802 . The College ' s founding religious affiliation was loosely Congregationalist . Yet the idea for a college was that of town fathers rather than clergymen , and Middlebury was clearly " the Town ' s College " rather than the Church ' s . Chief among its founders were Seth Storrs and Gamaliel Painter , the former credited with the idea for a college and the latter as its greatest early benefactor . In addition to receiving a diploma upon graduation , Middlebury graduates also receive a replica of Gamaliel Painter ' s cane . Painter bequeathed his original cane to the College and it is carried by the College President at official occasions including first - year convocation and graduation . Alexander Twilight , class of 1823 , was the first black graduate of any college or university in the United States ; he also became the first African American elected to public office , joining the Vermont House of Representatives in 1836 . At its second commencement in 1804 , Middlebury granted Lemuel Haynes an honorary master ' s degree , the first advanced degree ever bestowed upon an African American . In 1883 , the trustees voted to accept women as students in the college , making Middlebury one of the first formerly all - male liberal arts colleges in New England to become a coeducational institution . The first female graduate — May Belle Chellis — received her degree in 1886 . As valedictorian of the class of 1899 , Mary Annette Anderson became the first African American woman elected to Phi Beta Kappa . 20th century . The College ’ s centennial in 1900 began a century of physical expansion beyond the three buildings of Old Stone Row . York and Sawyer designed the Egbert Starr Library ( 1900 ) , a Beaux - Arts edifice later expanded and renamed the Axinn Center , and Warner Hall ( 1901 ) . Growth in enrollment and the endowment led to continued expansion westward . McCullough Hall ( 1912 ) and Voter Hall ( 1913 ) featured gymnasium and laboratories , respectively , adopting Georgian Revival styling while confirming the campus standard of grey Vermont marble . The national fraternity Kappa Delta Rho was founded in Painter Hall on May 17 , 1905 . Middlebury College abolished fraternities in the early 1990s , but the organization continued on campus in the less ritualized form of a social house . Due to a policy at the school against single - sex organizations , the house was forced to coeducate during the same period as well . The German Language School , founded in 1915 under the supervision of then - President John Martin Thomas , began the tradition of the Middlebury College Language Schools . These Schools , which take place on the Middlebury campus during the summer , enroll about 1 , 350 students in the Arabic , Chinese , French , German , Hebrew , Italian , Japanese , Portuguese , Russian , and Spanish Language Schools . Middlebury President Paul Moody began the American tradition of a National Christmas Tree in 1923 when the College donated a 48 - foot balsam fir for use at the White House . The tree was illuminated when Calvin Coolidge , a Vermont - native in the first year of his presidency , flipped an electric switch . The Bread Loaf School of English , Middlebury ' s graduate school of English , was established at the College ' s Bread Loaf Mountain campus in 1920 . The Bread Loaf Writers ' Conference was established in 1926 . In 1978 , the Bread Loaf School of English expanded to include a campus at Lincoln College , Oxford University . In 1991 , the School expanded to include a campus at St . John ' s College in New Mexico , and to the University of North Carolina , Asheville , in 2006 . The C . V . Starr - Middlebury Schools Abroad began in 1949 with the school in Paris ; they now host students at 37 sites in Argentina , Brazil , China , Cameroon , Chile , Egypt , France , Germany , India , Italy , Israel , Japan , Jordan , Mexico , Russia , Spain , and Uruguay . The second half of the 20th Century accelerated Middlebury ’ s transition from a small , regional institution to a top - tier liberal arts college with an international presence . Campus growth continued . In 1965 , Middlebury established its Environmental Studies program , creating the first undergraduate Environmental Studies program in the U . S . Nationally affiliated fraternities were abolished in 1991 ; some chose to become co - educational social houses which continue today . 