Tommie Zito is converting the former Green Mountain College, which shut its doors in 2019, into a Christian college to serve the community and spread the gospel.
"We believe America's problem, or challenges, come from the spirit world. And so Vermont is a perfect place,” Zitto told the “Fox and Friends” program.
New England is rather infamous for its residents shrugging off Christianity and church attendance decades ago, earning the region the nickname “the preacher’s graveyard.”
In the state of Vermont, about two-thirds have told pollsters they never attend church services. About half identify as agnostic or atheist.
The now-closed Green Mountain College was founded by Methodist circuit riders in the 1830s. The school began as the Troy Conference Academy before dwindling enrollment and heavy debts forced its leadership to cancel classes for good.
The campus is located in Poultney, Vermont, a town of 3,000.
In a bit of you-can't-make-this-up irony, Zitto's vision is being helped by a whiskey company, WhistlePig Whiskey.
The owner, Raj Peter Bhakta, bought the campus in an auction for $4.5 million. After the purchase, he publicly stated he was willing to donate it for free to a Christian institution after plans for a resort fell through.
Zito stressed he is not planning years ahead, or even some phased opening, but plans to enroll students in the fall of 2027. He is seeking accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education.
“We'll be ready,” he said.
