Thoreau College

10/02/2026

The 2026 UMACS Conference (celebrating the 20 year anniversary as a network) was a huge success! We had 286 attendees, 42 campuses represented, and 14 community partners in attendance - a record year!

This year, we had 32 engaging breakout sessions to choose from, 43 incredible poster presentations, and an inspiring keynote speaker (Ben Passer of the McKnight Foundation).

Thank you to all that played a part in making the 2026 Conference a success! A huge thank you to College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University for hosting on your beautiful campuses and to our amazing sponsors:
Midwest Dairy, McGough, University of Colorado Boulder, DLR Group, RMF Engineering, Re:wild Your Campus, Thoreau College, Carleton College, Western Technical College, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

We can't wait for next year!

09/29/2026

Are you looking for an education that goes beyond the lecture hall? If you want to connect deeply with a small community, work with your hands, and live deliberately, applications are now open for the Spring Semester at Thoreau College in Viroqua, Wisconsin.
Learn more about our Spring Semester program: https://thoreaucollege.org/spring-semester/

09/17/2026

Next in our Community Seminar, we’ll turn to selections from Plato’s Republic, a searching and provocative dialogue on justice, education, happiness, and the kind of community we hope to build.

Join us on Sept 22, for an evening of shared reading and conversation. You do not need to be a philosopher, or to have read Plato before, only curious and willing to bring your questions. We hope to see Viroqua’s readers and lifelong learners around the table.

09/15/2026

Last Saturday, Thoreau College students joined the greeting and parking team at Wormfarm Institute’s Hay Rake Ballet.

After helping welcome guests, students had the chance to experience local farmers moving tractors through a hayfield in choreography with music, a striking celebration of the skill, rhythm, and beauty woven into the work of making hay. Hay Rake Ballet brings together farming, performance, and rural culture in a way that feels both joyful and deeply rooted in place.

Experiences like this are part of what it means to learn and live in the Driftless Region. If you’re interested in joining a future Thoreau College Semester Program, we invite you to learn more and apply at https://thoreaucollege.org/metamorphosis-spring/

09/11/2026

Viroqua’s community of readers, and curious minds is warmly invited to join us next week for the beginning of Thoreau College’s Community Seminar. We’ll open our conversations with Plato’s Meno, a lively and searching dialogue that asks questions we’re still living with today, What is virtue? Can it be taught? And what does it mean to learn something truly new?
Registration and further information: [email protected] or call 608-632-3829

09/10/2026

Are you planning your 2027 year?
If you are motivated to come to Thoreau College - please apply! We will work with you to find a way for you to attend. Do not allow money to be a barrier.
Learn more: https://thoreaucollege.org/financial-process

09/10/2026

We are pleased to host the Song Carrier Workshop with Liz Rog and Annie Schlaefer. Don't miss this chance to sing in community!
A collaboration between Thoreau College and Deborah’s Center for Belonging Folk School.

Song Carrier Workshop with Liz Rog and Annie Schlaefer -- November 14-15, 2026 in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Learn more and register here: https://www.centerforbelonging.earth/events/leading-and-listening-a-weekend-workshop-for-emerging-and-practicing-community-song-carriers-1

09/09/2026

Community Seminar Returns!
This fall's edition Community Seminar will begin next Tuesday, Sept 15 at 5 pm.
The Thoreau College Community Seminar is an ongoing invitation to join in an open, engaging, and egalitarian conversation about important texts and universal ideas. Inspired by the Great Books Seminar model of higher education and Henry David Thoreau’s vision of “villages as universities”, the Community Seminar is open to Thoreau College students, fellows, and faculty and to members of our wider local community of all ages. All that is required is a willingness to read carefully and to engage in thoughtful discussion with respect for fellow participants, a sincere desire to understand the authors and their ideas with openness and good will, and reverence for the truth.
Community Seminar details: https://thoreaucollege.org/community-seminar

09/09/2026

Another wonderful month at Thoreau College! The harvest continues as we welcome the school year with plenty of potlucks and communal gatherings.