About Us

Our vision is to nourish sustainable communities through inclusive teaching, research, and outreach. 

Our mission is to prepare students to contribute to society, conduct research, and engage in service for the development of resilient, inclusive, and just communities in an era of unprecedented change. Students learn how to create and implement transdisciplinary solutions through applied learning and community engagement for the public good.

We carry out this mission with the following scholarly activities:

• Providing undergraduate and graduate instruction in community-driven social innovation through public communication and administration, applied economics, community design, development, sustainable policy and governance, and entrepreneurship
• Conducting rigorous research on social change for the public good
• Providing students with hands-on learning opportunities through internships, study abroad, research projects, and service-learning courses
• Advising, empowering, collaborating and partnering with local and global communities

We fulfill the mission of our land-grant university in collaboration with colleagues within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and University of Vermont Extension, across the state of Vermont, and throughout the world.

We are transdisciplinary. Our department is unique in that we draw from many different fields including applied economics, communication, sociology, documentary film, social entrepreneurship, journalism, community-centered design, and sustainable development.