Dear faculty and staff, 

I hope your spring semester is off to a good start! I’m writing to share some news, along with information updates on current and new initiatives. 
 &Բ;
Leadership Transitions

Please join me in welcoming these new leaders to our community: 

  • Dr. Jason Garvey is our new Executive Director of Institutional Research and Assessment. 
  • This summer, Dr. Peter Newman will join us as Dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. &Բ;
  • Dr. BettyJo Bouchey has been appointed Chief Officer for Professional and Continuing Education and will begin in mid-February. &Բ;

Spring Application Data and Yield Activities

Following the January 15 application deadline, the Admissions team will pour through nearly 27,000 applications for admission this fall. We’ve seen increased interest from Vermonters, international students, and students who come from outside of New England, and we’ve received 5,300 applications from students who identify as BIPOC—a record number. More good news: there are greater numbers of students indicating that ̽̽ is their first-choice university, with an 8% increase in students applying via Early Decision. &Բ;
 &Բ;
We’re off to a strong start building the Class of 2028, and I want to thank you in advance for your help yielding the class this spring. Your personal outreach to students and families, as well as your engagement and kindness when they visit our campus, make all the difference. About 50% of the students who attend one of our Admitted Student Visit Days will enroll at ̽̽! Let’s work together to fill our classrooms and residence halls with talented, motivated students who will make positive contributions to our community.

Academic Success Goals

Our refresh of the Academic Success Goals (ASG) is nearly complete. We have incorporated the excellent feedback received from the Academic Leadership Council, the Provost’s Executive Team, the Provost’s Integrated Leadership Team, the Academic Planning Council, the Faculty Senate Executive Council, the Faculty Senate, Staff Council, the Student Government Association, the Graduate Student Senate, academic and student success leaders across campus, and faculty and staff more broadly through discussions within their units facilitated by deans and vice provosts. The refreshed ASGs include some important clarifications and several new focus areas, and have been reordered to reflect a general sequencing/scaffolding that will be helpful when prioritizing efforts and activities. We are now working on the detailed metrics/outcomes and the dashboard that will accompany the new ASGs. These documents will be posted later this spring in preparation for their July 1 effective date. &Բ;

Comprehensive Inclusive Excellence Action Plan

We have also made progress on another document that guides our work. In November, we released the university’s Comprehensive Inclusive Excellence Action Plan (IEAP), a data-driven strategic plan centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The plan outlines the university’s commitment and process for advancing inclusive excellence across the university over the next five years. The IEAP was developed as an overarching strategy supported by the 25 individual unit plans. (ASG 1.5)

NECHE Five-Year Interim Accreditation Report

In January, under the leadership of Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Student Success J. Dickinson, ̽̽ submitted a five-year interim report to its regional accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Interim reports are required of all NECHE institutions, and focus on updates in the five years since the most recent comprehensive review. ̽̽ was asked to specifically provide updates in the areas of general education, academic and career advising, institutional planning, including the Campus Plan, and support for assessment of student learning outcomes. ̽̽ has made significant progress in each of these areas, as highlighted by the launch of the Catamount Core Curriculum, the establishment of professional advising for all first-year undergraduate students, the recent approval of the new Campus Plan, and investments in assessment infrastructure, including the hiring of a full-time Assessment Coordinator in the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. Discussion of newly developed institutional plans in the areas of Inclusive Excellence, Sustainability, and the refresh of the Academic Success Goals also pointed to important institutional efforts that moved forward during the pandemic. The report also offered the opportunity to highlight gains across the institution in institutional updates related to each NECHE Standard, including institutional resources, Admissions and Student Affairs, and Teaching, Learning and Scholarship. In addition to outlining accomplishments, the report covers areas where the institution recognizes the need for further development, including the systematic assessment of student learning at the program and institutional level. The conclusion to the report, “Future Plans: Looking ahead to 2029” outlined key goals that ̽̽ expects to make progress towards during the five years until the next comprehensive reaccreditation review in 2029. These plans include further development of ̽̽’s research infrastructure, a focus on expanding graduate education, increasing international partnerships, and the fulfillment of the first Comprehensive Inclusive Excellence Plan.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant

We were proud to be awarded a $2.5M from the that will support initiatives for faculty, staff, and undergraduate students, with the goal of creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all students. This five-year grant, led by Dean Linda Schadler and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Student Success Jennifer Dickinson, will provide professional development opportunities to staff and faculty who can in turn create more welcoming environments in our classrooms; identify and remove institutional policies that create barriers to student success; offer programming for all students to help them develop the skills they need to create a more inclusive social culture; and create a leadership development program that will include students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields. This award increases the external visibility of our commitment to equity and inclusion and provides funding to further these important efforts. (ASG 1.2, 1.5)

Solar Eclipse Day

I am so grateful to the incredible team that is planning a series of events both preceding and on the day of the eclipse on April 8. Our planning committee consists of students, faculty, and staff from over 20 departments on campus, as well as partners from neighboring universities. Please check out and be sure to join us for the keynote address right before the eclipse. Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger of Cornell’s Department of Astronomy and the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos will deliver the address before experiencing the eclipse alongside our students, faculty, and staff. The seminar series and keynote speaker will be livestreamed so the entire ̽̽ community, on and off campus, can take part in these activities. (ASG 1.1)

̽̽ GO

As a result of last August’s successful launch of ̽̽ GO, there is great enthusiasm for ̽̽ GO 2024! We have received 25 new proposals for summer 2024 programs, and we also have a number of returning faculty leaders. In addition to continuing our strong local programs and partnerships, we are excited to expand to potential locations for the more far-reaching trips. Sites under consideration include San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Iceland. There is a range of interesting topics emerging—from wellness and self-care to foraging and studying fungi, from entrepreneurship in the local food scene to agroecology and the impacts of global issues, like climate change, in the local Vermont context. The team will spend the next few weeks developing program ideas with faculty members and creating promotional materials for the Admitted Student Visit Days this spring.

Our goal enrollment for next summer is 750 students (more than doubling Summer 2023’s enrollment) with the ultimate goal of enrolling 1,500 students annually in pre-matriculation programming by summer 2026. I appreciate your help growing ̽̽ GO. The students who participated last August are showing high levels of engagement and satisfaction. The early connections they made with peers, faculty, and staff had a significant impact. (ASG 1.1, 1.2, 3.3)

KNOWLEDGE CREATION and ENGAGEMENT

Open Scholarship

The (HELIOS) is an organization established by several university presidents to marshal universities into collective and bold stances and actions that move data and scholarship into open models for information dissemination and access. Launched in 2022 with the commitment of more than 60 American universities and colleges, including ̽̽, HELIOS recognizes the importance of educating faculty and university leaders in the importance of “open science” and the critical need to share scientific discoveries and solutions to benefit all members of society.

In early January, along with presidents and provosts from across the country, I attended a conference to consider how we can collaborate to develop models and standards for rewarding open scholarship within our academic cultures. Fortunately, we already have a faculty leadership working group committed to the open science and open access principles led by Dr. Meredith Niles, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Dr. Tom Borchert, President of the Faculty Senate and Chair of the Department of Religion; and Dr. Bryn Geffert, Dean of Libraries. Additionally, the Faculty Senate Research, Scholarship and Creative Arts Committee (RSCA) sponsored a resolution on open access and open science that was approved by the full Faculty Senate last spring, declaring that “the free exchange of research and scholarly information is a matter of equity and consistent with the values of Our Common Ground.” At the national meeting, ̽̽ and our faculty leaders were held up as models for other institutions to follow.

