New S.T.E.A.M. Degree Program Development Halted

Associate academic deans Darlene Murphy, Diane Hermann-Artim, and Hester Fuller were caught short in their tracks when the VSC Board recently questioned them about their newly proposed certificate program in S.T.E.A.M. studies. The associate deans had been working on a certificate in S.T.E.A.M. to parallel the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) degree that is also under development.

Murphy stated, “We were shocked when the Board asked questions about how the proposal – which would prepare students for employment in steam operated industries – incorporated ARTS. Who knew that the ‘A’ in the acronym S.T.E.A.M. stood for Arts? Not me!” Hermann-Artim added, “We’ve decided to withdraw our proposal at this time. In withdrawing our proposal, it means we each need to dismantle the miniature steam plants we’ve been building in the Middlebury, Morrisville, and Winooski academic centers. These desktop models which we thought would serve as great simulation tools for teaching concepts in the courses are actually sort of dangerous.” Fuller commented, “Diane has a nasty steam burn from the model steam plant on her desk. For safety’s sake, withdrawing our proposal is probably the best decision.”