 | |
| Latin:Universitas Viridis Montis[1] English: University of the Green Mountains | |
Other name | University of Vermont |
|---|---|
Former names | Vermont Agricultural College (1864–1865) |
| Motto | Studiis et Rebus Honestis (Latin) |
Motto in English | "Integrity in Theoretical and Practical Pursuits"[2] |
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
| Established | 1791; 235 years ago (1791) |
| Accreditation | NECHE |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $896 million (2024)[3] |
| President | Marlene Tromp |
Academic staff | 2,013 (fall 2023)[4] |
| Students | 14,320 (fall 2023)[4] |
| Undergraduates | 12,168 (fall 2023)[4] |
| Postgraduates | 2,152 (fall 2023)[4] |
| Location | , United States 44°28′34″N73°11′42″W / 44.476°N 73.195°W /44.476; -73.195 |
| Campus | Small City, 460 acres (1.9 km2) |
| Newspaper | The Vermont Cynic |
| Colors | Green and gold[5] |
| Nickname | Catamounts |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Rally Catamount |
| Website | uvm.edu |
 | |
 | |
TheUniversity of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as theUniversity of Vermont (UVM), is apublicland-grantresearch university inBurlington, Vermont, United States.[6] Founded in 1791, UVM is the oldest university in Vermont and the fifth-oldest inNew England. Roughly coinciding with Vermont's statehood, the plans for and development of the university date back to the days of theVermont Republic, making it unique among public universities in the US to be at least planned and organized outside of an admitted state in the nation.[7]
UVM comprises ten colleges and schools, including theRobert Larner College of Medicine, and offers more than 100 undergraduate majors along with various graduate and professional programs. TheUniversity of Vermont Medical Center, has its primary facility on the UVM campus. It isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities—Very high research activity".[8]
In athletics, UVM's teams, known as theCatamounts, compete inNCAA Division I, primarily in theAmerica East Conference andHockey East Association.
The University of Vermont was founded as a private university in 1791, the same year Vermont became the fourteenth U.S. state. The university enrolled its first students ten years later. Its first president, Daniel C. Sanders, was hired in 1800, and served as the sole faculty member for seven years. Instruction began in 1801, and the first class graduated in 1804. In 1865, the university merged with Vermont Agricultural College (chartered November 22, 1864, after the passage of theMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862), emerging as the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. The university was granted 150,000 acres, which it sold for $122,626.[9] Much of the initial funding and planning for the university was undertaken byIra Allen, who is honored as UVM's founder. Allen donated a 50-acre (20 ha) parcel of land for establishment of the university. Most of this land has been maintained as the university's main green, where stands a statue of Allen.[10]The citizens of Burlington helped fund the university's first edifice. When it was destroyed by fire in 1824, they also paid for its replacement. This building came to be known as "Old Mill" for its resemblance to New England mills of the time. TheMarquis de Lafayette, a French general who became a commander in the American Revolution, while in Vermont laid the cornerstone of Old Mill, which stands on University Row along withIra Allen Chapel,Billings Library, Williams Hall, Royall Tyler Theatre, andMorrill Hall. A statue of Lafayette stands at the north end of the main green.[10]
UVM was the first American institution of higher education with a charter declaring that the "rules, regulations, and by-laws shall not tend to give preference to any religious sect or denomination whatsoever".[10]
In 1871, UVM defied custom and admitted two women as students. It was the first American university to admit women (1875) andAfrican Americans (1877) intoPhi Beta Kappa, the country's oldest collegiate academic honor society.[11]
Justin Smith Morrill, a U.S. Representative (1855–1867), and Senator (1867–1898) from Vermont, author of theMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Act that created federal funding for establishing the U.S. land-grant colleges and universities, served as a trustee of the university from 1865 to 1898.
