Defunct Vermont College to be Reborn as Christ

Defunct Vermont College to be Reborn as Christ-Centered 'Z University' Log in to your existing account or sign up today! Log in to your existing account or sign up today! Log in to your existing account or sign up today! Florida evangelist Tommie Zito plans to turn a $200 million Vermont campus into a “Christ-centered university.” According to Faithwire, Zito made a deal with whiskey maven Raj Bhakta, the founder of WhistlePig Whiskey, who plans to give away a $200 million college campus in Poultney, Vermont, formerly known as the Methodist-affiliated Green Mountain College. “When we forget that there is a God above us who gives us the rules, we don’t make them — forgetting that is what has caused this crazy culture to emerge of hopelessness, and selfishness, and crazy ideas,” Bhakta previously told CBN News back in March. The evangelist also plans to have additional campuses in Canada, Italy, Dubai, Poland, Sri Lanka, Japan, Ireland and the U.K. Per The New York Post, Zito plans to transform the campus, which includes a 26-building property with dorms, classrooms, athletic facilities and more than 100 acres of farmland, into a “Christ-centered university” under the name “Z University.” “I’m sure it probably wasn’t their first choice to have a Christian university take over this beautiful campus,” Zito said of the local residents in Poultney, a town of roughly 3,000 people, according to census data from 2020. “Vermont and New England are not pro-church, let’s just say. We want them to know that I’m coming in here — we’re coming in here — to serve.” He also told the Post that tuition would be comparable to that of other Christian universities, such as Grand Canyon University, which charges a base tuition of $16,500 per year. “I don’t do things to make money on it,” he told the Post. “We’re going to make it as affordable as we can. And that will depend on donor base, endowment and all of that.” Back in March, Bhakta told CBN News “revival” is his goal when it comes to how he views success for the Vermont property. “If we can plant a flag and bring a light to this place with an understanding of reorienting ourselves around God, family and country, we can find purpose and bring the light, which was actually the motto of this campus when it began as a Methodist institution over 200 years ago,” he said, referring to the motto as Lux Fiat, which, means “Let There Be Light”, in English. Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/XiXinXing Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. Originally published July 24, 2026. Log in to your existing account or sign up today! Log in to your existing account or sign up today! Log in to your existing account or sign up today!