21st century . In May 2004 , an anonymous benefactor made a $ 50 million donation to Middlebury . It was the largest cash gift the school has ever received . The donor asked only that Middlebury name its recently built science building , Bicentennial Hall , after outgoing President John McCardell Jr . In June 2011 , Middlebury ' s endowment stood at approximately $ 908 million . In 2005 , Middlebury signed an affiliation agreement with the Monterey Institute of International Studies , a graduate school in Monterey , California . While the Monterey Institute initially remained a separate institution , the affiliation saved MIIS from financial difficulties . On June 30 , 2010 , the Monterey Institute was officially designated as a graduate school of Middlebury College . In the summer of 2008 , Middlebury and the Monterey Institute launched a collaborative program to offer summer language immersion programs in Arabic , Chinese , French , German , Italian , and Spanish to middle and high school students through the Middlebury - Monterey Language Academy ( MMLA ) . In June 2010 , Middlebury announced that it had a 40 % stake in a joint - venture with K12 Inc . to build online language software to be marketed under the brand " Middlebury Interactive Languages . " The initial release will cover basic Spanish and French and be aimed at high school students . Academics . Undergraduate college . Overview . Founded in 1800 , the college enrolls approximately 2 , 500 undergraduates from all 50 states and 70 countries . The college offers 40 undergraduate departments and programs . Middlebury was the first institution of higher education in the United States to offer an environmental studies major , establishing the major in 1965 . The most popular majors at Middlebury by number of recent graduates are : economics , international studies , English and American literatures , political science , psychology , and environmental studies . Close to 40 percent of graduating seniors choose a single major in a traditional academic discipline , and about 30 percent of students complete a double or joint major combining two disciplines . Another 30 percent of students major in one of the College ' s interdisciplinary programs . 4 – 1 – 4 calendar . The academic year follows a 4 – 1 – 4 schedule of two four - course semesters in the autumn and spring plus a Winter Term session in January . The Winter Term , often called " J - Term " for January Term , allows students to enroll in one intensive course , pursue independent research , or complete an off - campus internship . Winter Term courses are taught by a mix of traditional faculty and special instructors . Summer language schools . The Middlebury College Language Schools , which began with the establishment of the School of German in 1915 , offer intensive instruction in 10 languages during six - , seven - , or eight - week summer sessions . The schools enroll about 1 , 350 students every summer . The Schools all use an immersion - based approach to language instruction and acquisition . All students in the Language Schools must sign and abide by Middlebury ' s " " Language Pledge " , " a pledge to use their target language exclusively during the duration of their time at the School . Undergraduate instruction , available to undergraduate students , government employees and individuals from professional backgrounds , is offered in Arabic , Chinese , French , German , Hebrew , Italian , Japanese , Portuguese , Russian , and Spanish . Middlebury ' s Language Schools have historically been conducted at the College ' s campus in Vermont . In the summer of 2009 the college opened a satellite campus at Mills College in Oakland , California to accommodate a growth in enrollment . For the summer of 2011 , Middlebury at Mills will offer Arabic , French , Japanese , and Spanish instruction . Students in French and Spanish may opt to study at either the Middlebury or Mills campuses . Graduate programs . Monterey Institute of International Studies . The Monterey Institute of International Studies , in Monterey , California became an affiliate of Middlebury following the signing of an affiliation agreement between the two in December 2005 . In Summer 2010 , the Institute was formally designated as “ a graduate school of Middlebury College . ” The Institute currently enrolls 790 graduate students in the fields of international relations , international business , language teaching , and translation and interpretation . The Institute is the only school in the Western Hemisphere offering graduate degrees in conference interpretation and in translation and interpretation between English - Chinese , English - Japanese and English - Korean . It is also one of the few schools with a bilingual requirement upon enrollment for all students . English is required for non - native speakers and two years of university - level language classes in either Spanish , French , German , Japanese , Chinese ( Mandarin ) , Russian , or Arabic for native English speakers . Summer language schools and Doctor of Modern Languages ( D . M . L . ) . Six of Middlebury ' s summer schools — Chinese , French , German , Italian , Russian , and Spanish — offer graduate programs in addition to the undergraduate component . These are completed during six - week summer sessions , with an option of combining the sessions with overseas study . The graduate degree most often conferred is the Master of Arts . The MA in German requires one summer on the Middlebury campus . A second summer is required for the MA in Russian , Chinese , and Mediterranean Studies ; it is optional for the MA in French , Italian , and Spanish . Middlebury offers a Doctor of