Public Engagement
The University of Vermont is involved in promoting sustainability both on and off campus. UVM is involved with the Burlington Legacy Project, promotes community service participation for its students, and has a Community-University Partnerships & Service-Learning (CUPS) office that provides Service-Learning opportunities for students.
UVM's Office of Sustainability participates in the Vermont Campus Sustainability Network, which has biannual meetings and collaborates on projects.
Click on a specific topic below to learn more.
PAE Credit 19: Community Sustainability Partnership (2/2)
UVM has established many long-term partnerships with the local Burlington and statewide community. UVM has four main departments that offer opportunities for students and facility to coordinate with community entities to engage in various community service, service-learning, or research-based activities. These include UVM Extension, Continuing Education, Academic Affairs, and Student & Campus Life. Through these offices, the main community partnerships have formed with: Center for an Agricultural Economy; The Burlington Legacy Project; and Payment for Services Agreement with the CIty of Burlington.
Other partnerships have formed with the Master Gardner Program (UVM Extension), Community Biomass Program (UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture), Dairy Stewardship Alliance (UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture), Alternative Spring Break (Volunteers in Action), Common Ground Student-Run Educational Farm and Student Environmental Educators Doing Service (Student Life).
Joseph Speidel, Community Relations Officer
VP State, Federal & Community Relations Office
PAE Credit 20: Inter-Campus Collaboration on Sustainability (2/2)
The University of Vermont participates in the Vermont Campus Sustainability Network (VCSN), which is a group that promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability at Vermont universities and colleges.
VSCN is hosted by UVM’s Office of Sustainability and funded by the Vermont Department of Public Service. The Office of Sustainability sends out an e-newsletter monthly to all VCSN participants. The group also meets bi-annually to discuss ideas, progress, and ways to collaborate on projects.
The VCSN has worked on discussing greenhouse gas emissions inventories and created a Collective Reporting Committee to compare their results. The group has also created a Weatherization Committee that is working to create a weatherization training workshop for students in Vermont.
UVM would receive 2 out of 2 points for this credit.
Gioia Thompson, Director
UVM Office of Sustainability
PAE Credit 21: Sustainability in Continuing Education (0/7)
At UVM, there are a number of sustainability focused and related certificates and programs that may either be taken for professional certificate program or for college credit.
Some of the continuing education certificates and programs at UVM include: Campus Sustainability Leadership, EMERGEneering, Sustainable Business, and Community Economic Development: Building Sustainable Economies. Under the professional certificate program, these continuing education opportunities could count for this STARS credit. Unfortunately, at this time, it is difficult to quantify the percentage of total continuing education courses that are either sustainability focused or related.
Therefore, UVM would receive 0 out of 7 points for this credit.
Alison Maynard, Outreach Professional
UVM Continuing Education
PAE Credit 22: Community Service Participation (1.31/6)
Although the University has established a considerable amount of community service opportunities for undergraduate students, documentation of these data are difficult to acquire. This, in turn, makes it difficult to calculate the percentage of UVM students participating in community service work.
Some community service opportunities such as the Service-Learning programs and particular branches of Student Life are well reported and can be found in the 2009 Presidential Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Application, while others such as Greek life, the Athletic community, and independent community service are not documented at all.
Due to the lack of available data, the numbers used to rate this credit represent an underreported statistic, which may result in a lower credit score for UVM than it deserves.
Based on the STARS calculation for this credit, UVM would only receive 1.31 out of 6 points.
Carrie Williams Howe, Director
UVM Community-University Partnerships and Service Learning (CUPS)
Marie Vea-Fagnant, UVM Career Services Coordinator and Rubenstein School Liaison
UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
PAE Credit 23: Community Service Hours (4/6)
For this credit, community service is defined as "activities designed to improve the quality of life of off-campus community residents, particularly low income individuals." Community service activities may include, but are not limited to: academic service-learning, co-curricular service-learning (not part of an academic course, but utilizing service-learning elements) and other co-curricular student volunteer activities, as well as Work-Study community service and paid community service internships.
Community service includes both direct service to citizens (E.g. serving food to the needy) and indirect service (E.g. assessing community nutrition needs or managing a food bank).
Data was collected from The President's Community Service Honor Roll from 2008-2009. It is estimated that at UVM, 11,405 full-time students contributed a total of 138,240 community service hours.
Based on the STARS calculations, UVM would receive 4 out of 6 possible points for this credit.
Marie Vea-Fagnant, UVM Career Services Coordinator and Rubenstein School Liaison
UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
N/A
PAE Credit 24: Sustainability Policy Advocacy (0/4)
The University of Vermont is involved with the City of Burlington on the Burlington Legacy Project, which is a community partnership to improve sustainability relating to economy, neighborhoods, governance, youth and life skills, and environment. The initiative includes creating a sustainability plan for 2030, which also includes a Climate Action Plan for the City of Burlington to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
However, based on the STARS requirements for legislation, bills, and/or ordinances, UVM would receive 0 out of 4 possible points for this credit. There are no partial points for this credit.
Joseph Speidel, Community Relations Officer
VP State, Federal & Community Relations Office
PAE Credit 25: Trademark Licensing (2/4)
The University of Vermont is associated with the Fair Labor Association, which would earn it 2 points for the first part of this STARS credit. However, the University is not affiliated with the Designated Suppliers Program; therefore, would receive 0 out of 2 points for the second part of this STARS credit.
Kathryn Friedman, Director
Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity
Tier Two Credits
Credit 1: Graduation Pledge (0/0.25)
Although a number of students signed a graduation pledge that meets these criteria in 2007, UVM does not currently have a graduation pledge for each graduating class. UVM would get 0 out of 0.25 points for this credit.
Gioia Thompson, Director
UVM Office of Sustainability
Credit 2: Community Service on Transcripts (0/0.25)
The University of Vermont does not currently include a record of community service work on students’ transcripts. UVM would get 0 out of 0.25 points for this credit.
Carrie Williams Howe, Director
UVM Community-University Partnerships and Service Learning (CUPS)
Marie Vea-Fagnant, UVM Career Services Coordinator and Rubenstein School Liaison
UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
N/A
Credit 3: Farmers' Market (0.25/0.25)
The University of Vermont held an outdoor farmers’ market during Earth Week of 2010. Although not an official university-sponsored event, the student-organized farmer’s market is organized annually. UVM would get the full 0.25 points for this credit.
Pat Brown, Director
Department of Student Life
