��̽̽ - Office of Engagement

What does ��̽̽ owe to the children of our State?

saa — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Land-grant universities were first created in 1862 to upskill the U.S. workforce, state by state. Over 150 years later, a collaboration in ��̽̽’s College of Education and Social Services both embodies and innovates upon this legacy.

The Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership (CWTP) shapes the landscape of child welfare services in our state. Since 1993, CWTP has provided training, coaching, and other educational resources to every caregiver and child welfare employee across our state – equating to about 9,000 hours of service and support annually.

“We are a partnership with the State of Vermont and ��̽̽’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program,” explains CWTP Learning Management System Administrator Emma Baird. “Some states have their training within the state itself; others contract out. Vermont does a contract between ��̽̽ and the Family Services Division of the Department for Children and Families.”

“Caregivers take three foundational trainings over the course of a year to be licensed to take in a child,” Baird continues. “We have advanced training for caregivers and coaching calls.” In addition to supporting caregivers, CWTP provides timely and responsive trainings for the child welfare and youth justice workforce.

“On paper, their job is to train family service workers and caregivers,” explains Social Work Lecturer Cassie Gillespie, who previously served as a training and coaching specialist and a team lead for CWTP. “That is a technical description of something that requires a lot of adaptive functioning and thought.”

For example, when Covid-19 upended typical procedures, the State approached the Partnership to develop a remote assessment of child safety, and then deliver trainings on the new assessment remotely.

The Partnership contributes to safety culture in child welfare by keeping skills sharp in the Family Services Division (FSD). They help caregivers respond to the complex needs of children who may be struggling with severe trauma. And, importantly, the Partnership qualifies Vermont to draw federal Social Security Act funds known as “Title IV-E.”

Twelve FSD District Offices, from Brattleboro to St. Albans, rely on these resources to sustain operations. “Without the training (provided by the Partnership), the State is not eligible to draw down the funding they use to pay for the child welfare system,” explains Social Work Business Operations Manager Kate Ball Clem.

From left to right: Emma Baird, CWTP Assistant Director Thomas Carlson, and CWTP Director Jennifer Jorgenson.

Title IV-E also creates a special opportunity to grow Vermont’s workforce. While earning their MSW, ��̽̽ students can receive substantial scholarships and a stipend in exchange for three years’ service promised to Vermont’s child welfare system after completion.

Gillespie was a Title IV-E scholar, applying her MSW degree first in child welfare, and then in services for unhoused adults. She later returned to ��̽̽, first to CWTP, and now as a faculty member.

“As long as I can remember, I've been a person who connected people and tried to help figure things out,” Gillespie reflects. “But I have also always been curious about where things get stuck.”

Gillespie’s curiosity drew her attention to the troubled history and structures of the child welfare system.

Indeed, at the time in U.S. history that land-grant universities were being established, “child welfare” included kidnapping Indigenous youth for residential schools. Through the 20th century, child welfare systems disproportionately targeted poor people and people of color, especially Black and Indigenous families.

Now, scholar-practitioners like Gillespie wonder how we can interrupt these patterns and reimagine our systems. “We're just scooping up people who have experienced generational suffering and asking them to individually problem-solve for this structural failing of our society; and the problem is, at some point you have to stop pulling people out of the river.”

Does the arc of child welfare bend toward justice?

Gillespie is paraphrasing Desmond Tutu, who said, “We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”

Teachers, nurses, social workers, and other caring professionals are familiar with this tension. Devoting time and resources to managing emergencies allows systemic injustice to continue. And, Gillespie notes, ‘saving people’ might not always be the best solution: “Sometimes they fall back in a different river. Some people that you didn't pull out get out on their own, right?”

Gillespie observes that the Partnership has an obligation to “teach people how to rescue people in the river right now.” That approach, she thinks, forces a choice between technical skills and big picture questions, like Does the system I work in cause more harm than good? “Most child welfare workers, I think, grapple with that question all the time,” Gillespie says.

One phenomenon Gillespie discusses is disproportionality. In the scholarship of social work, data shows that child welfare interventions occur at different rates and with different outcomes when considering the identities in a family. Child welfare systems disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and immigrant families; families living in poverty; and families where mental illness, disability, or substance use disorder are present.

What is the responsibility of the land-grant university in this situation? Could the Partnership drive systems change to reduce harm and promote justice?

Inspired by these questions, CWTP engaged Corey B. Best of Mining for Gold, a non-profit committed to rethinking social systems like child welfare and engaging the voices of people impacted by the systems (like the families involved in child welfare).

Best has focused CWTP on racial healing, accountable relationships, and curiosity. “It's growing, but in a healing sense of growth,” Baird reflects.

Best’s consultation has been complemented by the Partnership’s internal work. For example, all employees study antiracism in “cluster” learning groups of 4-5 employees for one hour a month.

“There are definitely challenges,” Baird continues. “Looking at your own racism, what you grew up with, what you’re fighting against. I identify as a person of color. I’ve had racism directed at me. I’ve been witness to racism. I’ve done some [to confront racism]. But I’ve done a lot more after joining the Partnership and being given the confidence to be who I am, to say what I’m feeling, to stand up for what I believe in.”

Gillespie adds, “I wish every person in Human Services could have the benefit of Best’s consultancy.”

To amplify the learning between CWTP and Mining for Gold, The Social Work Lens published a three-part podcast series called “Child Welfare with Justice as the Throughline” in 2023.

How can a state-university partnership advance a national movement?

The Partnership’s self-reflective work has informed and inspired progress that Vermont’s state offices have made. CWTP Director Jennifer Jorgenson explains, “We are regularly providing coaching and participating in groups where we have opportunity to nudge this system, to have a thoughtful, collaborative relationship with the leaders of the child protection system.”

On a larger stage, the Partnership had a special opportunity to move the needle toward justice at the recent the National Title IV-E Roundtable conference. “The Roundtable brings together all of the Title IV-E programs within the United States,” Baird explains. “MSW professors, social workers, people creating curriculum, state supervisors – everyone comes and shares information and experiences.”

National Title IV-E Roundable conference attendees.

Four hundred people convened in Burlington in May 2024 for the conference, titled Transforming Child Welfare: The Aims & Gains of Social Movements and The Vision & Voice of Everyday Lives.

During the conference, CWTP took on more of the big picture questions found “upstream”: Can child welfare be transformed, or must we abolish the existing structure to co-construct a system that ensures child safety? What can we learn from social movement-making and community organizing efforts about change?

National Title IV-E Roundable conference attendees.

“It was energizing. It was exciting,” Baird reflects. Attendees chose from 35 workshops like “Abolition, Anti-Racism and Title IV-E: Deconstructing Social Work” and “Cultivating Compassion: Transforming Child Welfare Practice Through Increasing the Workforces’ Trauma-Informed Beliefs.” Professor Brenda Solomon and Rebecca Jones-Gaston from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services both spoke. Best moderated a panel of people directly impacted by the child welfare system.

In feedback, attendees expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to experience Vermont and ��̽̽. They appreciated the focus on voices of those impacted by the child welfare system and openly discussing systems change.

What collective future can we envision?

CWTP hopes anti-oppression ideas and practices radiate out nationally from the conference in Burlington. By comparison, Brenda Gooley, Director of Operations in FSD, observes that the 2023 conference inspired FSD’s first ever Workforce Development Director and forthcoming Wellness Coordinator positions. The 2024 conference compelled Gooley to ask herself, “Where I sit, what am I doing to shine a light on these issues?”

This year, Jorgenson and her team will host or contribute to four state-wide conferences.

Jill Richard, one CWTP team lead continues to navigate the “persistent tensions critical to large-scale change” alongside her colleagues. She encourages government agencies to examine disproportionality, account for its impact, and develop bias-aware and humanistic interventions.

Janine Beaudry, another CWTP team lead, looks forward to partnering with FSD’s Statewide Racial Equity Workgroup this year. Gooley (another Title IV-E alum) explains that the working group is exploring the impacts of race in each stage of intervention, revising policy, and developing supports for children, caregivers, and employees.

The Social Work Lens podcast continues to engage crucial conversations for current and future social workers. Recent episodes have included “Mandated Reporting: Safety or Surveillance?” and “The Triple Intersection of Trauma, Neurodiversity & Gender Diversity.”

Baird looks forward to expanding the reach of the Partnership’s trainings, making relevant and responsive trainings accessible to more people.

In the meantime, she finds fulfillment by contributing to a community of care on the river's edge. “I'm first-generation born American," she says. The support that I got growing up within the educational system was paramount to becoming who I am today."

“Being able to be someone who helps—not necessarily the frontline workers like social workers and caregivers—but someone who's able to support the role of education for them,” Baird chuckles, “It gives me the warm and fuzzies.”