In 1924, UVM's WCAX, now calledWVMT, sent out the first radio broadcast in Vermont. It was run by UVM students and faculty before being sold in 1931. WCAX is now the call sign of acommercial television station.[12] A new radio station was set up in 1955, dubbedWRUV. It currently runs an FM broadcast at 90.1 MHz and an internet stream atwruv.org. The station, run by students, faculty, and local community members, dubs itselfBurlington's Better Alternative[13]. It is known for playing a wide range of music, boasting "the largest catalog in the State of Vermont" at over 50,000 albums.[13]
In the second half of the 20th century, UVM gained a reputation for itspolitical activism, and struggles ensued on campus between student and faculty activists and the university administration. In 1953, the university's board of trustees oustedAlex B. Novikoff, a tenured professor and cell biologist in theCollege of Medicine, over his association with theCommunist Party.[14][15] In March 1957, student protests against a motel owner whorefused service to an African-American woman led theVermont General Assembly to outlaw discrimination in public accommodations.[16] For 73 years, UVM held an annual "Kake Walk" where students woreblackface, until the practice was abolished in 1969 under pressure from the student body and the community.[17][18]
In 1972, the board of trustees intervened again to deny tenure toMichael Parenti, a popularMarxistpolitical science professor who drew ire from the authorities due to his participation in anti-war demonstrations. The board overrode the recommendation of the faculty, the deans' council and the administration. Parenti later brought a federal suit against the university, which was settled out of court for $15,000.[15]
In the 1980s, the university faced increasing pressure from the student body todivest from companies doing business inapartheidSouth Africa.[19] Student protests against investment in apartheid culminated in the construction of a "shantytown" on the green across from the Waterman building on October 12, 1985. On December 6, the board voted 12-7 to divest.[20]
UVM has undertaken several other divestment actions due to advocacy from student groups, including divestment from "Sudan-friendly" companies in 2006, during theDarfur genocide,[21] and divestment fromcluster munitions anddepleted uranium weapons in 2009, during theIraq andAfghanistan wars.[22][23] In 2013 and 2016, trustees rejected calls to divest from fossil fuels.[24][25]
On July 1, 2019,Suresh Garimella was appointed UVM's 27th president.[26] Under his tenure, the university faced record enrollment and a 50 percent increase in research funding to $250 million; however, he has been criticized for hispublic relations with students and faculty.[27] In 2021, the university administration imposed budget cuts that terminated three departments, 12 majors, 11 minors and four master's degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences.[28]
In 2020, under pressure from a student campaign, UVM trustees voted unanimously to divest from fossil fuels by July 2023.[25]
In 2022, theU.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into the university's response toantisemitism on campus based on a Title VI complaint filed byThe Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law andJewish on Campus.[29][30] The investigation concluded in April 2023, after the university and the Office of Civil Rights settled in a voluntary resolution. A press release from the Department of Education stated that the university failed to adequately respond to incidents.[31] University administrators denied the allegations, insisting that they responded appropriately.[32] The university agreed to adopt new practices around bias reporting, edit their discrimination and harassment policies, and provide extra training to staff and students,[33] but it did not adopt the demands of the complainant. The Department of Education did not make a finding of guilt or wrongdoing or create new federal policy in closing the investigation.[34]
In October 2023, UVM's Division of Safety and Compliance abruptly canceled a planned guest lecture byPalestinian authorMohammed El-Kurd, citing an inability to provide adequate "safety and security" for the event. An investigative report bySeven Days found no evidence of threats related to the event.[35]
The university's graduate students voted tounionize with theUAW in March 2024.[36] In April 2024, UVM's chapter ofStudents for Justice in Palestine established a protest encampment on the Andrew Harris Commons, demanding transparency in the university's endowment and divestment from "all weapons manufacturers, Israeli companies, and companies involved in the occupation of historic Palestine." They also demanded that the university cancel a planned commencement speech byLinda Thomas-Greenfield.[37]
The university first adopted an official seal in 1807. The seal depicts the sun rising over the Green Mountains with the original college edifice, now the remodeled Old Mill. It includes a diagram ofEuclid's "windmill proof" of thePythagorean theorem, a globe, and asextant. It includes the motto "Universitas V. Montis. A.D. 1791" in the outer ring "Collegiumque Agriculturae" in the inner one, noting the establishment of the College of Agriculture in 1865.[38]
