Hector Duarte Jr. - All Headline News Staff Reporter

Officials say the data, along with names, addresses, SAT scores and ethnicities, were removed last week. There is no indication the information was downloaded by identity thieves.

College President Allan Rodgers says the 2003 information was publicly posted in January 2004, after the college's coordinator of tutoring services tried to direct it to a secure computer drive, but inadvertently sent it to the public Website instead.

The error was discovered last week by a former student who plugged his own name into the Google search engine.

In an email dated October 12, and directed at students and alumni, Rodgers says, "We have taken swift steps to secure the information and to remove the data from the Vermont Tech server and from other sources."

He adds all employees, including the one who made the error, will get more training on computer security.

With their vast computer networks and hordes of sensitive data, colleges and universities prove intriguing targets for hackers.

The University of California at San Diego, and the University of Texas at Austin are among schools previously struck by identity thieves.