The land-grant university system was established by awarding stolen Indigenous land to universities. To learn more about the complex history of land-grant universities, visit:

Subhead

Shaping the landscape of child welfare services in Vermont

cwtp-title-iv-conference1-1049x647.jpg

Groups audience

- Private group -

Featured Photo Caption

Cassie Gillespie (center) passes out information about The Social Work Lens podcast at the National Title IV-E Roundtable Conference hosted by ��̽̽ in Burlington last spring. (Photo: David Seaver)

Social Media

Putting Community First: ��̽̽ Summer Interns Live and Learn in the NEK

saa — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 18:30:03 +0000

The splendor of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is undeniable. Lush vegetation, towering maples and pines, rolling hillsides, rivers, lakes and streams jam-pack this corner of the Green Mountain State. Along with the Kingdom’s abundant beauty come some very real challenges, including dangerous seasonal flooding that has increased with the effects of climate change. But the Kingdom is a region with a deep sense of community resolve. ��̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and Department of Community Development and Applied Economics are working to assist those community efforts with student internships, building deeper, sustained connections.

A new model for the internship experience

The latest internship cohort, the 2024 Northeast Kingdom VT Community Resilience Summer Internship Program, is the second such group developed and funded by the Leahy Institute.

“We worked with businesses and organizations supporting community resilience in the Northeast Kingdom that hadn’t previously hosted interns, and that had limited connection with ��̽̽,” said Kristen Andrews, ��̽̽ Intern Outreach and Engagement Professional. “Some groups were initially skeptical, wondering if these interns would be commuting from Burlington, how would they be supported locally, how many hours would they work, who would pay them. They told us interns needed to work a minimum of 20 hours per week to learn the job and a place to live close by, but that doesn’t take housing away from locals. The ��̽̽ funding empowered these groups to hire and supervise an intern, and we insisted that interns be placed on an organization’s payroll, which the grant reimbursed at the end of the summer. This helped them see themselves as intern hosts that employ students now and in the future.”

The result was an eight-week program that supported 11 ��̽̽ students and one Sterling College student who immersed themselves in projects that focused on community resilience in the region. In addition to housing, the program provided each intern with a livable wage for the 20 hours per week they worked to support these local non-profits.

“The goal is to put community need at the center of the work,” said Patricia Coates, director of the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and the Office of Engagement at ��̽̽. “That's where we both show the best of ourselves; ��̽̽ shows the best of itself when it’s engaged with a community. We're not coming to the Northeast Kingdom with solutions. We're coming with capacity and a desire to learn and do things together.”

“There are students at ��̽̽ who’ve never been to the Northeast Kingdom, and throughout their four years, they'll hear of this mystical place up in the far reaches of the state, and never actually go there,” said ��̽̽ Associate Professor Travis Reynolds, the faculty partner and the program’s co-coordinator. “One of the goals of this project was to make this place real and to make it accessible – not just to the interns, but to the broader ��̽̽ student body.”

“South House” – Home Base

For the interns, an important access point to the Northeast Kingdom was their living quarters. Originally an inn, South House at Sterling College is a white colonial home built in the 1820’s in the heart of Craftsbury Common. It’s now part of the residential college, whose curriculum is devoted to ecology and immersive learning. The location offered a home base of sorts, a place for interns to unwind, socialize, and participate in activities together. The students also engaged with the Sterling College Farm through a workshare that provided them with fresh produce in exchange for a few hours of farm chores. All but one of the interns lived at Smith House, and each Wednesday the interns gathered with their cohort for field trips and opportunities for professional development, networking, and reflection led by ��̽̽ faculty and staff. Since South House would otherwise be vacant during the summer, this arrangement avoided additional strain on an already thin housing rental market in the area.

“I think it's been very successful having that residence,” said Reynolds. “It brings all the students together to reflect on their day and support each other. But also, it makes the logistics so much more feasible rather than trying to drive back to Burlington.”

With intern housing addressed, interns were scattered to the corners of the region to explore one of nine different intern sites throughout the Northeast Kingdom, from Craftsbury to Newport. Following are a few highlights of student interns in the program.

Building a Sensory Trail in Glover

Graduating senior Carolyn Kelly from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Terra Schommer, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, assisted the Glover Equity Committee in creating an immersive sensory trail at Glover Park. The trail features 10 sensory stations, a pavilion, a sound station, a tactile path, and community garden beds, all aimed at engaging visitors through sight, sound, touch, and motion.

Kelly and Schommer were critical in the trail's construction. They transplanted trees, dug trail lines, and built benches. The final day of their internship saw the two of them hoist a towering pillar of solid cedar into the ground to install the park’s new road sign.

Interns Terra Schommer and Carolyn Kelly work with members of the Glover Equity Committee on constructing a new pavilion and signage for an immersive sensory trail at Glover Park.

“I had a senior project in wood shop, that was the extent of my knowledge with tools,” said Kelly. “Both of us were excited about hands-on wood building. I want to learn lifetime skills and I haven't had the opportunity to do woodwork since senior year in high school.”

“This project is so important,” said Schommer. “Just seeing kids use the park and be able to be a part of something that's for a whole community. I've never really had the opportunity to work with a group of people in multigenerational groupings, so that's definitely impacted me.”

The project has galvanized community volunteers hoping to make this a space for mindfulness and reflection, particularly with the inclusion of a "Sense of Peace" station dedicated to veterans.

Climate change and natural disasters forced the group to rethink placement of this park away from the village and into a less vulnerable place. The end result is a sensory trail elevated from the roads and rivers, designed for community members of all abilities.

“We really need community assets that can be shared public spaces,” said Jethro Hayman, chair of the Glover Equity Committee. “The town designated this for outdoor recreation, no major development is allowed. It’s just sitting here doing nothing, why not make something amazing for everybody? This project is way more impactful than the amount of money, because we're bringing in so many volunteers; we're bringing in the whole community.”

The sensory trail opened to the public in August.

Supporting Community Gardens in Newport

Nadiya Becoats, a rising junior in the College of Arts and Sciences supported local food systems and maintained community gardens all over the region as part of the Green Mountain Farm to School Initiative.

“These gardens are taken care of by kids during the school year, and I make sure the beautiful plants that they gardened are still there when they come back in the fall,” Becoats said.

Her tasks included weeding, planting, and also making sure that produce like squash and tomatoes are ready for The Lunchbox, a food truck that provides free meals to local children during the summer.

Nadiya Becoats maintaining a community garden as part of her work with the Green Mountain Farm to School Collective.

Becoats also worked with the Green Mountain Farm Direct Food Hub, a platform that connects local farms with schools, senior meal sites, and retail stores in the Northeast Kingdom. She created promotional content, updated producer descriptions, and ensured that local farms were accurately represented online.

“This work is crucial for promoting small-scale farmers,” Becoats said. “That’s the community resilience piece; we’re making sure that we’re getting their name out there and helping them further down the line with creating a marketing presence. If we’re going to be the only people that can promote these small-scale farmers, we have to be the voice for them.”

Originally from Rochester, N.Y., Becoats has grown to appreciate rural life in Vermont. Her involvement with Green Mountain Farm to School strengthened her connection to the community while influencing her career aspirations.

“This experience has shown me that I want to continue working in food systems,” Becoats said. “Especially in a way that allows me to support local communities.”

Reporting the News in Hardwick

NEK local Lucia McCallum, a rising Senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, spent the eight-week internship reporting and writing stories for the Hardwick Gazette. During this time, she focused on sharing stories on community resilience, a theme that has become increasingly relevant following the devastating floods in Vermont these past two summers.

Initially, McCallum’s work focused on various aspects of local life in the Northeast Kingdom, such as covering the efforts of small-town school funding and the initiatives of local organizations, including AWARE, a domestic violence support group. McCallum was born and raised in Cabot and her lifelong connection with the community provided her with a local perspective, allowing her to connect more personally with the subjects and stories she covered.

Lucia McCallum working on a story in the offices of the Hardwick Gazette.

“Local news is kind of divorced from the ‘attention-grabbiness’ of [national] news,” said McCallum. “Coming from a small community, I know that there are certain things that just need documentation and need to be talked about for communities to have a strong, informed core.”

The recent floods shifted her focus to a different kind of resilience, one of ongoing response to natural disasters. McCallum documented the efforts of KURRVE (Kingdom United Relief and Recovery Effort), a community-based organization formed to assist long-term flood recovery. Through her reporting, she highlighted the ongoing struggles of local residents, such as a 78-year-old woman whose home had been repeatedly flooded.

McCallum’s experience at the Gazette reinforced her belief in the importance of local journalism. She sees it as a vital tool for documenting the struggles and resilience of small communities, offering them a voice in a media landscape that is often dominated by larger, more sensational stories.

“Resilience means seeing, documenting, being a witness to tell these stories,” said McCallum. “Resilience also is understanding the problem too. You need to have a picture of what the problem is before you can address it.”