Offering over 100 undergraduate majors, the university comprises seven undergraduate colleges, an honors college, a graduate college, and a medical college.[39] The University of Vermont isaccredited by theNew England Commission of Higher Education.[40] Bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs are offered through theRobert Larner College of Medicine, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Social Services, the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Graduate College, the Grossman School of Business, and theRubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.[41] The Patrick Leahy Honors College does not confer its own degrees; instead, students concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges.[42]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[43] | 181 |
| U.S. News & World Report[44] | 121 |
| Washington Monthly[45] | 100 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[46] | 283 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[47] | 401–500 |
| QS[48] | 851-900 |
| U.S. News & World Report[49] | 510 |
As of 2024[update],U.S. News & World Report's annual university rankings place UVM as tied for 61st among public universities and tied for 121st nationally.[50]
In 2024[update],Forbes'America's Top Colleges list ranked UVM 181st overall out of 500 private and public colleges and universities in America, and also ranks it 79th among public universities and 129th among research universities.[51]
The university was named aPublic Ivy by Richard Moll in his 1985 bookThe Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities.[52]
| Undergraduate admissions statistics | |
|---|---|
| Admit rate | 60.0% (  +0.2) |
| Yield rate | 17.1% ( +0.5) |
| Test scoresmiddle 50%[i] | |
| SAT Total | 1270-1410 (among 35% ofFTFs) |
| SATEBRW | 640-720 |
| SAT Math | 610-700 |
| ACT Composite | 29-32 (among 11% ofFTFs) |
| High schoolGPA[ii] | |
| Top 10% | 41.38% |
| Top 25% | 75.42% |
| Top 50% | 97.32% |
| Average | 3.85 |
| |
Undergraduate admissions areclassified as "more selective", indicating that test score data for first-year students is in the 80th to 100th percentile of selectivity among all baccalaureate institutions.[55]
For the class of 2026, UVM received 28,236 applications, accepting 16,947 (60.0%). Of those accepted, 2,896 enrolled, ayield rate of 17.1%. UVM's first-yearretention rate is 88.25%, with 77.5% graduating within six years.[53]
Of the 35% of the incoming first-year class who submittedSAT scores; the middle 50% composite scores were 1270-1410. Of the 11% of enrolled first-years in 2023[update] who submittedACT scores; the middle 50% composite scores were between 29 and 32. The average high school GPA was 3.85.[53]
UVM isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities—Very high research activity".[8] For the 2025[update] fiscal year, UVM attracted $266 million inresearch and development funding.[56]
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college, with the greatest number of students, faculty, and staff. The college also offers the bulk of the foundational courses to help ensure that students all over campus have the tools to succeed in all academic endeavors. It offers 45 areas of study in the humanities, fine arts, formal sciences, social sciences, and natural sciences.
UVM's Grossman School of Business is accredited by the AACSB International and offers undergraduate and graduate programs.[57] In 2015, the school was renamed Grossman School of Business in honor of a $20 million gift from alumnus Steven Grossman, the largest single gift in the university's history.[58]
In 2023[update],Corporate Knights ranked the Grossman School as the 5th best MBA program in the world for social and environmental impact.[59]
As of 2024[update], according to thePrinceton Review, the Grossman School has the 2nd best Green MBA in the United States.[60]
CEMS is home to fiveABET-accredited engineering programs—Biomedical, Civil, Environmental, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering—in addition to the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. It also features three research centers: the Transportation Research Center, the Complex Systems Center and the Vermont Advanced Computing Center. The college has about 1400 undergraduate students, 250 graduate students, and 85 faculty members.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) offers programs in animal science (early admission to theCummings School of Veterinary Medicine atTufts University is available); biochemistry; biological science; community entrepreneurship; community and international development; dietetics, nutrition and food sciences; ecological agriculture; environmental science; environmental studies; microbiology; molecular genetics; plant biology; public communication; and sustainable landscape horticulture. The college is also home to the Center for Rural Studies.
