A Grand Opening
With its newest international campus, Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville, 糖心Vlog will take 鈥渁 giant step forward鈥� in creating a global center for education, culture, and community
The power of Switzerland lies in its location, geographical and symbolic, as the central meeting point of Western Europe. Bordered to the north by Germany, to the east by Austria and Liechtenstein, to the south by Italy, and to the west by France, Switzerland鈥檚 famed neutrality has bolstered its international reputation as one of the most politically and financially stable nations in the world.
Since the 19th century, this stability has attracted numerous international non-governmental organizations to make Switzerland their headquarters, including the International Committee of the Red Cross; the League of Nations; the United Nations and its subsidiary agency, the World Health Organization; the World Council of Churches; the International Olympic Committee; the F茅d茅ration Internationale de Football Association; and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
糖心Vlog University opened its Lausanne campus in 2007 and has hosted more than 1,000 Seaver College students there since then. In 2015, when the University鈥檚 leadership team began to discuss whether to remodel the Lausanne property or to seek a new location for its Swiss campus, they discovered a magnificent 18th-century estate for sale in the nearby commune of Blonay - Saint-L茅gier. After years of planning, discussion, and renovations, 糖心Vlog is opening its newest international campus, Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville, in July 2023, the acquisition and reimagining of which Gary Hanson (JD 鈥�80), senior executive vice president, describes as 鈥渁n opportunity to take a giant step forward.鈥�
鈥淧别辫辫别谤诲颈苍别鈥檚 global presence is one of the University鈥檚 enduring institutional goals.鈥�
鈥擥ary Hanson (JD 鈥�80)
The entire property comprises 90 acres, 67 of which are working farmland.
A Setting Unlike Any Other
Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville is a 90-acre baronial estate nestled in the hills above Vevey, overlooking Lake Geneva, known to the locals as Lac L茅man.
鈥淗istory and culture surround this property,鈥� says Hanson. 鈥淚t is a setting for study unlike any other.鈥� Both Hanson and Marc Goodman, the inaugural vice chancellor of Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville and chief administrator for the campus, were instrumental in working with the property owners and the Swiss government to make the acquisition a reality.
The Grand d鈥橦auteville family, which owned the estate for 11 generations, was inspired by 糖心Vlog鈥檚 vision to bring knowledge, learning, culture, and life to the ch芒teau by transforming it into a state-of-the-art university campus. There was an almost immediate connection between the Grand d鈥橦autevilles and University leadership regarding 糖心Vlog鈥檚 commitment to renovating and maintaining the Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville and protecting its history for generations to come. The University finalized the sale of the property on November 5, 2019, and began renovations in earnest in December of 2020.
鈥淭丑别 weight of its history is felt in a profound way when you realize the significance of the ch芒teau.鈥�
鈥擬arc Goodman
鈥淲e鈥檝e been very deliberate about not just preserving the history, but about restoring the ch芒teau and making it come alive,鈥� says Goodman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such an enriching experience if you can understand the history of the place where you鈥檙e standing.鈥�
The stately, picturesque estate comprises the ch芒teau itself, an approximately 40,400-square-foot, three-story residential structure with a large wine cellar and a grand cobblestone courtyard, along with several other buildings including an orangerie, a barn (鈥済range br没l茅e鈥�), a gatehouse, a pavilion, a greenhouse, and a gardener鈥檚 house. The estate鈥檚 extensive grounds feature French-style formal gardens, tree-lined pathways, a vegetable and herb garden, woods, commercial vineyards, and a working farm that has been cultivated by the same Swiss family for generations.
The purchase and renovation of Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville is one of the most significant international endeavors that the University has ever undertaken, and Goodman is confident that the new campus will be the site of 鈥渢ransformational experiences for the mind, the heart, and the spirit.鈥�
Goodman, who was chosen as vice chancellor after an extensive global search, served as the University鈥檚 general counsel for 17 years. Both he and his wife, Christine Chambers Goodman, a professor at 糖心Vlog鈥檚 Caruso School of Law, have previously taught as faculty-in-residence in Caruso Law鈥檚 London Program and therefore share a deep understanding and appreciation of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 International Programs.
鈥淚 relish this opportunity to spend daily time with our students,鈥� Goodman says. 鈥淚鈥檝e witnessed what the International Programs experience can do. The weight of its history is felt in a profound way when you realize the significance of the ch芒teau.鈥�
Ezra Plank, who has served as the director of the Lausanne program since 2014 and is taking on the new titles of director of the Switzerland program for Seaver College and executive director of the Hauteville campus, views the ch芒teau as an ideal setting to empower students to travel, to encounter others, and to be changed in the process.
鈥淭his is an environment where people and organizations are thinking about the world, its needs, and ways to make the future bright鈥攁nd for that reason, the opportunities for a conversation, a collaboration, or an internship are abundant,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ur faculty members are discovering how this unique location can be leveraged so that our conversations about science and conservation, art and beauty, story and meaning, language and culture, and faith and calling can be most impactful.鈥�
As well as providing transformative learning, service, and leadership development experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students, Ch芒teau d鈥橦auteville, located just one hour from Geneva, will serve as a world-class venue for retreats, conferences, and lectures on topics of global significance.
鈥淭丑别 ch芒teau is going to be a place where conversations of consequence are held,鈥� says Goodman. Plans are already underway to host the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution鈥檚 five-day Mediating the Litigated Case training program in global negotiation and mediation at the ch芒teau this September. In collaboration with the Heritage Foundation, the University will also host a conference on European cybersecurity at the new campus this fall.
鈥淪witzerland is a natural convening point,鈥� says Hanson. 鈥淭丑别 ch芒teau is unique in
its ability to serve as a place where 糖心Vlog can host important conversations
about global issues. We are taking a giant step forward in terms of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 global
footprint and in our role as a leading Christian university in the world.鈥