Modern Languages ( D . M . L . ) degree . Unique to Middlebury , the D . M . L . prepares teacher - scholars in two modern foreign languages , helping them develop as teachers of second - language acquisition , literature , linguistics , and language pedagogy . Bread Loaf School of English . The Bread Loaf School of English is based at the college ' s Bread Loaf Mountain campus in Ripton , just outside Middlebury , in sight of the main ridge of the Green Mountains . The poet Robert Frost is credited as a major influence on the school . Frost " first came to the School on the invitation of Dean Wilfred Davison in 1921 . Friend and neighbor to Bread Loaf , ( he ) returned to the School every summer with but three exceptions for 42 years . " Every summer since 1920 , Bread Loaf has offered students from around the United States and the world intensive courses in literature , creative writing , the teaching of writing , and theater . Prominent faculty and staff have included William Carlos Williams , Bernard DeVoto , Edward Weismiller , Theodore Roethke , John Crowe Ransom , Elizabeth Drew , A . Bartlett Giamatti , Perry Miller , Catherine Drinker Bowen , Carlos Baker , Harold Bloom , Cleanth Brooks , Charles Edward Eaton , Richard Ellman , Paul Muldoon , William Sloane , John Ciardi , John P . Marquand , Wylie Sypher , and Dixie Goswami . The Bread Loaf School has campuses at four locations : Vermont , Oxford ( England ) , North Carolina , and New Mexico . The primary campus , near Middlebury , enrolls some 250 students every summer . The Oxford University campus ( hosted at Lincoln College during Oxford ' s summer vacation ) enrolls 90 students . The North Carolina campus , near the Blue Ridge Mountains , is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Asheville , and enrolled its first class of 50 students in 2006 . The New Mexico campus at St . John ' s College , Santa Fe , enrolls 80 students every summer . Students at Bread Loaf can either attend for one or two summers as continuing graduate students , or work toward a Master of Arts ( M . A . ) or Master of Letters ( M . Litt . ) degree over the course of four or five summers spread over different campuses . C . V . Starr - Middlebury Schools Abroad . The C . V . Starr - Middlebury Schools Abroad , operated by Middlebury College in 17 countries across 5 continents , offer overseas academic programs for undergraduates from various U . S . institutions , as well as graduate - level programs for students from Middlebury College ’ s Language Schools and the Monterey Institute of International Studies . The first School was the School in Paris , opened in 1949 . The C . V . Starr - Middlebury Schools have been endowed by the C . V . Starr Foundation . The C . V . Starr - Middlebury Schools have an immersion - based approach to language and cultural acquisition . All students must sign Middlebury ' s " " Language Pledge " , " agreeing to exclusively use their target language for the duration of the program . The 2011 " Princeton Review " ranked Middlebury ' s study abroad programs as the # 6 most popular in the United States . The college operates schools abroad at 38 locations , including : Argentina ( Buenos Aires and Tucumán ) ; Brazil ( Belo Horizonte , Florianópolis , and Niteroi ) ; Cameroon ( Yaoundé ) ; Chile ( Concepción , La Serena , Santiago , Temuco , Valdivia , and Valparaíso ) ; China ( Beijing , Hangzhou , and Kunming ) ; Egypt ( Alexandria ) ; France ( Paris , Poitiers , and Bordeaux ) ; Germany ( Berlin and Mainz ) ; India ( Delhi ) ; Italy ( Ferrara , Florence , and Rome ) ; Israel ( Beer Sheva ) ; Japan ( Tokyo ) ; Jordan ( Amman ) ; Mexico ( Guadalajara and Xalapa ) ; Russia ( Irkutsk , Moscow , and Yaroslavl ) ; Spain ( Cordoba , Getafe , Logroño , and Madrid ) ; and Uruguay ( Montevideo ) . Research centers . Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs . The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs , was founded by Felix Rohatyn ' 49 , investment banker , former U . S . Ambassador to France , and founder of Rohatyn Associates . Located at the Robert A . Jones ' 59 House , the center combines Middlebury ' s strengths in political , linguistic , and cultural studies to offer internationally focused symposia , lectures , and presentations . An internationally oriented resource and research center , the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs ( RCGA ) supports the College ' s goal of advancing global understanding that radiates from a core linguistic and cultural competency . The center also offers grants for faculty and student research . Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity ( CCSRE ) . The Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity , engages in interdisciplinary and comparative approaches for understanding formations of race and ethnicity and their effects on human relations . It supports scholarship that considers race and ethnicity as intersecting with class , gender , sexuality , religion , age , disability , language , communication , migration and the environment . Work supported by the Center situates these discussions in local , regional , global , and transnational contexts . The CCSRE draws on Middlebury College ' s expertise in international studies , environmental studies , and language and communication to support critical inquiry on race , ethnicity and diversity . Bread Loaf Writers ' Conference . In addition to the six - week summer program , Middlebury College ' s Bread Loaf campus is also the site of the Bread Loaf Writers ' Conference for established authors , founded in 1926 . It was called by " The New Yorker " " the oldest and most prestigious writers ' conference in the country . " Noted authors who have been associated with the conference over the years include James Brown , John Ciardi , Bernard DeVoto , Robert Frost , John Gardner , Richard Gehman , Donald Hall , John Irving , Shirley Jackson , Barry Lopez , Robie Macauley , Carson McCullers , Norman Mailer , Toni Morrison , Linda Pastan , May Sarton , Anne Sexton , Eudora Welty , and Richard Yates . Recent faculty have included Julia Alvarez , Andrea Barrett , Charles Baxter , Linda Bierds , Robert Boswell , Lan Samantha Chang , Ted Conover , Mark Doty , Percival Everett , Lynn Freed , Linda Gregerson , Patricia Hampl , Edward Hirsch , Brigit Pegeen Kelly , William Kittredge , Antonya Nelson , Carl Phillips , Natasha Trethewey , Ellen Bryant Voigt , Daniel Wallace , and Dean Young . The conference is administered by director Michael Collier and assistant director Jennifer Grotz . Recent Fellows at the Conference have included Christopher Castellani , Geri Doran , Thomas Sayers Ellis , Ilya Kaminsky , Suji Kwock Kim , Naeem Murr , Peter Orner , Eric Puchner , Richard Siken , Monique Truong , Vendela Vida , and C . Dale Young . High school programs . Middlebury Interactive Languages ( MIL ) . In June 2010 , Middlebury announced that it had a 40 % stake in a joint - venture with K12 Inc . to build online language software . The initial release will be of Spanish and French , level one , aimed at high school students . Middlebury - Monterey Language Academy ( MMLA ) . Middlebury also offers summer language immersion programs in Arabic , Chinese , French , German , Italian , and Spanish to middle and high school students through the Middlebury - Monterey Language Academy . MMLA builds on the international expertise of both Middlebury College and the Monterey Institute of International Studies and adapts the Middlebury College Language Schools immersion - based learning with a curriculum and activities developed specifically for students entering grades 7 – 12 . The MMLA has sites at Green Mountain College , Roger Williams University , Swarthmore College , Wofford College , Lewis University , Oberlin College , Pomona College , and the University of California - Santa Cruz . Profile . Admissions and financial aid . Middlebury is one of America ' s most selective institutions , and admission is extremely competitive . For the class entering in 2013 – 2014 , there were a total of 9 , 112 applicants for the 600 September enrollment and 100 February enrollment spots . A total of 1 , 750 students were admitted , resulting in an admit rate of 19 % . For the class of 2016 , the mid - 50 % range for the SAT I was 1940 – 2210 and the mid - 50 % range for the ACT was 30 – 33 . Applicants to Middlebury must submit standardized test scores , but are given the option of submitting either the SAT I or the ACT . Applicants may also choose to submit 3 SAT Subject tests in lieu of the SAT I or ACT . Middlebury combines tuition , room , and board into one comprehensive fee which is $ 57 , 075 for the 2013 – 2014 academic year . September and February admissions programs . Middlebury enrolls around 600 students to begin in the fall semester and an additional 100 to begin in the spring . Those accepted for the fall admissions program begin the academic year in September and are referred to as " Regs . " Those accepted for the spring admissions program begin the academic year in February and are referred to as " Febs . " Students accepted to the Feb program use the fall semester to travel , volunteer , enroll at other universities , or work . Febs graduate in the annual mid - year commencement at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl . Rankings . " U . S . News and World Report " ranks Middlebury as the 4th - best liberal arts college in the U . S . and classifies it as " most selective . " " U . S . News and World Report " also named Middlebury 4th in the nation for " colleges most beloved by their alumni . " The 2011 " Princeton Review " ranks the College # 3 for " professors get high marks ; " # 4 for " school runs like butter ; " # 6 for " best quality of life , " " most popular study abroad program , " and " students study the most ; " # 12 for " best career services ; " # 13 for " best campus food ; " # 15 for " best classroom experience " and " dorms like palaces ; " and # 18 for " best athletic facilities . " The " Princeton Review " includes Middlebury on its " colleges with a conscience " list as well as on its " Green Honor Roll . " The 2011 " Newsweek " college rankings listed Middlebury as # 23 of the " Most desirable schools in America , " # 5 of the " Most desirable rural schools , " and # 9 of the " Most desirable small schools . " Campus . Main campus . The 350 acre ( 1 . 