Franconia College - Curriculum

Curriculum

Part of Franconia College's oeuvre was alternative education classes that were the object of study in developing new ways to teach that gave more individualized instruction and more varied opportunities. There were no required courses, no formal academic departments and no grades. Degrees were granted after students demonstrated competence in their fields to a faculty committee.

In 1975, a group of students from the University of Pittsburgh Alternative Curriculum program toured several New England schools that were offering new and progressive programs, including Franconia College. Several students were invited to come back for a special summer session that included classes for "Sugar Maple Woodlot Management" and "Auto Mechanics." Teachers with local professional experience offered hands-on education and experience with tools of the trade and actual work experience such as the basics of auto tune-ups and learning how to evaluate the woodlot for the healthiest growth of the trees. Students learned how to safely work on cars and use a chain saw to thin the sugar maple woodlots as well as learning how to tap a tree and how to protect oneself from the notorious black flies. One of the students reports that she was able to use the skills and experience learned in the auto mechanics class to hire on as a Journeyman marine machinist repairing diesel engines onboard Navy ships in Alameda, California.

That same year, the college was denied a $560,000 federal grant to support an experimental cooperative project with a local school district that met with opposition by both Governor Meldrim Thomson, Jr. and the Manchester Union Leader.