Evangelist preacher Tommie Zito is taking control of a defunct Vermont college campus that was once envisioned as a whiskey-themed resort complete with a spa, helipad and functioning microdistillery.
The seemingly unlikely turn of events is all credit to Raj Bhakta, the entrepreneur and Republican political personality behind Bhakta Spirits. Bhakta purchased the campus, formerly known as Green Mountain College, in a 2020 auction for $4.5 million, well below its estimated value of $20 million. Following pushback from the surrounding community, Bhakta abandoned his plan to turn the 115-acre property into a lavish destination getaway, and resolved to give the campus to a new owner dedicated to — as he described it — “the revival of the United States and Western Civilization.”
Earlier this month, an owner emerged.
Tommie Zito, a resident of Boca Raton, Florida, plans to turn the property into Z University, a Christ-centered nonprofit currently seeking accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education. Zito envisions the Vermont location as the first of nine to come, followed by Z University campuses in Canada, Italy, Dubai, Poland, Sri Lanka, Japan, Ireland and the UK.
“It was an historic college and all we’re doing is taking it back, rebirthing it back, to its roots,” Zito told the New York Post. “Ultimately, it’s going to be a blessing for Poultney, I really believe, and for the region.”
There’s no word yet on the curriculum, size or scope of the would-be university, although Zito says that he expects its first charter class in August 2027. Nodding to the 3,000-some residents of Poultney, Vermont, Zito suggests that his plan may not gel with what they originally had in mind for the property.
“I’m sure it probably wasn’t their first choice to have a Christian university take over this beautiful campus,” Zito added. “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.”
Despite initial reports that Bhakta was giving the campus away for free, he and Zito are said to have settled on a “generous” price that has yet to be disclosed. Bhakta’s team speculates that the grounds will cost around $200 million to fully rebuild, plus an additional one million dollars in annual upkeep. The college was originally founded in 1834 before closing its doors in 2019 due to declining enrollment.
Little over a year ago, the site was on its way to becoming a booze hotspot. Journalists who visited the campus in March 2025 described seeing a vintage car collection housed in a gymnasium, barrels stacked to the ceiling of a library and whiskey blending seminars taught in a repurposed lab room. Legal issues and zoning regulations prevented Bhakta from further developing the property, which he had initially hoped would house 93 hotel rooms and 18 condos.
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