4 km² ) main campus is located in the Champlain Valley between Vermont ' s Green Mountains to the east and New York ' s Adirondack Mountains to the west . The campus is situated on a hill to the west of the village of Middlebury , a traditional New England village centered on Otter Creek Falls . Middlebury ' s campus is characterized by quads and open spaces , views of the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks , and historic granite , marble , and limestone buildings . " Old Stone Row " , consisting of the three oldest buildings on campus — Old Chapel , Painter Hall , and Starr Hall — is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Painter Hall , constructed in 1815 , is the oldest extant college building in Vermont . Emma Willard House , a National Historic Landmark , hosts the admissions office . The campus is known affectionately to students , faculty , and alumni as " Club Midd " because of its bucolic setting and the quality of its recreational and residential facilities . Commons system . Since the mid - 1990s , student housing has been grouped into five residential Commons : Atwater , Brainerd , Cook , Ross , and Wonnacott . All are named for illustrious college figures . The creation of the Commons , which remains controversial among students , accompanied an increase in the size of the student body and an ambitious building campaign . Recently completed projects . Recently completed building projects include : Public art on campus . In the fall of 1994 the President and Board of Trustees of Middlebury College adopted a “ One Percent for Art ” policy . This decision set aside one percent of the cost of any renovation or new construction at the College for the purchase , installation , maintenance , and interpretation of works of art publicly displayed on campus . There are 19 works in Middlebury ' s campus public art collection , including " Frisbee , " George Rickey ' s " Two Open Rectangles , Excentric , Variation VI , " Tony Smith ' s " Smog " , and a version of Robert Indiana ' s " Love " series . The collection also includes works by Dan Graham , Scott Burton , Jules Olitski , Joseph Bueys , Matt Mullican , Jenny Holzer , Christian Petersen , Buky Schwartz , George Rickey , Clement Meadmore , and Jonathan Borofsky . Bread Loaf Mountain Campus . The 1 , 800 acre ( 7 . 3 km² ) Bread Loaf Mountain campus hosts the college ' s Bread Loaf School of English and the Bread Loaf Writers ' Conference every summer . Middlebury owns the Robert Frost Farm , where American poet Robert Frost lived and wrote in the summer and fall months from 1939 until his death in 1963 . This National Historic Landmark occupies adjacent to the Bread Loaf campus . Middlebury College Snow Bowl . The mountain campus is the site of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl , the College - owned ski mountain , and the Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring Center . Along with the Dartmouth Skiway , the Snow Bowl is one of two remaining college - owned ski areas in the eastern United States . A volunteer ski patrol , staffed by students , provides on - mountain medical services . Members are certified as Outdoor Emergency Care technicians and trained in first aid , chairlift evacuation , and toboggan handling . The Middlebury College Snow Bowl is host to ski races during the annual Middlebury Winter Carnival as well as the February mid - year graduation . Sustainability . Middlebury recently incorporated environmental stewardship into its new mission statement . The college is a signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment and the Talloires Declaration . Additionally , the college has committed to be carbon neutral by 2016 . Middlebury was one of only six universities to receive a grade of “ A - ” from the Sustainable Endowments Institute on its College Sustainability Report Card 2008 , the highest grade awarded . In the 2008 – 2009 academic year , Middlebury College opened a new state - of - the - art biomass plant on campus that is estimated to cut the College ' s carbon dioxide output by 40 percent and reduce its use of fuel oil by 50 percent . In 2010 , the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Middlebury College announced the creation of the Sustainable Investments Initiative , a co - mingled fiscal vehicle seeking investments that generate long - term social , environmental , and economic value . The Initiative will seek investments focused specifically on sustainability issues such as clean energy , water , climate science , and green building projects , in an effort to identify businesses positioned to become a part of the worldwide shift to improve energy efficiency , decrease dependence on fossil