The college also offers programs in conjunction with the college of arts and sciences. Students who choose these majors, such as Biological Sciences, can choose between either college.[61]
As a land-grant college, UVM receives an annual grant under theCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service to provide agricultural research services to the state of Vermont.
UVM's College of Education and Social Services (CESS) offers degrees in teacher education, human development & family science, and social work. Minors are also available in American Sign Language, special education, and education for cultural and linguistic diversity. The college comprises the Department of Leadership and Developmental Sciences, Department of Education, Department of Social Work, and the Center on Disability and Community Inclusion. Studies leading to a master's degree or doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) also are offered.
In 1804, John Pomeroy began teaching students in his house in Burlington, as the firstmedical department at astate college or university. In 1822, theCollege of Medicine was established as the seventhmedical school in the United States, founded by Pomeroy and the medical educatorNathan Smith.
UVM enrolls approximately 100 medical students in each class; there are approximately 400 medical students. The University of Vermont Medical Center is the primary site of clinical education.
The College of Medicine currently ranks tied for 29th for overall quality inprimary care training among the country's 89 programs ranked byU.S. News & World Report for 2016 and 43rd out of 120 in 2019[update].[62][63]
On October 21, 2016,Joe Biden visited the university campus to discussCancer Moonshot.[64][65]
The Charles A. Dana Library, is the largestmedical library in Vermont and serves as the Vermont Resource Library of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine[66], providing for information needs of the Academic Health Center at the University of Vermont. The Academic Health Center is composed of the faculty, staff and students at UVM's College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, as well as thephysicians, and otherhealth care providers at the University of Vermont Medical Center. The library also meets the health sciences information needs of the university's undergraduate and graduate programs and is open to the residents of the state of Vermont withhealth sciences information questions.
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at UVM comprises four departments: Biomedical and Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing, and Rehabilitation and Movement Science, as well as the Institute of Integrative Health, a shared program with theRobert Larner College of Medicine offering a Certificate in Integrative Healthcare.Some of these undergraduate degrees prepare students to enter graduate degree programs for Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, or a doctorate of physical therapy program. The college also utilizes clinical facilities at the UVM Medical Center (formerly known as Fletcher Allen Health Care).
The Patrick Leahy Honors College sponsors opportunities for students to participate in co-curricular programs and extracurricular activities — special symposia, dinners with visiting scholars, and trips to museums and theaters in Montreal and Boston.
Faculty are selected from throughout the university to participate in the college as lecturers in a first-year ethics course and advanced seminars, as participants in reading groups, as speakers at the Plenary Lecture Series, and as mentors to honors students conducting research.
Through a required ethics course, small seminars, informal gatherings, and special research projects, students work alongside scholars from a section of the university's academic disciplines in the humanities, the sciences, engineering, nursing, medicine, education, business and more.
In May 2023, the college was renamed in honor of former U.S. senatorPatrick Leahy.[67]
From its origins in the School of Natural Resources (originally established in 1973), theRubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) was created in 2003. The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources seeks to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of ecological and social processes as well as values that are aimed at maintaining the integrity of natural systems and achieving a sustainable human community in harmony with the natural environment. The Rubenstein School targets three general areas of emphasis for scholarly pursuit: 1. Applied Ecology; 2. Environment & Society; and 3. Development & Use of Innovative Tools (e.g. GIS, spatial analysis, and modeling).
The main building hosting RSENR is located at the George D. Aiken Center, which was renovated in 2012 and received aU.S. Green Building CouncilLEED Platinum certification.[68]
In 2007, the university won a $6.7 million grant to research the pollution problems ofLake Champlain.[69]
The athletic teams at UVM are known as theCatamounts. The university offers 18 varsity sports. Women's teams include basketball, cross country, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, swimming and diving, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). Men's teams include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). All teams compete at theNCAADivision I level. Most teams compete in theAmerica East Conference. Men's and women's hockey teams compete in theHockey East Association. The alpine and Nordic ski teams compete in theEastern Intercollegiate Ski Association.
UVM's athletic teams won seven straight America East Academic Cups (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011) for the best overall combined GPA among its student-athletes. UVM is the first school in the America East Conference to win three straight years and four times overall.
Highlights of recent varsity athletic seasons include the men's hockey teams trip to the Frozen Four in 2009; the women's and men's basketball teams advancing to the 2010 NCAA Tournament following America East Tournament titles; the ski team winning its sixth NCAA National Championship in 2012 in Bozeman, Montana; in 2014, the men's hockey team earned its third trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2009 and the men's basketball team won the America East Regular Season title for the sixth time. The university has discontinued several major sports programs in its history, including football, softball and baseball. The softball and baseball programs were eliminated in 2009.[70]
Thirty-six former UVM athletes have competed in 16 Olympic Games (13 winter, 3 summer) and combined have won six Olympic medals.[71]
The UVM fight song was written in 1938 and is entitled "Vermont Victorious."[72]
On December 16, 2024, the UVM men's soccer team defeated theMarshall University to win the2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament. This is the first championship appearance and win by any UVM Division I sports team.[73] It was also the first national championship for anyAmerica East team in history.[74]
UVM sponsors many club sports teams. The UVM sailing team was competitively ranked 8th in the nation as of November 15, 2009.[75][76] UVM crew competes in theHead of the Charles Regatta andDad Vail Regatta, winning bronze for the men's coxed four in the 2015 ACRA national club rowing championship. The cycling team competes against other collegiate varsity teams and has won multiple national titles.
UVM's School of the Arts sponsors instrumental and choral performances throughout the year. The Royall Tyler Theatre presentstheatre productions on itsmainstage. In addition to the Department of Theatre's approximately three mainstage shows each year, a group of student-directed one acts are also performed.
Notable mainstage shows in recent years have includedStraight White Men andBat Boy: The Musical (2022/2023);It's a Wonderful Life andShe Kills Monsters (2021/2022);An Enemy of the People (2020/2021);The Wolves andThe Normal Heart (2019/2020);Pippin (2018/2019);Sense and Sensibility andPeter and The Starcatcher (2017/2018);Spring Awakening (2016/2017);The 39 Steps andNoises Off (2015/2016);Much Ado About Nothing (2014/2015);The Mousetrap andUrinetown (2013/2014). From 1991-2018, the Theatre performedThe Toys Take Over Christmas, a holiday tradition in Burlington.[77]
The Lane Series, the university's public performing arts program, began in 1955. Presenting nationally and internationally-known artists, the series offers twenty-five events per academic year, including performances in classical, jazz, folk, chamber, and choral music, as well as theater, film, and dance. Most events are held at the UVM Recital Hall on the Redstone Campus.[78][79]
TheFleming Museum of Art is the university'smuseum. Its permanent collection of 24,000 objects includes works of art as well asanthropological andethnographic artifacts. The museum also features various visiting exhibits and special events.
TheVermont Mozart Festival, now defunct, developed at UVM, and its first festivals also were held at UVM. The festival was incorporated as an independentnonprofit organization in 1976 but retained ties to UVM throughout its existence.
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84% | ||
| Hispanic | 5% | ||
| Two or more races | 4% | ||
| Asian | 3% | ||
| Unknown | 3% | ||
| Black | 1% | ||
| International student | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 14% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 86% | ||
Student clubs and organizations, totaling more than 250, span student interests and receive sponsorship from the Student Government Association. Clubs with longstanding history and the largest memberships include: Volunteers in Action, the UVM Outing Club,[81] Ski & Snowboard Club. Hillel also has a strong presence on the UVM campus.[82][83][84] UVM also is home to the oldest FeelGood chapter in the nation, started in 2006, with the chapter raising over $100,000 since its inception for the end of extreme poverty by 2030 through on-campus grilled cheese delis.[85]
In 2015, the university launched a wellness program called the Wellness Environment (WE) a substance-free residential program that gives interested students access to fitness and nutrition coaches, has daily yoga instruction, round-the-clock meditation sessions, and a mentorship program that pairs them with a Burlington youth.[86] In the fall of 2017, the Central Campus Residence Hall completed construction, and now houses nearly 700 residents in the Wellness Environment.
Thanks to an organization known as GIRT, or Gender Inclusive Restroom Taskforce, the University of Vermont has a growing number of single-occupancy, gender-neutral bathrooms for use by non-binary and gender non-conforming students, faculty, and visitors.[87]
The UVM Outing Club was established in 1913 and is the largest outing club in the country. The club is student-run and offers kayaking, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and nordic skiing trips.[81] The club has assisted with the formation of TREK, an outdoor pre-orientation student program that takes incoming freshman on 5 day excursions to connect them to the UVM community and the State of Vermont.[88] Annually, the club runs the Catamountain Classic event, in which participants hike all 272 miles of the Long Trail in one weekend.[89]
UVM Program Board (UPB) is responsible for bringing campus events and activities to the UVM community.[90] In recent[when?] years, UPB has organized events like the annual SpringFest featuring comedianMichelle Wolf,Two Door Cinema Club andLaverne Cox. It also runsbattles of the bands, weekly pub quiz tournaments, and international film and food events.[90]
In addition to campus events, UPB organizes live musical entertainment event featuring acts from across the country as well as local bands. UPB is composed of four committees, one of which is a concerts committee. The concerts committee learns about various aspects of the music industry by putting on shows and working with local sound and production professionals. Students are in charge of choosing and booking bands and are responsible for all production aspects on the day of the show.
The Concert Bureau was established in 1971, inviting artists such asR.E.M.,Phish (three of its four members attended UVM in the 1980s),Red Hot Chili Peppers,Sting,Lou Reed,Primus,The String Cheese Incident,James Brown,Bob Dylan,The Allman Brothers Band,Death Cab for Cutie,Jurassic 5, theDisco Biscuits,The Grateful Dead,Guster, andThe Flaming Lips.
Since 2001, the annual SpringFest is held in April. Headliners have includedVida Blue,The Roots,Cake,Keller Williams,Gov't Mule, co-headlinersRobert Randolph & the Family Band,Ziggy Marley, andTalib Kweli. Other acts to perform at various SpringFests have includedThe Meditations,Toots & the Maytals,Soulive,Rjd2,Apollo Sunshine,Ratatat in 2009,MSTRKRFT in 2010,The Roots andThievery Corporation in 2011,Dillon Francis in 2012,MGMT in 2013,Atmosphere in 2014,The Disco Biscuits in 2015,The Head and the Heart in 2016,Two Door Cinema Club in 2017, andPlayboi Carti in 2018.
The University of Vermont Greek community is one of the oldest in the nation, with the first fraternal organization starting in 1836. 5% of male students and 5% of female students join Greek life. Fraternity and sorority members become involved in Student Government Association (SGA) and work as Orientation Leaders, advocates, and Residence Assistants.
The University of Vermont has a long history of environmental sustainability on its campus.[91] In 2024[update],The Princeton Review placed UVM in 16th place among the "Top 50 Green Colleges" in the country.[92]
In 1995, the Environmental Council at UVM was established to fill a gap regarding a bridge between operations and academics on campus greening issues.[93] The council's first project was to hear presentations from the various environmental programs on campus to provide a baseline scan of campus operation environmental impact. Greening UVM was published in 1998 by the council to establish a baseline on the environmental impact of the campus' operations. During the same year, a recycled paper policy was created and was implemented in 1999.[94] As a community stakeholder in the Lab-XL project, the Environmental Council received an EPA grant to support theTracking UVM project and publication to assess the relative environmental impact and community interest in laboratory chemical waste. Tracking UVM,[95] a follow-up to the Greening UVM report, was published in 2002 and reported on the environmental progress of the university from 1990 to 2000. The University of Vermont's commitment to tracking its environmental performance was recognized in 2004 with Vermont's Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for this 2002 environmental report card. Tracking UVM is one of the first report cards that track the environmental impact of campus operations in an institution of higher education.
