Thank you for your interest in UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. The generous support and involvement of alumni and friends is integral to advance the Rubenstein School's priorities of teaching and research, student scholarships and fellowships, and internship experiences and other experiential learning opportunities for our students. We hope you will join in this effort!

The list of funds below represents key areas that make us one of the nation's foremost environmental and natural resource programs. Unrestricted gifts can be directed to a Dean's Discretionary Fund for use by our Dean to address the School's evolving needs. For even more fund choices or other ways your philanthropy can benefit Rubenstein School students, faculty, and programming, please contact Kurt Reichelt at 802-656-1396 or Kurt.Reichelt@uvm.edu.

Thank you very much for your support.

Giving Opportunities

Ellen Marsden with students using net in lake

Academic Program Funds - Undergraduate

Environmental Sciences Program Fund

The Rubenstein School's  Environmental Sciences Program combines a natural science-based core curriculum with hands-on experience needed to identify, analyze, and solve environmental problems. Instructors are active environmental research scientists. Classroom encounters with environmental scientists who are leaders in their field are heightened by hands-on field and service-learning opportunities. This fund supports the general purposes of the Environmental Sciences Program.

Give to the Environmental Sciences Program >>

Forestry Program Fund

The Rubenstein School's Forestry Program trains students to meet the needs of the 21st century, which include managing forests for resilience, adaptation, and climate mitigation. The Program provides students with an education in ecologically responsible forestry, emphasizing the complex landscapes of the northeastern U.S., while also stressing global context and change - all with a high level of hands-on field classes, internships, research experience, and forest management projects. This fund supports the general purposes of the Forestry Program.

Give to the Forestry Program >>

Sustainability, Ecology and Policy Program Fund

The Rubenstein School's Sustainability, Ecology and Policy Program (formerly the Natural Resources Program) curriculum combines coursework from disciplines within and outside the Rubenstein School to produce an individualized major focused on an ecological theme or human/environment relationship. This fund supports the general purposes of the Sustainability, Ecology and Policy Program.

Give to the Sustainability, Ecology and Policy Program (formerly the Natural Resources Program) >>

Parks, Recreation and Tourism Program Fund

The Rubenstein School's Parks, Recreation and Tourism Program prepares students to become leaders in innovative sustainable practices in the recreation and tourism fields; in the provision of high-quality recreation and travel experiences for individual well-being; and in planning and managing leisure systems for environmental quality and societal benefit. The program offers an integrative approach to the study of parks, recreation, and tourism that combines foundational knowledge in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences with professional skills in planning, business operations, and managerial skills. This fund supports the general purposes of the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Program.

Give to the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Program >>

Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program Fund

The Rubenstein School's Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program curriculum focuses on the biology, ecology, management, and conservation of animal populations that range from species common enough to be hunted/fished to species that are endangered. Management strategies include direct manipulation of populations or indirect manipulation through alteration of habitat. Courses emphasize applied ecology and techniques for bringing populations into balance, and provide hands-on experience in labs and field trips. The four-year curriculum provides an excellent background for many wildlife and fisheries-related positions. This fund supports the general purposes of the Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program.

Give to the Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program >>

 

Carolyn Finney Commencement address

Dean's Discretionary Fund

Rubenstein School Dean's Innovation and School Enrichment Fund

This fund is used by our Dean to strategically address the Rubenstein School's emerging initiatives and enrichment priorities. Gifts from alumni, parents, and friends allow the School flexibility to support exciting innovations and events including state-of-the-art teaching and learning technology, novel laboratory enhancements, visiting scholars, seminars, hands-on workshops, and other new enrichment opportunities.

Give to the Rubenstein School Dean's Innovation and School Enrichment Fund >>

 

Two students hold test tubes

Diversity and Inclusion Funds

Donald H. DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship Fund

This fund provides annual scholarship assistance to one or more full-time students enrolled in the School. Created in 2006 by a friend of the School, this endowed scholarship honors former Dean Don DeHayes, his passion for multiculturalism, and his success in leading the Rubenstein School to considerable achievements. Preference may be given to students from our partner school, the High School for Environmental Studies in New York City. Read a story about scholarship recipients.

Give to the DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship Fund >>

People of Color Environmental Collective Fund

This fund supports the People of Color Collective in the UVM Environmental Program. People of color are conspicuously underrepresented in natural resource and environmental fields. Support for this affinity group will provide enrichment and professional development opportunities to enhance career growth for its participants.

Give to the People of Color Environmental Collective Fund >>

 

Researchers out on lake

Research Laboratory & Facility Funds

George D. Aiken Forestry Sciences Laboratory Fund

Forest and terrestrial ecology research is a hallmark of the Rubenstein School’s teaching and research. The Aiken Forestry Sciences Laboratory is used year-round by undergraduate and graduate students who work alongside our faculty scientists to address challenges in forestry, global change ecology, plant-soil interactions, biogeochemistry, and biodiversity. This funding will be used to ensure state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and equipment.

Give to the Aiken Forestry Sciences Laboratory Fund >>

RSENR Research Vessel Endowment

The School's research vessel, is integral to assuring hands-on quality programming critical to lake research, contributing to the health and vitality of Lake Champlain. This fund ensures that the vessel fully functional, including necessary upgrades to maintain it with state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

Give to the RSENR Research Vessels Endowment >>

Rubenstein Laboratory and Lake Studies Fund

Lake Studies is a hallmark of the Rubenstein School's teaching and research. The Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, located at the foot of College Street on Lake Champlain's waterfront, is busy year-round. Both undergraduate and graduate students work alongside our faculty scientists to address challenges for the State's largest freshwater lake and watershed. These findings can be applied to other freshwater lakes and tributaries across the globe. This fund supports the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and Lake Studies Program which includes students and their research.

Give to the Rubenstein Laboratory and Lake Studies Fund >>

 

Student intern works with Vermont Fish and Wildlife to tag a goose

Student Experiential Learning Funds

Rubenstein School Internship Fund

Internships are important opportunities for students to explore career interests, build relevant skill sets, and make connections in their fields of interest. Increasingly, internships are becoming the basis for academic success and set the stage for career possiblities. While the importance of student internships is very clear, most students cannot afford to take unpaid internships during the academic year or during the summer months. This fund will allow our students to experience internships, and our external partners will benefit from having a student/worker who is accountable to both the employer and the Rubenstein School. Learn more about the Rubenstein School internship program.

Give to the Rubenstein School Internship Fund >>

Rubenstein School Undergraduate Research Fund

As one of the top environmental schools in the nation, the Rubenstein School supports undergraduate research with faculty, staff, and graduate students. Undergraduate research prepares students to become critical thinkers, to systematically address environmental challenges, and to define their pathways into graduate school. This fund supports students as they enter the world of environmental and natural resource research.

Give to the Rubenstein School Undergraduate Research Fund >>

Kunal Palawat

Student Scholarship Funds

Donald H. DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship Fund

This fund provides annual scholarship assistance to one or more full-time students enrolled in the School. Created in 2006 by a friend of the School, this endowed scholarship honors former Dean Don DeHayes, his passion for multiculturalism, and his success in leading the Rubenstein School to considerable achievements. Preference may be given to students from our partner school, the High School for Environmental Studies in New York City. Read a story about scholarship recipients.

Give to the DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship Fund >>

Gardner-Quinn Memorial Fund for Environmental Studies

This fund was established in memory of Michelle Gardner-Quinn. The values and ideals of this scholarship are meant to reflect her commitment to the environment and to support the educational pursuits of those who wish to make a difference in the world in which we live. The fund provides annual scholarship assistance to a third or fourth year student who has demonstrated a commitment to the environment.

Give to the Gardner-Quinn Memorial Fund for Environmental Studies >>

Lawrence and Anne Forcier Scholarship Fund

This fund provides scholarship assistance to deserving undergraduate students. Established in 1999 in honor of former SNR Dean Larry Forcier, the name of the fund was amended in 2004 to also honor Anne Forcier, who has dedicated her career to higher education and success of students. Scholarship recipients are selected based on financial need, academic performance, and ecological literacy. Gifts to the Lawrence and Anne Forcier Scholarship Fund help cement this endowment fund as the cornerstone of the Rubenstein School's undergraduate scholarship assistance program. Learn more about Larry's long and illustrious career at UVM.

Give to the Forcier Scholarship Fund >>

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Scholarship Fund

This fund supports students in the Rubenstein School who request and need additional financial assistance to remain at the University.

Give to the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Scholarship Fund >>

Thomas J. Votta Fund for the Environment

This fund provides annual fellowship assistance to graduate students who, like Tom Votta '89, wish to make a difference in solving environmental problems using environmental best practices to meet this goal. Recipients must be studying in the areas of environmental engineering, environmental science, or environmental business at one or more of the following: College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, or the School of Business Administration. This person will be known as the Thomas J. Votta Scholar.

Give to the Thomas J. Votta Fund for the Environment >>

Dr. Henrietta Mann Scholarship Fund

Dr. Henrietta Mann is a beloved affiliate of UVM’s Leadership for Sustainability Graduate programs. She is the founding President of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College and is Professor Emerita at Montana State University, where she was the first to occupy the Katz Endowed Chair in Native American Studies. The Dr. Henrietta Mann Scholarship Fund will support participation in the array of culturally sustaining credentialing opportunities and programs offered by UVM’s Leadership for Sustainability Graduate programs in partnership with Tribal & Indigenous-led communities and organizations like Gathering Power. Taken together, these offerings provide a pathway from professional certificates all the way to graduate degree programs (including the PhD in Transdisciplinary Leadership and Creativity for Sustainability).

Give to the Dr. Henrietta Mann Scholarship Fund >>

Aiken Center

Sustainability Initiative Funds

Rubenstein School Ecological Design Fund

The George D. Aiken Center, home of the Rubenstein School, was renovated to a LEED Platinum-certified green building in 2012. The fund supports an ecological design makerspace and a stormwater recycling system, which includes the Aiken Center's green roof. This fund also supports related student research and class projects.

Give to the Ecological Design Fund >>

Rubenstein School Green Building and Net Zero Energy Fund

Our goal is that all Rubenstein School academic buildings and vehicle fleet will be net-zero energy and thus carbon neutral. This fund supports the Rubenstein School Net Zero effort and enhancements to reach net-zero energy and carbon emissions using solar power and energy efficiency. The fund  also assists on-going student engagement in internships and class projects.

Give to the Rubenstein School Green Building and Net Zero Energy Fund >>

 

GIVE NOW

To make a secure gift online, visit UVM's alumni and friends giving page for the Rubenstein School.

To make a gift by check, please make your check payable to The University of Vermont, Rubenstein School and indicate which fund or program area you would like to support. Send your gift to:

The University of Vermont Foundation
ATTN: Kurt Reichelt 
Director of Major Gifts
411 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05405

To make a gift over the phone, call 888-458-8691.