Many governmental agencies are committed to open science including NASA, NSF, NIH, NOAA, DOE, OSTP, and NLM. This spring, I will be collaborating with faculty and academic leaders across campus to further the Faculty Senate resolution as well as implementing additional strategies to build our understanding of open science and use of available tools to share information. (ASG 2.1, 2.3)

̽̽ Major Lecture Series

The university is consolidating planning and support for its four major lecture series: Aiken, Burack, Zeltzerman, and the Janus Forum. Each year, a committee of deans and representatives from the Provost’s Office, the Faculty Senate, and the Grossman School of Business will choose a theme and schedule speakers for each lecture around that theme. This year’s theme is Social Media. This spring, speakers include Zeynep Tufecki (March 6), a Princeton University sociologist and New York Times columnist who has studied the influence of social media in the Tahrir Square uprising in Egypt and protest movements in Hong Kong; and Nora Draper (March 25), a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire who studies data privacy. In this year’s Janus Forum (February 7), Jim Steyer, president of Common Sense Media, and John Samples of the Cato Institute will argue for and against the proposition that “Social Media should be more regulated.” Janus Forum speakers are also asked to develop their arguments in writing, producing two essays apiece: (a) an argument for their position, and (b) a response to their interlocutor’s augments. In the future, the new University of Vermont Press will publish these point-counterpoint essays in a new Janus Texts series aimed at a wide audience and appropriate for high school and college courses. Last fall’s major lecture speakers included Bailey Parnell, a TED speaker who lectures on social media’s effects on mental health; and ̽̽’s own Chris Danforth on .

Themes under consideration for future lectures include:

  • Free speech on campus. Understandings of, regulations around, legalities of, and practices around free expression in the academy.
  • The role of corporations in politics. What happens and what should happen when companies contribute to political discourse? How does and how should the law understand corporate rights to speech? What strictures on employee speech and political activity are legal or advisable? How does corporate engagement in political issues affect corporations’ bottom lines?
  • Scholarship in a fake-news world. In a world of misinformation run rampant, where the academy and the scholarship it produces are sometimes held in low regard, and where traditional standards of evidence and argumentation strike some as quaint or irrelevant, what is the role of scholarship? (ASG 1.5, 2.1, 3.3)

Tech Hub Recognition

A , in close collaboration with semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries and the State of Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development, has been designated as one of 31 Tech Hubs by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). This designation—won from among more than 200 applicants from across the U.S.—creates a range of program supports to build a technology ecosystem around semiconductor development and commercialization in the Burlington metro area, including an opportunity to compete with the other designees for up to $75M in federal economic, research, and development funding. The “Phase II” competition will take place this spring, with applications due February 29, 2024, and funding for winning applications arriving in early summer. The effort is being led by the Office of Research and ̽̽’s new Regional Innovation Officer, Doug Merrill. In addition to the Phase II funding competition, numerous economic development opportunities in workforce development, small business support, and export assistance have been made available to our consortium and will continue for the next several years. A significant number of local businesses, municipalities, and investment groups have joined the consortium, and partnership with national and international semiconductor industry partners is already taking place. By working to help develop a more robust local tech sector, ̽̽ stands to gain significant national recognition for its research and development work, and greater national and international exposure to potential students and researchers seeking opportunities in technology R&D. (ASG 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)

Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships

It was a delight to celebrate the official opening of the Patrick Leahy Building and the launch of the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships in November. The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships was made possible by a $9.3 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, with leadership and support from Senator Leahy (the USDA contributed over $29 million to the renovation of the Leahy building). The work of the institute will result in a template that can be replicated for other rural areas across the country through a national educational consortium. The Leahy Institute will bring financial and technical assistance, ̽̽ research, faculty expertise, student projects and internships, and established ̽̽ startup and engagement programs together to collaborate on impactful solutions that drive positive change for Vermont and beyond. This is a powerful addition to our campus and our state and is another example of the lasting and positive impact of Senator Leahy’s work. (ASG 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 1.1)