In 2005, UVM's President Daniel M. Fogel signed the institution's Green Building Policy.[96][97] The recycled paper policy was updated in 2006 after two students pushed for the university to commit to purchasing 100% post-consumer, chlorine-free paper for routine copying and printing.[98]
In 2007, President Fogel signed on to theAmerican College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment.[99] In 2008, UVM dissolved the Environmental Council and established the Office of Sustainability that supports sustainability planning on campus, connects operations with academics, and tracks sustainability efforts.[100]
In 2011, UVM released its Climate Action Plan[101] to the American College & University President's Climate Commitment. The Climate Action Plan focuses on the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the institution's operations. The target dates for UVM's Climate Action Plan were 2015 for 100% carbon neutral electricity (Scope 1)[102] and 2020 for carbon neutral heating, cooling, and fleet (Scope 2).[102] UVM aims to target the net zero emissions for its "Scope 3"[102] sources by 2025.
In 2012, UVM became one of the first institutions nationwide to end the sale of bottled water on campus and mandate that one third of drinks offered in vending machines be healthy options.[103] During the same year, UVM's Board of Trustees passed a resolution to earmark $13 million for the fund, making it the largest challenge to date. Harvard's $12 million green loan fund had been the largest.[104] In March 2012, UVM became fifth school in the nation to sign the "Real Food Campus Commitment",[105] pledging to purchase 20% "real food" by 2020. In April 2017, UVM announced it had surpassed this goal and set a new goal to source 25% "real food" by 2020.[106]
TheCertification for Sustainable Transportation (CST) was founded in 2012 to help improve economic, environmental, and energy efficiency within the passenger transportation sector. The CST is a direct outgrowth of work that began at the University of Vermont in 2005 and now houses the eRating certification, driver trainings, and an array of awareness and education programs. It is a nonprofit operating out of UVM's Extensions office.[107]
In May 2015, UVM introduced a sustainability requirement for all undergraduates, allowing students to choose from pre-approved sustainability classes.[108]
In April 2023, the university committed to carbon neutrality by 2030.[109] It would pursue investments in renewable energy, electrified buildings and vehicles, reduced vehicle fleets, andgeothermal exploration.[110]
 | Parts of this article (those related to Lawrence Debate Union) need to beupdated. The reason given is:Sourcing and information is outdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2023) |
The Lawrence Debate Union (LDU) has been UVM's official debate team since 1899.[111][112][non-primary source needed] Competing inBritish parliamentary debate,policy debate, and social justice-oriented debate, it is one of the oldest organizations on campus, receiving funding from a private grant established in 1899.[113][114] The LDU has sent students to international competitions, fromSlovenia,Malaysia, andThailand (2007) to Greece and South Africa.[115][non-primary source needed] The school has also sent students to theWorld Universities Debating Championship held inIreland,Turkey,Botswana,Manila,Berlin, andChennai, breaking into elimination rounds in the 2011World University Debating Championship.[citation needed] Debaters from the LDU have also regularly competed in tournaments hosted byOxford University andCambridge University, and in 2013 won the title of the Budapest IV and Vienna IV in consecutive tournaments. Domestically, the LDU has also won the title of Northeast Universities Debating Sweepstakes champion for four consecutive years.[citation needed] The program is currently ranked seventh in the top schools for British Parliamentary debate in the world, and is the third-ranked American university on the list, behind onlyYale andCornell.[citation needed][needs update] It encourages participation of all interested UVM students, and sponsors public debates at UVM and for the Burlington community.[116][needs update]Alfred C. Snider, who coached the LDU for over thirty years, was one of the most decorated debate coaches in the world. He also coached the National Speech and Debate Organization's national high school debate team to compete in the world championships.[117]
UVM alumni includes severalOlympians,Fulbright Scholars,[118][119]Truman Scholars,[120]Goldwater Scholars,[120] and aNobel Peace Prize laureate.
.jpg)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Links to related articles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