A Sustainable Model for the Future

The experiences of the community resilience cohort across the summer were vastly different from one another, ranging from hosting a farmers’ market (and salvaging it as flood waters rose), exhibit design at the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, addressing food security for migrant workers, even creating a miniature golf course at the Highland Center for the Arts.

A main goal of this pilot program is to build a system that could be replicated and supported in the future.

“We’re thinking about this as building a longer-term relationship with some specific partners in the Northeast Kingdom,” Reynolds said. “But when we provide housing at a local site, it becomes possible to have 20-hour-per-week internships not spending half the time driving, or missing shifts because of travel difficulties. That's something that we hope could be done in a way that would broaden ��̽̽’s impact across the state.”

At the interns’ final presentations in August, members of the hosting organizations praised the interns, and pointedly asked how ��̽̽ would ensure the sustainability of this program.

Terra Schommer and Carolyn Kelly giving their final presentation before fellow interns and members of their hosting organizations.

“The work you all gave to the community, it was exactly what we needed,” said Jethro Hayman of the Glover Equity Committee. “From a community perspective, this is the type of partnership and relationship that’s important for students, for working with the community and applying their skills instead of just in the classroom, it so great to see that separation from campus and community completely broken down and all of us working together.”

smith_house_1149x647_8169.jpg

Groups audience

��̽̽ Today

Featured Photo Caption

Members of ��̽̽'s Northeast Kingdom VT Community Resilience Summer Internship Program gather in front of Smith House, their summer residence on the campus of Sterling College. (All photos in this story by Peter Koerella)

Social Media

“We came home to Vermont:” RISE Summit Explores Solutions for Rural Challenges

saa — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 21:04:27 +0000

Last year, ��̽̽’s inaugural Research, Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Summit brought together leaders, creators, and educators to explore the limitless potential for cooperation within a broad community of motivated individuals and organizations. Year two of RISE focused on a definitive direction for that unified energy – how the region’s strong, resilient communities can connect with researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and students to help shape a better tomorrow.

Upward of 900 people from the four corners of Vermont and beyond converged on the ��̽̽’s Dudley H. Davis Center on Monday and Tuesday of this week to explore the value of partnership at the second annual RISE summit. This year’s theme, “Partners in Place,” attracted a wide spectrum of professionals inspired to share their experiences in joining forces with local government, schools, businesses, and other community elements to harness the power of creative problem-solving.

“This year’s RISE summit took a careful look at the challenges of the past and present and showed there is great reason to have hope and optimism for the future,” ��̽̽ President Suresh Garimella said. “The efforts our speakers discussed are already making a significant impact in many places, and with the added fuel of ideas and innovation discussed at RISE, they can drive solutions for tomorrow’s world.”

The RISE stage was graced with a world-class roster of leaders and researchers with an expansive collection of experiences. Special guests of the summit included USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, U.S. Senator Peter Welch, retired U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, and representatives from ��̽̽’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) consortium partners Auburn University and the University of Wisconsin.

RISE 2024 was coordinated by ��̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, launched last year to provide engagement opportunities and cooperation with ��̽̽ for the benefit of rural places across the state and region. Patricia Coates, director of the Leahy Institute and the ��̽̽ Office of Engagement, noted the importance of the Institute’s role as a convenor – offering citizens and professionals the opportunity to come together to share ideas and success stories.

“In planning for RISE, we asked ourselves: what is it about a place that inspires people to be innovative? How can we set up places where our makers, artists, creators, innovators can make their magic?” Coates said. “So, we decided to invite some of the most creative and innovative people we could think of to talk about it.”

The resulting conversations often sounded like in-the-moment brainstorming sessions as academics, community leaders, non-profit directors, artists and business owners engaged in freewheeling discussion, leavened by questions and reflections from audience members.

While the conversations were reflective and soul-searching, the proceedings kept one eye focused squarely on real possibilities for Vermont’s future. Coates announced that the Leahy Institute had officially opened its second round of grants to fund partnerships, with awards to be announced this December.

Seeds of Change

Many of the same themes emerged repeatedly during the conference: the need for affordable housing, transportation and technological infrastructure to drive economic development in Vermont, with an emphasis on building from the ground up, at the community level. Panelists returned to the need to respect a community’s culture and draw from its unique strengths to meet its challenges.

Panelists noted that their work was helpful to communities when the effort grew out of the community itself: its people, history and culture. Whether revitalizing a shuttered downtown or providing upskilling opportunities for emerging careers, the solutions always lay in honoring the communities where the work was happening.

“It’s not easy work, and we shouldn’t sugarcoat it, but it is important to believe that it’s possible,” said Tony Pipa, senior fellow in the Brookings Institution’s Center for Sustainable Development and host of the podcast, Reimagine Rural, in the first day’s keynote address. “We try to focus on what a particular community wants, instead of what it doesn’t have.”

Pipa and Tuesday’s keynote speaker, Jacobs-Young, brought a wider national lens to the discussions about rural development efforts.

“We’re working toward a specific vision for the future of agriculture, which I think is provocative for your discussion here at RISE on placemaking,” said Jacobs-Young, as she outlined the work USDA is doing on behalf of rural communities in her address, ‘Science to Shape the Future of Our Places.’ “We can’t afford to work in vacuums. We can’t afford to start without the end in mind. We have a world to feed – and they’re depending on us.”

No Place Like Home

On Tuesday afternoon, Sen. Leahy addressed the audience and shared his love for his native state, to which he gladly returned following a long and storied career in the U.S. Senate: “When Marcelle and I came home, we came home to Vermont,” he said during remarks before presenting the first annual Leahy Institute Distinguished Community Engagement Award to Gwen Kozlowski, urban and community forest coordinator of the ��̽̽ Extension Service.

The award is given annually to a ��̽̽ faculty or staff member recognizing their outstanding work in engaging with Vermont communities. Kozlowski has led partnerships with community-based organizations in over ten Vermont municipalities. She coordinated the Community Canopy program, which to date has given away 5,000 trees to more than 4,000 Vermont residents and, In partnership with the Department of Libraries, distributed Arbor Day Celebration kits to 1,950 teachers, students, and community members.

The summit delivered on the theme of placemaking in Vermont, with presentations featuring local speakers and panelists. Many of the panels underscored a key aims of the Leahy Institute and the university at large: connecting research and resources at ��̽̽ with communities engaged in the challenging work of making their places better.

“Research universities like this one—with our technological, analytical and creative capacities – can be essential in helping to make our places healthy, prosperous, and purposeful,” Coates said.

A Wealth of Expertise

The “Our Places, Our Community Schools” panel presented a research collaboration between ��̽̽ faculty in the College of Education and Social Services, officials from the Vermont Department of Education, and leaders of six local school districts. As part of a research partnership funded through the Leahy Institute, the collaborative team is providing research and evaluation into the work of re-envisioning schools as resource hubs designed to provide support and services that help all students and families in the community to thrive.

A panel titled “Placemaking Tools: Maps, Drones and Data” facilitated by Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham Regional Planning Commission, explored ways organizations like the Vermont Community Foundation, the Vermont Research Open Source Office and the ��̽̽ Spatial Analysis Lab are using technology and analysis to bolster community resilience. Paige Brochu, interim director of ��̽̽ Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL), described how SAL teamed with Vermont rescue workers and aid organizations to provided drone imaging that helped accelerate FEMA funding to affected areas of the state.

The final session of the conference, a conversation among community leaders from three Northeast Kingdom towns, moderated by ��̽̽ Extension professor of Agricultural Engineering Chris Callahan, was recorded as the first episode of a new Leahy Institute podcast “Partners in Place.” Callahan said the podcast would be a new method for continuing the conversation about placemaking in Vermont—a conversation among neighbors, now available for the rest of Vermont, and the world, to hear.

24rise_1149x647.jpg

Groups audience

- Private group -

Featured Photo Caption

University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella addresses attendees at the second annual RISE summit in the Davis Center on Monday. Technology experts, CEOs, professors, artists, community organizers and non-profit and government leaders met during two intensive days of discussions on how to build a bright, prosperous future for Vermont. (Photo: Josh Defibaugh)

Social Media

New Theme and Speakers: What's in Store for RISE 2024?

saa — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:21:33 +0000

This year, the Research, Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Summit returns with new and returning speakers and an innovative, cohesive theme, ‘Partners in Place,’ exploring and connecting new ideas to drive place-based advances in health, prosperity, and purpose. Hundreds of the region’s entrepreneurs, business, and community development leaders will gather on June 24 and 25 to discover the possibilities and futures of truly engaging with ��̽̽.

In 2023, ��̽̽ brought together those same stakeholders with faculty and students to introduce an intensive partnership approach to building a prosperous future for Vermont and the region. A first-of-its-kind event at ��̽̽, the RISE Summit featured panel discussions, presentations, keynotes, performances, and more on a broad spectrum of issues and themes.

