Campus Alert Archive
Middlebury

Middlebury's School in France Called All 60 Students Before Paris Issued Official Alerts

VTcivil unrestadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

When coordinated terrorist attacks killed 130 people across Paris on November 13, 2015, Middlebury College's School in France had 50 undergraduate and graduate students in the city, plus 10 others at additional sites. The School in France staff spent the evening calling students individually to confirm safety, with students noting that Middlebury was calling 'even before any official alerts went out.' All 60 students were confirmed safe; Vice President Katy Smith Abbott and Dean Jeff Cason issued the all-clear.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Middlebury College
Private Liberal Arts · VT
Middlebury School in France
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPhone
Approximate reconstruction343 chars
This is the Middlebury School in France calling to check on your safety following the attacks in Paris this evening. Please confirm that you are safe and let us know your location. Stay indoors or in a secure location. Avoid public areas and follow the instructions of French authorities. We will be in contact with you throughout the evening.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from Middlebury Campus reporting; students noted the School in France was calling them 'even before any official alerts went out,' meaning Middlebury staff began welfare checks during or immediately after the first attacks.
The choice of phone call rather than email as the primary contact channel is notable and consistent with security studies recommending human voice contact for life-safety checks during active crisis events.
The School in France enrolled 50 undergraduate and graduate students at the time; 10 additional Middlebury students were at other sites in France.
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction571 chars
We are writing to update the Middlebury community that all students enrolled in the School in France and other Middlebury programs in France have been accounted for and are safe following Friday's horrific attacks in Paris. Vice President and Dean of the College Katy Smith Abbott and Dean of International Programs Jeff Cason have confirmed that all 50 students at the School in France and our 10 additional students at other sites are safe. Counseling services are available for students in Paris and in Middlebury. A community vigil will be held Monday at Mead Chapel.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The confirmed count of 60 students (50 at School in France + 10 at other sites) is the load-bearing verified fact from Middlebury Campus reporting.
The vigil held Monday November 16 outside Mead Chapel was sponsored by the Charles P. Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, following the college's weekly all-community silent reflection.
Middlebury's School in France is one of the oldest and largest US-run language-immersion study-abroad programs; Middlebury operates Schools Abroad in 10 countries.
Context

Background

The November 2015 Paris attacks killed 130 people in coordinated bombings and shootings across six sites, including 90 at the Bataclan theater. Middlebury College operates one of the most established US study-abroad programs in France through its School in France, a full-immersion language program that places students in Parisian life. At the time of the attacks, the school had 50 students enrolled, with 10 more at other French sites. The Middlebury Campus reported that the School in France began calling students to confirm safety before French authorities had even issued official alerts -- an unusually proactive response that students specifically noted. Vice President and Dean Katy Smith Abbott and Dean of International Programs Jeff Cason confirmed all 60 students safe. Counseling was made available in Paris and on the Vermont campus. Middlebury's rapid response illustrates the advantage of established, on-the-ground language school staff over fully remote program administration during a fast-moving crisis.
Outcome
All 50 Middlebury School in France students plus 10 at other French sites confirmed safe; counseling offered to students in Paris; college vigil held November 16 at Mead Chapel.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Students in Paris Recount Terror - The Middlebury Campus
    middleburycampus.com
  2. Official
    Three Perspectives on Paris - Middlebury News and Announcements
    middlebury.edu
  3. Source
    November 2015 Paris attacks - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
study-abroadfranceterrorisminternationaladvisoryparisliberal-artslanguage-immersion2015
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion