Whether attending a Tuesday afternoon language seminar, or squeezing in a workout, many Midd students find themselves walking up the concrete steps toward the Brutalist façade of the Freeman International Center.
The center houses classrooms and offices for German, Russian, and Japanese studies, and is appropriately named for Stephen Freeman, a dedicated professor and administrator who helped organize the Italian and Russian summer Language Schools, founded the Chinese and Japanese schools, and established the graduate study abroad program. He also served as director of the Language Schools for 23 years.
The many twists and turns of the building also house a wide array of cultural and community groups, including the Jewish Center, which celebrates weekly Shabbat services, Friday dinner, and Hillel lunch meetings.
It is also where students blow off steam, or explore their creative interests. Stationary bikes pack the studio of Middlebury’s student-run spin classes, YouPower, and 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC mills, engravers, carvers, a vinyl lamination press, and soldering materials line the walls of the Middlebury makerspace.
203 Freeman Way
Middlebury, VT 05753