“The idea of placemaking will engage these entrepreneurs and leaders in the state and region in questions about what elements of a place they require to be innovative,” Patricia Coates, the director of the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and the Office of Engagement, said. “An emerging theme in our planning with all our new and returning panelists and presenters is the essential contribution of universities — of ��̽̽ — to these placemaking efforts.”

Among the new panelists and presenters are two new speakers to ��̽̽. On day one, June 24, Tony Pipa will deliver his keynote address, “Reimagining Rural.” Pipa, a senior fellow in the Brookings Institution’s Center for Sustainable Development and its Global Economy and Development program, launched and leads the Reimagining Rural Policy initiative, ‘which seeks to modernize and transform U.S. policy to better enable equitable and sustainable development across rural America.’ He also hosts the “Reimagine Rural” podcast, where he visits rural towns across the nation, listening to local people tell their stories, how they enact positive change in their communities, and learn how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity.

Tony Pipa and Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young will deliver keynote addresses at this year's RISE Summit.

On day two, June 25, another new speaker, Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, who serves as the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) and as the US Department of Agriculture’s Chief Scientist, will deliver her keynote address, “Science to Shape the Future of Our Places.” The REE’s mission area consists of over 8500 employees with a $4 billion budget, advancing agricultural research, innovation, data, and Extension across a full range of agricultural issues including climate-smart agriculture, nutrition security, equity, and strengthening food supply chains. As the USDA’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Jacobs-Young advises the Secretary of Agriculture and other senior officials on scientific matters and chairs the USDA Science Council, which convenes all parts of USDA’s scientific enterprise.

Including these two new and national speakers, the 2024 RISE summit delivers on on its placemaking theme with panels and presentations featuring local speakers and panelists. Dr. Rachael Floreani, associate professor in ��̽̽’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences will be part of the panel presentation, “How Can a Place Inspire Innovation?” with Mieko Ozeki, director of Vermont Womenpreneurs and Radiance Studios, LLC, Monique Priestly, founder and executive director of Space on Main, and Michele Bailey, a senior program manager on the Vermont Arts Council.

Tracy Dolan, director of Vermont’s State Refugee Office, will facilitate a panel, “Rural Renewal through Resettlement,” with Joe Wiah, Director of the Ethiopian Community Development Council of Vermont, Yacouba Jacob Bogre, Executive Director of AALV, Inc., and Khalil Anwari, Workforce Development Program Manager for the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

A large panel discussion, “Our Places, Our Community Schools,” features several regional and state-wide leaders in education like Jason DiGiulio, EdD, Hazen Union School principal, and Jess DeCarolis, Division Director for the Vermont Agency of Education.

“If you come to RISE, you’ll hear not just the researchers, but you’ll hear the school and community leaders, you’ll hear the Agency of Education leadership talk about this work and the value that both research and the engagement our students are bringing to that project,” Coates said recently on ��̽̽ Extension’s Across the Fence. “We’re including the community because the community is very much a partner in the work that’s happening in our laboratories and our field work across the university.”

Last year at RISE, retired Senator Patrick Leahy delivered a “State of the State” address. ��̽̽ President Suresh Garimella, ��̽̽ Health Network CEO Sunny Eappen, Chatham University President Rhonda Philips, and the Vermont Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lindsay Kurrle all took part in a panel on the importance of urban-rural development. Kyle Clark, the founder and CEO of BETA Technologies joined Vice President for Research and Economic Development Kirk Dombrowski for a discussion on the technologies ��̽̽ can leverage to become a regional and national leader in new and emerging technologies.

“The milestone of the first RISE Summit and its successful, statewide attendance signals the beginning of a new posture for ��̽̽,” Vice President for Research and Economic Development Kirk Dombrowski said last year. "We are eager to put knowledge to work for the benefit of the state and the state is excited to connect with ��̽̽.”

Beyond the new speakers, Dominic Endicott, who delivered one of last year’s RISE keynotes — “Vermont Knowledge Corridor: How Burlington and ��̽̽ Can Deliver Sustainable Growth” — is returning to RISE this year for a presentation, “Placemaking in Three Communities.” Students in the Academic Research Commercialization program — where students try to bring ��̽̽ research and inventions to market — will again pitch to the RISE audience members, offering an exciting and entrepreneurial view of new research to the region.

“Research, innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship. These ideas and strategies — under a guiding principle of placemaking in practice and engaging with a land grant university — can strengthen our communities, businesses, schools, and agencies with unique tools like mapping or data analysis, technology solutions for clean water, and access to national and international networks of practice,” Coates said. “RISE was born from action and under this guiding placemaking principle, so much can be accomplished when engagement with ��̽̽ benefits the state, region, and the nation.”

The second annual RISE Summit will be held on June 24-25 at the Dudley H. Davis Center on ��̽̽’s Campus. Registration is free and open the public. The RISE Summit is sponsored by ��̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, which supports engagement by University of Vermont researchers and students in community-based problem-solving.

Subhead

The second annual summit returns with an innovative theme, new speakers, and more opportunities to engage with the university and the region.

evergreen.png

Groups audience

- Private group -

Featured Photo Caption

The Research, Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Summit returns with new and returning speakers and an innovative, cohesive theme, "Partners in Place."

Social Media

Graduate From a College or University in Vermont? You Could Be Eligible for $5,000 in Student Loan Repayment

saa — Fri, 31 May 2024 17:06:24 +0000

The State of Vermont, ��̽̽ (��̽̽) and the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) are extending the Green Mountain Job and Retention Program (GMJRP) and are providing up to $5,000 in student loan repayment. This program incentivizes graduates from Vermont colleges and universities to stay, live and work in Vermont.

Students who graduated from a Vermont college or university between December 2023 and June 2024 with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree, who live in Vermont and will be working full-time with a Vermont-based employer for two years after graduation, are eligible for up to $5,000 in loan repayment: $2,500 after their first year of employment and $2,500 after the second year. This offer is open to graduates from any Vermont college or university.

Changes in this second year of the program include adding the master’s degree eligibility, being hired in a role that does not specifically require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and expanded eligibility to applicants who are starting their own companies.

The GMJRP launched last year and provided 169 recent graduates from all 14 counties and across all Vermont’s higher education institutions with loan repayment options. These graduates are now working in at least 45 companies and organizations, from non-profit, for profit and government entities.

“Reducing student debt was very appealing to the many graduates who took advantage of our program in the first year,” said Michele Karode, senior outreach professional and GMJRP program director at the ��̽̽ Office of Engagement. “This year we hope to award 450 loan repayment packages, which we know will continue to move the needle on workforce development in Vermont,” added Karode.

““The Green Mountain Job and Retention Program assists new graduates by easing the costs of college, housing, and living expenses," said Genevieve Prefontaine, who works at ��̽̽ Medical Center and lives in Alburgh. She received an award in the program’s pilot year after graduating from ��̽̽ with a nursing degree. "Hospitals struggle to keep employees as many leave to become traveling nurses, seeking jobs with more benefits. This program is crucial for keeping new nurses at ��̽̽MC,” she said.

Eligible Vermont post-secondary universities and colleges include: Bennington College, Champlain College, Goddard College, Landmark College, Middlebury College, Norwich University, Saint Michael’s College, Sterling College, University of Vermont, Vermont Law School, and all Vermont State University campuses (Lyndon, Castleton, Johnson, Randolph, and Williston).

“Young adults choose Vermont for higher education because they love to live, work, and play in the Green Mountain State. They have a proven affinity for all Vermont has to offer. The Green Mountain Job and Retention Program partnership encourages them to launch their careers here, while providing Vermont with talented, qualified young workers,” noted Scott Giles, VSAC president and CEO. “This innovative loan repayment program assists Vermont’s youngest workers to accomplish their goals and gain valuable work experience—while helping them reduce the debt on their education investment.”

“We have a shortage of early educators in the State of Vermont. This program helps to incentivize recent graduates from local colleges and universities who have already created a strong sense of community through student teaching and summer employment opportunities to stay and work after their internships," said Ashley McKinley, executive director of Heartworks preschool in Shelburne. "We have included it as part of our conversations when discussing our benefits package to help in our recruiting efforts. It is a valuable program that can help teachers who are struggling to live and work here in Vermont.”

To learn more about this program or submit an application, visit /engagement/greenmountainjobs. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis starting June 3, 2024.

Subhead

The Green Mountain Job and Retention Program provides financial incentives to retain talent in Vermont and bolster the state’s workforce

internship_story.jpg

Groups audience

- Private group -

Social Media

Pursuing Their Dreams and Fulfilling Our Mission

saa — Sat, 18 May 2024 04:00:00 +0000

The CESS Class of 2024 includes 200 undergraduate students and 138 graduate students across a range of academic pursuits. We are thrilled to celebrate our graduates' remarkable accomplishments and postgraduate plans reflecting a diverse assortment of pathways in education, social work, and human services.They leave a lasting imprint on our College, our University, and communities near and far.