fuels , and mitigate the effects of global climate change . Also in 2010 , Middlebury College and Integrated Energy Solutions , a Vermont developer of farm - based methane energy , agreed to explore a bio - methane gas collection and delivery system that could help Middlebury further reduce its use of fossil fuels . Middlebury has agreed to purchase bio - methane gas from IES over a 10 - year period , with the agreement contingent on the college raising money to build storage facilities for the gas on campus and retrofit its current heating plant to burn the new fuel . Student life . The 2011 " Princeton Review " ranks Middlebury # 6 in the US for " best quality of life . " Student organizations . There are over 140 registered student organizations at Middlebury . Students register for organizations of interest during the Fall Activities Fair in September . " The Middlebury Campus " is the student weekly of Middlebury College . " The Campus " was founded in 1900 , and employs a 100 % student staff . WRMC - FM 91 . 1 is the student - volunteer - run radio station of Middlebury . WRMC broadcasts a variety of content types , including talk , news , and radio drama , although the majority of the schedule is music . Traditions . Middlebury ' s Winter Carnival is the oldest student - run winter carnival in the country , started in 1923 . The Winter Carnival is a weekend - long event and traditionally includes a bonfire and fireworks on the opening night , ski races at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl on Friday and Saturday , and the Winter Ball on Saturday night . Middlebury offers a mid - year graduation for those students who complete coursework at the end of January . These students are usually " Febs , " students who began their Middlebury careers as February first - years . The mid - year graduation tradition is for all graduating seniors to ski down the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in their caps and gowns to receive their diplomas . Middlebury Outdoor Programs organizes outdoor orientations for incoming students in September and February . These orientations involve several days of hiking , rock climbing , kayaking , snowshoeing , and other activities in the wilderness around Middlebury . New England Review . The " New England Review " ( " NER " ) is a quarterly literary journal published by Middlebury College . Founded in New Hampshire in 1978 by poet , novelist , editor and professor Sydney Lea and poet Jay Parini , it was published as " New England Review & Bread Loaf Quarterly " from 1982 ( when it moved to Middlebury College ) , until 1991 as a formal division of the Bread Loaf Writers ' Conference . In 1991 , the magazine reverted to its original name , " New England Review " , and opted to have only informal ties with the Writers ' Conference . " NER " publishes poetry , fiction , translations , and a wide variety of non - fiction in each issue . " NER " consistently publishes work from established writers as well as work from up - and - coming new writers . It has published work by many who have gone on to win major awards such as the Pulitzer Prize , the National Book Award , and the National Book Critics Circle Award . Athletics . Middlebury competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference . The Panthers lead the NESCAC in total number of National Championships , having won 33 individual titles since the conference lifted its ban on NCAA play in 1994 . Middlebury enjoys national success in soccer , tennis , cross country running , lacrosse , ice hockey , field hockey , and skiing , and fields 31 varsity NCAA teams and several competitive club teams . Since 2000 , Middlebury ' s varsity squads have won 54 NESCAC titles . Currently , 28 % of students participate in varsity sports . In the early 20th century , Middlebury ' s traditional athletic rivals included the University of Vermont and Norwich University . Today , rivalries vary by sport . In football , Middlebury ' s rival is Hamilton College , as NESCAC no longer allows out - of - conference football competition . Since 1980 , the annual game between Hamilton and Middlebury is designated the Rocking Chair Classic , with the winning team keeping the Mac - Jack Rocking Chair for the following year . Middlebury is also the founding father of the International Quidditch Association . The game from Harry Potter was originated on campus at Middlebury . The current commissioner of the IQA attended Middlebury . Middlebury Quidditch has been dominant , winning the past four world cups , and going undefeated in all forms of play for the past four years . National Championships Facilities . The 2011 " Princeton Review " ranks Middlebury ' s athletic facilities as # 18 best in the United States . Middlebury ' s athletic facilities include : Middlebury people . Notable alumni . Notable Middlebury alumni include : Notable faculty . Notable Middlebury faculty include : On 30 Rock , Jack quips that Bennington College is a school for " kids who couldn ' t get into Middlebury . "