Southern Vermont College was a private college on the 371-acre former Edward Everett Estate near Bennington, Vermont. The college closed in 2019. Southern Vermont College was founded in 1926 as St. Joseph Business School, an institution offering certificates of proficiency in secretarial accounting, finance, shorthand and typewriting. Eleven st…Southern Vermont College was a private college on the 371-acre former Edward Everett Estate near Bennington, Vermont. The college closed in 2019. Southern Vermont College was founded in 1926 as St. Joseph Business School, an institution offering certificates of proficiency in secretarial accounting, finance, shorthand and typewriting. Eleven students were in the first graduating class. In 1962, it became an accredited junior college, St. Joseph College, awarding associate degrees in business and secretarial science.