Meet a few of our remarkable graduates.

Sarah Sarrouf: Creating a More Just Society

“Being an educator is a way to do my part in creating a more just society," says Sarah Sarrouf. “I applied to ��̽̽ because CESS prides itself on an equity-based approach, using education to disrupt oppressive cycles and provide meaningful experiences for students.”

In August, she will travel abroad to embark on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Jordan.

“I am thrilled and honored to be chosen for such a unique and challenging role,” says the Elementary Education major from Worcester, MA. “I plan to gain fluency in Arabic and hope to come back to America with broadened perspectives about cultural competency and cross-cultural exchange.”

Sarrouf initially thought about becoming a teacher when she was drawn to helping out with her little cousins in her family, but her perspective deepened as a result a tragic world events.

“When I was in middle school, Syria was going through a major war and refugee crisis,” she recalls. “My family is from Syria and Lebanon, so knowing that young children didn't have access to education really called me to action. I wanted to be an adult that helps students feel seen and heard, acknowledges their gifts, and pushes them toward success.”

Sarrouf's most impactful experiences were in her full-time student teaching practicum in Burlington working with multilingual students. Observing different teachers in action with students, she learned about the dedication and empathy it takes to be an effective educator.

“As I developed my teaching skills, I also gained in patience, kindness, and understanding," she says. "I'm excited to put these new skills forward in Jordan this coming fall.”

Small class sizes made it easy to form close relationships with peers, faculty and staff. “I've had amazing experiences learning and collaborating with them," she says. "Juliet Halladay's support in my teaching has been stellar. Matt Chandler always made classes engaging and fun. I'm grateful for the relationships I've built in and out of school.”

Sarrouf’s Honors College thesis focuses on culturally responsive teaching practices. Cynthia Reyes introduced her to literature about the importance of cultural competency in schools. And Tracy Arámbula Turner's Honors College seminar Inequalities in P-16 American Education made her believe that she could take actionable steps to make education more just.

Outside of academics, Sarrouf enjoyed sharing her creativity through dance and choreography with ��̽̽'s Orchesis Dance Company. She also served on the CESS Student Advisory Board, worked in the Undergraduate Writing Center as a tutor and writing partner, and volunteered to provide meals with People's Kitchen.

Erin Jaspan: Multidisciplinary Opportunities

“I came across the Human Development and Family Science program on the ��̽̽ website during the application process and it immediately resonated with me,” recalls Erin Jaspan. “The multidisciplinary nature of the HDFS program and its values and curriculum aligned perfectly with my interests.”

Jaspan’s professional career is already underway working in a crisis stabilization mental health program for adolescents at Northeastern Family Institute (NFI). As a residential counselor, she facilitates therapeutic groups, aids residents in constructing and completing daily treatment goals, and assists in emotional regulation.

“I feel so fulfilled by my job and really love and appreciate my coworkers so much. I learn so much in the job every day. Confidence in my abilities as a helping professional continues to grow in this setting.”

Jaspan's HDFS internship supported children's learning and play as a YMCA afterschool staff member at Georgia Elementary and Middle School. Her capstone project involved social-emotional learning programming with students using picture books, crafts, and discussion.

Jaspan made some of her closest friends within the HDFS program. “It's a small major, so you become really close with the peers as you share with and support one another throughout the semesters. Our faculty are incredible. Camelia Maianu inspired my career interests and professional ideology. And Jaz Routon was a huge support during my internship experience.”

Joy Emmanuel: Transforming Lives Through Higher Education

As she progressed through her educational journey, Joy Emmanuel came to realize the profound impact that supportive mentors, inclusive communities, and transformative learning experiences can have on people's lives.

The Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) graduate from Abia, Nigeria sees higher education as a platform for personal and professional development, social mobility, and community engagement. She is passionate about supporting students in their quest to achieve academic, personal, and career goals.

“Through HESA’s blend of coursework and practical opportunities, I’ve had enriching experiences that expanded and honed my skills," she says. “I gained invaluable insights into supporting underrepresented students and promoting equitable opportunities for all students, irrespective of their backgrounds or identities.”

Emmanuel’s experiences ranged from working in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean’s Office, in the FirstGen@��̽̽ unit of the Center for Academic Success, and in the Career Center as an internship coordinator.

She also supported students through her graduate assistantship with the Department of Residential Life, and as a senator and co-chair of the Graduate Student Senate’s Professional Development Committee.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Brit Williams on a variety of completed and ongoing research projects,” she says. “One of the research projects I co-authored explores the experiences of Black Women Administrators in Higher Education. And I am currently working with Dr. Brit on the Citation Equity project."

Emmanuel will receive full funding to pursue her PhD through the Wisconsin Sloan Center for Systemic Change (WiSC2) to transform graduate education in STEM through equity-focused scholarship and engagement.

“I am elated at the opportunity to be at the forefront of these changes and to shape policies, programs, and initiatives that can improve student experience and advance the broader goals of education in the United States.”

Emily Kline: Mindfulness, Equity and Social Justice in Social Work

Throughout her time as social work student, Emily Kline kept equity, social justice, and racial justice centered in class discussions and in her field education placements.

Interning at the Vermont Counseling and Training Center in St. Albans, she coordinated care and provided resources for people seeking counseling. Co-leading a Mental Health 101 group with her supervisor, Kline provided teens with education, skills, and resources to support themselves and others. She also delivered training on race and racism for intern peers and supervisors.

As a sophomore, Kline attended a mindfulness and meditation retreat titled "Adventure Within" hosted by ��̽̽ Mindfulness. It was a life changing experience. “I met so many people who inspired me and was able to cultivate so much compassion, openness, and love," she says. "I found my community at that retreat. Lindsay Foreman, my meditation teacher and supervisor, is one of the most influential people in my life.”

As a ��̽̽ mindfulness facilitator, Kline led weekly meditation sessions and also served a co-leader of Queer and Trans Meditation and BIPOC Yoga and Meditation.

“When my dad died in 2020, moving forward through life seemed almost impossible,” she recalls. “My mom always told me that It takes a village. My therapist, community, mentors, and other support systems helped me become the strong woman I am today. I love the idea of supporting my community because my community supported me. I want to be a part of someone else's village as a social worker.”

Austin Burnett: Building Connections with Students

With the completion of his master's degree in special education, Austin Burnett is thrilled to advance his career to the next level.

“I have always loved building connections with students and sharing my love of learning with them,” says Burnett, who recently accepted a special educator position in the Burlington School District.

Before enrolling in the master's program, he worked with students in variety of roles including behavior interventionist, counselor, child-care program manager, and classroom teacher.

“I gained so much from every course I took at ��̽̽,” Burnett says. “In conjunction with my previous work with students, I was able to apply that information directly into my practice, which was so beneficial. Professors like Justin Garwood, Kelly Swindlehurst, and Kristabel Stark greatly influenced my success practical experience in the field. And the mentor teachers in my internship at Gertrude Chamberlin School gave me so much knowledge and experience.”

In addition to his special education career, Burnett plans to continue his education, possibly in child psychology or trauma-informed practice.

Kendra Keelty: Inspired to Teach

Inspired by outstanding teachers when she was growing up, Kendra Keelty is well on her way to paying it forward.

“Numerous teachers fostered my passion for learning” recalls the Secondary Education major from Milton, Vermont. “They were incredibly supportive during difficult periods of my life. I want to support students in the same way.”

In her practicum at Burlington High School, Keelty taught a U.S. history class and a civics class. For her internship placement in at Colchester High School, she taught world history, modern U.S. history through film, and AP Human Geography.

“I enjoyed developing rapport with students to support a positive learning environment,” she says. “It was a valuable experience to get into a school full time and experience the role of being a teacher firsthand. I developed collaboration skills with teachers, special educators, paraprofessionals, and support staff.”

She also completed two service-learning experiences. At Sara Holbrook Community Center, she worked collaboratively with other interns on community development projects. As a tutor at Burlington High School, she worked one-on-one with a student focusing on emotion regulation, executive functioning, and schoolwork.

The joy of ��̽̽ revolves around the people, says Keelty, who will serve as the CESS Banner Bearer at Commencement.

“I made incredible friends who shaped the whole experience. My friends are a consistent source of support. We’ve gone on many adventures and traveled around the country. My advisor Jenny Prue provided incredible support with planning and guidance throughout my college experience. I also gained admiration for the History Department which made a big difference with my writing and critical thinking.”

Keelty plans to work as a high school social studies teacher, but after graduation she may take a gap year following graduation to pursue Firefighter 1 and 2 certifications and EMT certification.

Halima Said: Supporting Diverse Communities

Since she was a young child, Halima Said has known the importance of interpreters in linguistically diverse communities. When her family migrated to Vermont 20 years ago, they were welcomed by a Somali Bantu American community and Burlington resources.