Planetary Health

Our Planetary Health discussions continue, and enthusiasm is building! Planetary Health is a broad interdisciplinary theme in which we have existing research, education, clinical and policy strength. Organizing and leveraging our activities around this theme will further distinguish ̽̽, will position us for continued success, and will help us reach and sustain our R1 research goal. We are already seeing movement in centers and institutes, service-learning courses, speaker invites, and potential grants. Stay tuned for more information and our Planetary Health launch as we work with our Academic Planning Committee, including the members of the Faculty Senate Executive Council. (ASG 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1)

WELLNESS

Title IX Advances

As noted in my last report, Dr. Jennifer Demers joined ̽̽ last fall as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Biomedical and Health Sciences Department and has begun development of the new PIVOT (Preventing Interpersonal Violence via Outreach and Training) Peer Educator Program, and a pilot training program for campus-based professionals to improve communication skills in response to disclosures of sexual violence by students has been launched.

Also, last fall ̽̽ welcomed trainers from the federal STARRSA, or Science-based Treatment, Accountability, and Risk Reduction for Sexual Assault program. This training enabled us to enhance our educational programming for students found responsible for violating the sexual misconduct policy and students who enter into Alternative Resolution agreements. This is a research-informed, nationally recognized program developed through a Department of Justice grant and used at universities nationwide. The program provides education about basic social skills necessary for healthy consenting sexual behavior. Its mission is to be consistent with and complement policies that are designed to address sexual misconduct; hold those responsible accountable; and assist those who have engaged in sexual misconduct in developing beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that promote healthy, consensual, and safe intimate relationships and sexual behavior.

This spring, ̽̽’s new Project Management Office is leading an effort to refine our uniform reporting portal and improve the function and utilization of case management software that will help us ensure timely and effective response and follow-up.

Osher Center

The Osher Center celebrated its first anniversary last October and it continues to build on the foundation of ̽̽’s history of integrative healthcare work. Among many of the Center’s recent accomplishments:

  • The Osher Center’s Comprehensive Pain Program serves as a national model in its use of an integrative, whole-person approach to addressing the challenge of chronic pain. In October of 2023, the program finalized negotiations for a pilot with Medicaid, making it the first in the U.S. to offer this comprehensive and integrative pain care to Medicaid subscribers.
  • The Center’s educational programs are flourishing, with 300 healthcare professionals worldwide attending their integrative pain management conference last May.
  • Their Integrative Therapies at the ̽̽ Cancer Center and the ̽̽ Children’s Hospital continue to help relieve suffering, improve care and quality of life, support healthy lifestyles, and empower patients and families. This past year, the Osher Center received a grant from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for Advancing Rural Health Equity to offer farm shares and health coaching for food-insecure cancer patients and a philanthropic gift from a generous donor to expand music therapy at the ̽̽ Children’s Hospital.
  • The Center’s Health and Wellness Coaching program was the top-grossing noncredit program at ̽̽ associated with the Upskill Vermont grant this year.
  • The Center has established a Planetary Health arm and will make important contributions to this university initiative.
  • The ̽̽ Employee Wellness program, housed in the Osher Center, is thriving, gaining more partnerships with the Center for Health and Wellbeing, Human Resources, and other units to create a health-promoting culture at ̽̽ for all students, faculty, and staff.

I hope you will explore the Osher Center’s offerings to learn how it can support your health and wellness goals.

Honoring Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne

On January 20 in the Ira Allen Chapel, we celebrated the life and contributions of our dear friend and colleague Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne. Jarlath, a Research Assistant Professor in the Rubenstein School, passed away suddenly on January 6 doing what he loved to do—Nordic skiing. It was a gift to be able to grieve together, whether it was with tears or laughter, recounting the many Jarlath stories from his family, friends, and colleagues. His loss is felt far and wide, especially in the Spatial Analysis Lab, but his legacy lives on.

Take good care of yourselves and be kind to one another as our world could use a little more kindness and understanding right now. Take pride in the gift of being able to teach a new generation of learners and create new knowledge and experiences in your discipline.

Have a rewarding semester and be well, Catamounts!