Over the years, Putney students have traveled to hundreds of destinations, immersed themselves in cultures and communities across the globe, and found their lives changed by their experiences. Today, their memories, photographs, and accomplishments are a testament to Putney’s 61 years of quality programming.
1951: The first Putney program departs by steamship for Switzerland, Italy, France, and Holland, led by founders George and Kitty Shumlin. The ocean crossing takes ten days each way—three weeks of the original eight week program.
1957: Putney is the first organization to take high school students to the U.S.S.R. Students visit Moscow and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and stay at a youth camp on the Black Sea.
1968: Putney begins its first programs in Africa, with a Cultural Exploration program that visits Tanzania and summits Mount Kilimanjaro. The program operates each year until border disputes in the 1970′s cause Putney to halt its Africa programming until our return to Tanzania in 1993.
1969: The European Travel Camp, with an ever-expanding catalog of destinations, changes its name to the current incarnation—Putney Student Travel.
1976: The first of many second-generation Putney student travelers signs on for a summer in Europe.
1983: After 32 years, George and Kitty retire from Putney Student Travel, passing the leadership of the organization to their sons, Peter and Jeff.
1986: Chinese Revolution hero, Bill Hinton, introduces Putney to China. Students bicycle through coal mine country in Taiyuan Province, visit the Xi’an terra cotta warriors, and bunk with an agricultural community in Shandong Province.
1990: Putney inaugurates its first program dedicated entirely to community service, in Montserrat in the Caribbean. The following year, we expand to Costa Rica, and today, our Community Service groups travel to 14 nations around the world.
1990: Putney offers its first Excel Pre-College Enrichment program, located at Williams College. Today, Putney offers campus-based programs in China, England, Italy, Cuba and Spain, as well as in the U.S.
1999: The second and third floors of the converted cow barn where Putney’s first floor office has been for some 40 years are emptied of hay, renovated, and the expanded space becomes the current Putney Student Travel office: The Barn.
2004: The first grandchild of a Putney participant enrolls.
2005: Putney adds Global Awareness in Action programs to its offerings, allowing students to focus on issues of poverty, sustainability, economic development, healthcare provision, and more.
2007: Putney formally partners with the National Geographic Society to create National Geographic Student Expeditions—an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for the next generation of explorers, writers, scientists, and photographers.
2010: Co-Director Peter Shumlin is elected Governor of the State of Vermont!
2011: Putney marks its 61st year and looks toward the future with new programs in Rwanda, Fiji, and Cuba.