“My mom went to English classes at the (Janet S. Munt) Family Room," she says. "She never wants to move anywhere else. Burlington is home.”

In her field experiences for the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program, Said saw how medical social workers change lives in diverse populations. “Language barriers shouldn’t be a reason why people aren’t getting the help they need,” she says.

Said gained experience with New Americans from Tanzania, the Congo, and other parts of the world under the mentorship of Associate Professor Suzy Comerford and United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS). With a smile, she recalls tracing a family’s feet on paper for shoe sizes when a language interpreter was unavailable.

Later, she completed a practicum in an obstetrics clinic helping clients access resources and conducting post-partum mental health screenings.

Her final internship at Community Health Centers in Essex crystallized her interest in medical social work. She believes social workers have a responsibility to confront racism and language-based exclusion in medicine. Her goal is to make sure that every patient or client she sees feels like their voice is being heard and their needs are being met without shame or stigma.

A first-generation college students, Said says the MSW cohort “feels like walking into a room with your family," Similarly, she felt at home in her work-study position at the Mosaic Center for Students of Color. She is also proud to be part of the Muslim community in Burlington.

Said is a true Vermonter, starting with her creemee order: maple with rainbow sprinkles. “Any time I travel to a different state, I come back and think how much I missed home and the fresh air here,” she says.

Leggatt Kerek: Exploring Education in New Zealand

A love of adventure and exploring new things led Leggatt Kerek to ��̽̽. Being close to the mountains reminds him of his home in Colorado.

“During my junior year, I studied abroad in New Zealand, and it was one of the most impactful experiences of my life,” says the Elementary Education major. Placed in a Kindergarten classroom there, he enjoyed teaching, making new friends from across the globe, and traveling around the area to see the incredible sights.

Before and after the semester in New Zealand, Kerek developed his teaching practice through a variety of local school placements in different communities and grade levels.

“I have a close-knit education family of peers and colleagues who supported me throughout my time at ��̽̽,” he says. “Not to mention I had three of the best mentor teachers I could ever expect. I also give a special shoutout to Matt Chandler for coaching us through the New Zealand process.”

Kerek says none of it would have been possible without his parents. “They supported me in moving across the country in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout my search for higher academic success. They graciously supported my study abroad experience. And they have overall been the backbone I could rely on when I needed it most. I appreciate everything they have done for me, and I will never be able to make it up to them.”

After graduation, he plans to start teaching full time right away. Though he was accepted into master’s programs at two universities, he hasn’t made any decisions yet. His dream job is to eventually be the headmaster at his former high school.

Magdalena Cataldo: Inclusive Early Childhood Education

Magdalena Cataldo is excited to begin her career as an early childhood special educator and lead classroom teacher in Winooski.

“They are doing such important work for young children through their investment in inclusion, diversity, and culturally competent curriculum, all which align deeply with my values as an educator,” she says.

Through the accelerated master’s pathway in special education, Cataldo earned both her bachelor’s degree and her master’s degree within five years. She recently finished her full-time student teaching internship in a preschool classroom under the mentorship of Shelley Henson at Hinesburg Community School.

During her undergraduate years as an Early Childhood Education major, she gained experience through placements in three other school communities .

“I am eternally grateful to my wonderful advisor Jen Hurley,” says Cataldo. “She has been my biggest cheerleader. I'm so appreciative to the professors who have extended their knowledge to me during my time as a graduate student.”

Cataldo plans to call Vermont her home for many years to come.

“The ability to support children in developing skills in order for them to succeed and participate in their environments is not only crucial work, but it is also my greatest honor,” she says. “I’m in a position to learn from those more experienced in a state with so many brilliant minds in this field. I look forward to working in collaboration with them. There is something truly magical about our state’s approach to the education of young minds.”

Evelyn Monje: Inspired to Serve

For her senior year internship, Evelyn Monje piloted a social work position at the South Burlington Public Library. Though she hadn't previously considered a less traditional social work role like this, she was excited to see where it could lead.

“I’m grateful for the interactions and experiences with people who have a diverse range of needs and requests,” says Monje, who met with over 300 people at the library. Interest was wide-ranging. People sought her support with referrals to housing options, legal issues related to employment, citizenship questions, healthcare, dental services, community engagement, and connection to local services.

The Presidential Scholarship recipient from Winooski fulfilled a childhood dream to attend ��̽̽, and in the process, discovered a true passion in the social work profession. She is especially interested in roles that support youth development through educational experiences outside of the traditional classroom setting.

“I grew up excited to go to ��̽̽, so it's a sweet full-circle moment as I approach the completion of my time here,” says Monje, who intends to earn a Master of Social Work degree by age 22. “I’m so grateful to ��̽̽ for helping to shape me into the kind of social worker and human being I want to be.”

Full story: Inspired to Serve

Arby Ghemari: Education for Cultural and Linquistic Diversity

Originally from North Africa, Arby Ghemari worked in Vietnam, China, India, Spain, and Tunisia before coming to Vermont for a fully funded fellowship to earn his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at ��̽̽.

Ghemari received the 2024 Prelock Online Teaching Award for his Language Policy Issues, Race and School course. Shaped by his international experiences, he fosters an inclusive environment that encourages students to explore their identities and the world around them.

“We train future educators to work with multilingual students, and I had the opportunity to apply a global lens with my perspective as an international faculty member,” he says. “As immersion educators we’re asking, how can we promote and create inclusivity in an environment where all your students can feel safe?”

In one assignment, students critiqued art or media. “We covered implicit bias and microaggressions, and I had students who saw microaggressions in a TV show or social media post share about this,” he explains.

Ghemari credits the collaborative effort among the Education for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (ECLD) faculty and his mentor, Dr. Cynthia Reyes, who created the course and the ECLD Minor.

“It’s especially rewarding to know that my efforts have resonated with both my peers and my students, again affirming the impact of our collaborative teaching approach,” he says.

Emma Von Licht: Supporting Diverse Learners

With graduate tuition funded through the C-CROPS (Cultivating Collaborative and Resilience-Oriented Practices in Special educators) Scholarship, Emma Von Licht will continue on an accelerated pathway to earn her master's degree in special education.

"Being in the field early in my college career made me realize I wanted to learn more about supporting diverse learners, especially students with disabilities," says the Elementary Education major who also completed a Special Education Minor and a Place-Based Education Certificate.

"After a turbulent high school experience, the last thing I wanted to do was go to four more years of school," she recalls. But her school counselor knew that she wanted to work with kids in some capacity and that a degree might help her with that aspiration.

"I chose to attend ��̽̽ because of the people and the place," she says. "There is always a hopeful energy in the air. I am so glad that I made that decision. I feel a strong sense of connection with an expansive touch of curiosity. There’s always more to explore."

Von Licht gained experience and a love for teaching in the field through placements at four different schools. She also received a fellowship position at Shelburne Farms working with summer campers on the farm-based education team.

On campus, she was actively engaged as a student leader with the RALLYTHON fundraiser for the ��̽̽ Children’s Hospital, Active Minds at ��̽̽, the Wellness Environment Mentors Program, and the CESS Student Advisory Board.

"Children are incredible," says Von Licht about her her career choice. "I want to be able to experience the awe I have for them every day. When I teach and learn with children, I feel like I’m in my element. I can appreciate my strengths and see the difference I’m making in my community. When you positively impact someone else, it also impacts everyone they interact with too. You don’t always have to go out of your way to try to change the world. When you show up, be yourself, and choose to be kind, you already do it."

Subhead

Celebrating the success and impact of the CESS Class of 2024

cess-class-of-2024-1149x647-story.jpg

Groups audience

- Private group -

Social Media

Building Resilience in the Northeast Kingdom

saa — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:54:59 +0000

With the spring term nearing its end, University of Vermont students are gearing up for sunny days, outdoor excursions, and plenty of summer internships. This summer, Catamounts have the chance to go beyond the classroom and put their skills to the test in the Northeast Kingdom.

This past week, the Leahy Center for Rural Partnerships announced its summer’s cohort internship program, The Northeast Kingdom VT Community Resilience Summer Internships, aimed at creating meaningful experiential learning in this rural community. The program – a partnership between the Career Center, the Leahy Institute and the Community Development and Applied Economics Department– focuses on providing internship opportunities for ��̽̽ students while bolstering community resilience efforts in underserved communities.

Now in its second year, the Leahy Institute-funded program will support a cohort of nine interns, each committing to 20 hours per week for eight weeks. These students will be embedded within organizations dedicated to enhancing community resilience across the Northeast Kingdom.

"We went to the Northeast Kingdom, worked with the Center for an Agricultural Economy, and reached out to 40 different organizations," explained the Kristen Andrews, ��̽̽’s Internship Coordinator. "Now we’re working with 9 organizations that will welcome these interns and provide meaningful projects for our students."

