President's Perspective

Eyes on the Horizon

The past year has shown us much. It has demonstrated the deeply connected nature of our world. It has underscored our shared humanity, resilience, and need for a just and equitable society. And it has highlighted that when we come together, we can achieve goals once thought unattainable.

It has also laid bare that we cannot take anything for granted, and that in order to access a bright future, we must plan for one—and take the steps necessary to build it. This latter point is especially important during times of challenge, when it can be tempting to hunker down. Instead, this is exactly when we need to focus on the horizon, imagining where we want—and need—to be ten, twenty, or one hundred years from now.

The Amplifying Our Impact strategic plan, which was developed with the collaboration of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, is key to achieving this goal. Since its inception last year, it has reaffirmed our core mission of student success, focused our fundamental research strengths in support of the health of societies and environment, and emphasized our land-grant mission. We have made significant progress on a number of these fronts.

For example, last summer the university committed to fully divesting from fossil fuels and doing so far more quickly and comprehensively than most that have gone down this path. We immediately ended direct investments, will fully divest from public investments by July 2023 and will allow pre-existing multiyear private investments, which we stopped acquiring in 2017, to lapse without renewal. This step, unanimously endorsed by our Board of Trustees, resonates with our values. Sustainability is in our nature at UVM.

We have injected new energy—and attracted additional resources—to the university’s research enterprise. University of Vermont research expenditures hit record levels in 2020—up 41 percent to $191 million—and provide a crucial

boost to Vermont’s economy especially during COVID- 19. In total, UVM attracted thirty-nine research awards of $1 million or more in 2020, including $10.4 million to study rural addictions, $8.4 million for sustainable agriculture research, and $2.2 million to address global infectious diseases. It is a major step on our path toward achieving Carnegie Research 1 status, which will bring recognition, funding, and numerous other benefits.

And we have also doubled down on our land-grant mission by launching the new Office of Engagement, which serves as a front door for private, public, and non-profit entities and communities seeking to access UVM’s many strengths and capabilities. This speaks to our responsibility to the state of Vermont, but it is also critical to the education of our students who will benefit from the internships, jobs, and many other opportunities the office will help to generate.

As we pursue these strategic goals, we will continue to evaluate the structures and systems that support this work, with a focus on the success of our students and the strength of our university. The University of Vermont has changed significantly since its founding in 1791, and I have no doubt it will continue to evolve. This is how we fulfill our mission to prepare students for a constantly changing world while also serving the best interests of the state of Vermont.

Recent progress has been made, of course, across a year of unprecedented challenge that has deeply affected our nation and our world. Yet, as I write, we near the close of an academic year in which we have maintained in-person classes on campus. This is thanks to the responsibility and resilience of our students, and the flexibility and dedication of our faculty and staff. Please join me in pride for all we have achieved, gratitude for all we have overcome, and hope for the bright future of the University of Vermont.

—Suresh V. Garimella

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