The program stipulates that participating interns receive a livable wage for their work. To address this, the Leahy Institute has subsidized wages that these organizations can offer, elevating each internship to $18 per hour. The hope is that students can afford to immerse themselves in the rural community with less of a financial strain.

Thanks to a partnership between ��̽̽ and Sterling College, interns will be provided with free housing on the Sterling College campus during their internships, providing community and safety to participants without impacting housing available to Northeast Kingdom residents.

The program also prioritizes cultural competency training, acknowledging the complex issues prevalent in rural areas such as poverty and substance abuse. Interns undergo comprehensive orientation sessions to familiarize themselves with the community and engage in discussions about their own positionality.

"This initiative isn’t just about providing internships; it's about fostering long-term partnerships between ��̽̽ and rural Vermont communities," Andrews said. “We want students to see what it’s like to live in a rural part of Vermont, to see how the skills they developed at ��̽̽ can serve a local economy outside of Chittenden, and to see how networks in a community work together to build resilience.”

Northeast Kingdom VT Community Resilience Summer Internships are accepting applications through Handshake now, with application links and more information on each position available at the Office of Engagement’s webpage.

Subhead

Internship Program Offers Rural Community Engagement to Nine ��̽̽ Students

northeast_kingdom.png

Groups audience

Career Center

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

Bridging the Gap

saa — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 16:56:07 +0000

With summer internships on the horizon, ��̽̽ students often find themselves navigating the challenges of participating in meaningful, often unpaid experiences while still having to pay the bills. Thanks to Summer Internship Scholarship programs – supported by the ��̽̽ Career Center and the College of Arts & Sciences – students can pursue areas of interest while having basic needs met.

For Senior Ethan Peck, a Geography major graduating in May, the Internship Scholarship program allowed him to explore two hands-on field research (and career networking) opportunities that he may have otherwise missed. Ethan shadowed surveyors and assessors with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (an agency within the Department of Agriculture), monitoring wetlands for invasive species or violations by bordering landowners. At the same time, Ethan supported ��̽̽’s Geology Department collecting sediment samples and measuring erosion and water flow in areas throughout Vermont.

While this work was hands-on and produced measurable research, neither internship opportunity would’ve otherwise supported Ethan’s basic needs. “I wouldn’t have gotten paid for either [internship] had I not had the scholarship opportunities,” says Ethan. “It was a big factor at least having my housing and food covered; it made me feel like, ‘Okay I can do this,’ without having to get another job that I’d have to work full-time.”

Ethan split his internships between the Geology department and the NRCS evenly, working four 8-hour days per week – nearly a full work week in unpaid internships.

“I had to fill out a certain number of hours working for the scholarship application – an estimate of hours worked total,” Ethan recalls. “I kept true to that pretty much, but not more than that, otherwise I wouldn’t be properly compensated. I also felt like the money I got covered those expenses, rent and food, very basic needs.”

With those basic needs met, Ethan was able to immerse himself into meaningful field research and networking opportunities directly in the industry he hopes to join when he graduates later this spring.

“[NRCS] works a lot with local farmers,” Ethan says. “If a farmer wants to have federal insurance on their crops, they must get wetland determination on new crop areas. Say they’re growing wheat as a cover crop and they want to actually crop the next year, they have to get a determination by the government to make sure the area isn’t wetlands if they want insurance. Given the amount of flooding in the past, [insurance] is very important to a lot of farmers because if their whole crops get wiped out for the year, the government will compensate them, but only if they agree to these determinations. It’s a give and take for them. If [the government does] determine their land is wetlands, then [farmers] can’t crop it, so they lose out on a lot of money. [NRCS] would go out and do those determinations. I was shadowing, because that was very important work, I didn’t have the qualifications to do that. But I was out there in the field, and they’d ask me, ‘What kind of soil do you think this is?’ I was involved in the process, it was very interesting, sometimes the farmer would come out, they’d be interested in knowing if their area was wetlands area as well.”

The experiences with both the NRCS and the Geology department proved to be instrumental for Ethan. Not only was he able to see the theory and academia in practice, but the networking and perspective from industry professionals helped him steer his trajectory and make the most of his college experience.

“I’ve had an interest in working for the government as a geographer, so getting to experience that type of workplace environment was important to me,” Ethan says. “I was in their day-to-day work environment, in the office and out in the field, I got to meet other [professionals] in that space. I realized a lot of them had interesting insight for how I should approach the future and opportunities after school. Being in that environment and learning how these people got there and their recommendations for me, and just getting into the field and doing field work, in school you don’t really get that experience. In the classroom you learn all the technicalities and the hypotheticals, but you don’t actually go out into the field and produce results, so being able to have that experience where I’m in the workplace environment, and I’m doing the fieldwork, that was very important to me. I felt like I had accomplished my goals.”

Ethan Peck plans to graduate from University of Vermont in May 2024.

The Deadline for the Summer Internship Scholarship application is April 11, 2024.

Subhead

��̽̽'s Summer Internship Scholarship Program Eases Financial Burdens for Students

ethanpeck.png

Groups audience

Career Center

Featured Photo Caption

��̽̽ Senior Ethan Peck (’24, Geography) took advantage of two separate internships over last summer, working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service – an agency within the Department of Agriculture – and the ��̽̽ Geology Department doing soil and water testing. Thanks to the Summer Internship Scholarship, Ethan was able to pursue two unpaid research internships in his field of study with money to offset his basic needs.

Social Media

Inspired to Serve

saa — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Growing up in Winooski, Vermont, Evelyn Monje dreamed of attending ��̽̽ as she went by campus on the way to school every day. Working as a youth camp counselor during the summer after her first year of high school, she began to discover what her true calling might be.

"Ultimately, I chose social work because of my passion for helping people," says the senior who earned a Presidential Scholarship to attend ��̽̽.

“Now I’m leaning into a field that's all about caring for others in the best way possible. I have loved all my roles working in summer camps, facilitation training, and after-school programs. That joy led me to where I am now, and I cannot wait to continue digging into this profession.”

For her senior year internship, Monje is piloting a social work position at the South Burlington Public Library. Though she hadn't previously considered a less traditional social work role like this, she was excited to see where it could lead.

Monje chats with South Burlington Public Library Director Jennifer Murray. (Photo: David Seaver)

“I offer low-barrier consultation and referrals to our patrons as well as supporting the library staff in trainings and de-escalation,” she explains, “and I’m sharing what I learn with other libraries who are now seeking their own social workers.”

Since stepping into the role in September, Monje met with over 300 people, including many with social work focused questions.

“The interest has been wide-ranging,” says Monje, who built a resource guide to keep at her mobile table. “People are looking for support with referrals to housing options, legal issues related to employment, citizenship questions, healthcare, dental services, and more. Some are seeking community engagement and connection to local services. These conversations are really impactful. I’m grateful for the interactions and experiences with people who have a diverse range of needs and requests.”

Library Director Jennifer Murray says Monje brings common sense and compassion to the library staff and visitors alike.

“Her listening skills and empathy help us do our jobs better,” Murray says. “She makes visitors to the city, the library, and senior center truly feel welcomed. Evelyn learned a lot about local resources which allows her to answer questions from the public and make valuable referrals.”

A recent Vermont Public article highlighted the growing need for social services at public libraries. “When there’s a high community need for something, it can be really beneficial to have a library and a service organization working together,” says Vermont State Librarian and Commissioner of Libraries Catherine Delneo.

Retired social worker Jean Cass was excited to see Monje serving in her internship role at the library. (Photo: Jennifer Murray)

Monje's internship was set up through the ��̽̽ Social Work Department’s partnership with the Howard Center, which hosts more than a dozen social work students at the bachelor’s and master’s level.

“The breadth of services Howard Center provides in the community creates a rich learning experience for developing social workers,” says Senior Director of Client Services Charlotte McCorkel, who serves as Monje’s field instructor. “When South Burlington city leadership approached Howard Center about a partnership in supporting a social work student at the library, it seemed like a perfect fit, and the inaugural year has definitely been a success.”

In weekly meetings with McCorkel, Monje discusses her developing social work identity, skill building, and progress with specific projects at the library.

“Evelyn will often bring a scenario and we explore social work ethics and the intersections between her coursework and field work,” McCorkel explains. “She is such a pleasure to work with. Her warm personality and the way she embraces social work values make her a perfect fit for this field placement.”

The field instructor role is a critical piece in the development of social work students. Over the past 15 years, McCorkel supported more than 20 students. She says hosting students in a program creates a culture of learning that benefits staff as well.

Last year, students in ��̽̽'s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) cohorts completed internships in over 20 different fields of practice, contributing a combined total of 32,700 hours of service across a multitude of communities.

The Cohort Experience

Monje values the close-knit community and support structure in the social work program. During their junior year, BSW students are grouped together to settle into practice and experience courses focused on their development as social workers.

“I appreciate the opportunity to learn from and grow with my peers, and I've made lifelong friends along the way,” she says. “I also made valuable connections with each of my professors and feel fully supported and cared for by each of them. I’m grateful to be in a program where I’m not only a student in my professors’ classes, but also a human being that matters to them.”

Monje also took on a leadership role in ��̽̽’s Social Work Club, which is open to students in any major. Over the past semester, membership numbers are on the rise, and the group is making plans for community action and conversations they would like to engage in this semester.

Monje's effervescent spirit on display at the library. (Photo: David Seaver)

Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream

Monje envisions her future in roles that support youth development through educational experiences outside of the traditional classroom setting. However, the internship opened her mind to the relatively new concept of library social work that is taking hold in more communities nationwide. She is already exploring ways to tie those two interest areas together.

“I grew up excited to go to ��̽̽, so it's a sweet full-circle moment as I approach the completion of my time here,” she says. “I am currently applying to graduate programs with the intention of completing my master’s degree by age 22. Through this process, I learned that transformative social work education ��̽̽ provides is unparalleled and highly regarded.”

Equipped with her social work credentials, a range of experiences, and her longtime aspiration to serve others in need, Monje is excited to dive full force into the career of her dreams.

“I’m so grateful to ��̽̽ for helping to shape me into the kind of social worker and human being I want to be.”

Studying Transformative Social Work at ��̽̽

Through its teaching, scholarship, and public service, ��̽̽’s Department of Social Work prepares students to meet society's human service needs while advancing social work knowledge and professional practice that contributes to a more humane and just society.

The department's Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs are nationally accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

evelyn-monje-7369-1149x647.jpg

Groups audience

- Private group -

Featured Photo Caption

As a social work intern at the South Burlington Public Library, Evelyn Monje provides valuable support for community members who have a range of needs and requests. She also facilitates training for library staff. (Photo: David Seaver)

Social Media

��̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships announces wave of grants to tackle challenges faced by rural communities statewide

saa — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:44:50 +0000

Vermont organizations representing a broad spectrum of diverse interests including community school building, clean energy, flood resilience, regenerative agriculture and health care access will be lifted by a wave of support this spring when the first round of grant funding is administered by ��̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships (LIRP).

LIRP officials announced today that the institute has issued grants totaling over $1.7 million in funding to more than a dozen deserving projects around the state.

“Grant funding through the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships is a shining new example of the potential for innovation in ��̽̽’s land-grant mission of service to Vermont,” said ��̽̽ President Suresh Garimella. “These grants will connect our faculty experts and students to groups with ideas for transformative projects that will make a direct impact for communities throughout Vermont. These collaborations deepen and reinforce the bond between the success of our state and the success of our university."

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, officially launched late last year, is funded through a multi-year award from the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The Institute directs these funds to supporting partnerships between ��̽̽ and Vermont organizations that are engaged in vital community and economic development work.

“Instead of imposing top-down solutions, we want to collaborate with entrepreneurs and problem-solvers on the ground who have the best shot at making an impact,” said Patricia Coates, director of the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships. “We are piloting engagement in new ways in new parts of the state and bringing together multiple partners, on campus and off, to solve important challenges.”

The institute is named for retired U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, whose 48-year career reflected a strong commitment to Vermont communities. He is now a President’s Distinguished Fellow at ��̽̽.

“When I retired, I wanted to build an organization that could address the challenges faced by people living in our rural communities,” Leahy said. “The Institute positions the university to be a leader in addressing rural challenges—not only within Vermont, but the nation.”

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, operating alongside the university’s Office of Engagement (OoE), is motivated by the joint vision of a Vermont where all communities can thrive. The Institute and OoE achieve this vision by fostering collaboration between community partners and entities at ��̽̽. Over the past year these organizations provided economic development data reports to over 50 community partners, including all of Vermont’s regional development corporations and regional planning commissions. In collaboration with the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, OoE administered $5,000 each in loan forgiveness to 169 graduating seniors from Vermont colleges and universities who had landed a Vermont-based job and were planning to stay in the state.

The institute fielded a total of 140 grant proposals for this year’s round of funding. Proposals were considered for capacity grants—an “entry level” track that catalyzes project development with ��̽̽ support, or seed grants—which fund research projects, engagement initiatives, and business plan development for early-stage start-ups and non-profits.

“We had an extraordinary response when we announced this grant program late last year,” said Coates. “With the help of our Institute board of advisors we selected 13 projects we believe will move the needle on some key challenges facing our communities.”

Some of the projects include:

The Whey Forward: Recapturing Nutrients from Dairy Production Waste. Diverting waste from Vermont waterways and soils, recapturing it, and transforming it into nutritious food products through a process called valorization. (Burlington Bio, $200,000).
Vermont Wastewater Infrastructure Mapping. Systematic mapping of available wastewater infrastructure data on a town-by-town basis for the state of Vermont. (Windham Regional Commission & Town of Jericho, $137,350).
Migrant Health Initiative. Strengthen the Community Health Worker program to address health inequities among the growing number of non-agricultural Spanish speaking migrant and immigrant households moving into Vermont’s rural communities. (��̽̽ Extension, $200,000)
System Optimization and LiDAR for Vermont Energy Resilience (SOLVER). Accelerate moving Vermont to a future in which the state’s electrical grid is more resilient and equitable (VELCO, $269,481)
Enhancing the Little River. Establishing a pilot project to mobilize a statewide campaign to kill off knotweed and replenish Vermont waterbodies with healthy, native vegetation. (Town of Stowe Electric Department, $10,000)

Under terms of the grants, ��̽̽ faculty experts and students will work with partner organizations through student internships and service-learning experiences. Coates believes collaboration between local stakeholders and the university will result in lasting relationships that will build long-term capacity.

Chris Campany, executive director of the Windham Regional Commission, will use Leahy Institute funding to complete an assessment of wastewater infrastructure across the state. The grant will help improve the state’s preparedness for flood events.

“Community wastewater systems are a big factor in determining what can be built where. This funding gives us the opportunity to interpret what’s possible in our villages where systems do not exist. We want to ensure future construction projects grow away from areas that flood, and what the presence or absence of systems means for business development.”

The Institute plans a second round of funding for additional projects next fall. See complete list of recipients at https://go.uvm.edu/grants.

About the Institute: The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships at ��̽̽ creates partnerships with local organizations that expand opportunities for economic growth and improve the quality of life in rural communities. The Institute is made possible by a $14 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), with leadership and support from retired U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Research collaboration will also take place with Institute for Rural Partnership consortium partners Auburn University, and the University of Wisconsin.

Subhead

More than $1.7M in funding will benefit vital projects in all 14 counties across Vermont

leahy_grant_release.jpg

Groups audience

��̽̽ Today

����̽̽ - Office of Engagement

What does ����̽̽ owe to the children of our State?

Does the arc of child welfare bend toward justice?

How can a state-university partnership advance a national movement?

What collective future can we envision?

Subhead

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

Putting Community First: ����̽̽ Summer Interns Live and Learn in the NEK

A new model for the internship experience

“South House” – Home Base

Building a Sensory Trail in Glover

Supporting Community Gardens in Newport

Reporting the News in Hardwick

A Sustainable Model for the Future

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

“We came home to Vermont:” RISE Summit Explores Solutions for Rural Challenges

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

New Theme and Speakers: What's in Store for RISE 2024?

Subhead

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

Graduate From a College or University in Vermont? You Could Be Eligible for $5,000 in Student Loan Repayment

Subhead

Groups audience

Social Media

Pursuing Their Dreams and Fulfilling Our Mission

Sarah Sarrouf: Creating a More Just Society

Erin Jaspan: Multidisciplinary Opportunities

Joy Emmanuel: Transforming Lives Through Higher Education

Emily Kline: Mindfulness, Equity and Social Justice in Social Work

Austin Burnett: Building Connections with Students

Kendra Keelty: Inspired to Teach

Halima Said: Supporting Diverse Communities

Leggatt Kerek: Exploring Education in New Zealand

Magdalena Cataldo: Inclusive Early Childhood Education

Evelyn Monje: Inspired to Serve

Arby Ghemari: Education for Cultural and Linquistic Diversity

Emma Von Licht: Supporting Diverse Learners

Subhead

Groups audience

Social Media

Building Resilience in the Northeast Kingdom

Subhead

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

Bridging the Gap

Subhead

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

Inspired to Serve

The Cohort Experience

Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream

Studying Transformative Social Work at ����̽̽

Groups audience

Featured Photo Caption

Social Media

����̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships announces wave of grants to tackle challenges faced by rural communities statewide

Subhead

Groups audience

Social Media

��̽̽ - Office of Engagement

What does ��̽̽ owe to the children of our State?

Putting Community First: ��̽̽ Summer Interns Live and Learn in the NEK

Studying Transformative Social Work at ��̽̽

��̽̽’s Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships announces wave of grants to tackle challenges faced by rural communities statewide