The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) has recognized six outstanding students and alumni for their professional accomplishments, exemplary character traits, leadership and service to the CALS community. Presented at the 25th Annual Alumni and Friends Dinner on Saturday, May 12, 2018, the awards reflect CALS’ mission to train civic-minded future leaders dedicated to the betterment of society and the world.
“CALS is a very service education-based college,” said University President Thomas Sullivan who provided opening remarks at the event. “It’s all about the leadership coming out and the wonderful mentoring of the faculty and staff. We salute those who came before – our alumni – those who are still with us – our faculty and staff – and our students who are graduating as well.”
Also at the event, Dean Thomas Vogelmann recognized professor of nutrition and food sciences, Rachel Johnson, who joined the ranks of professor emeriti this year. Johnson served as the dean of CALS from 2003 to 2008, UVM Associate Provost from 2009 to 2011, and was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Robert L. Bickford, Jr. Green and Gold Professor. CALS is pleased to announce Jean Harvey in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, as the new holder of the Robert L. Bickford, Jr. Endowed Professorship.
Five additional faculty members will be recognized as emeriti faculty at the 217th University Commencement on May 19-20, 2018: Robert L. Parsons (extension professor of community development and applied economics), Charles W. Ferreira (associate professor of community development and applied economics), David E. Kerr (professor of animal and veterinary sciences), Susan Wallace (professor of microbiology and molecular genetics).
Recipients of the 2018 CALS excellence awards are listed below. See a photo gallery of the event here.
Alexander Kende Academic Merit Award: KATHERINE L. BULLOCK ‘19
Katherine L. Bullock was admitted to the UVM Honors College as a Vermont Scholar in 2015 after graduating from Mill River Union High School. Before her sophomore year, she had completed coursework to become a Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA). While double-majoring in Nutrition and Food Sciences and Microbiology, her LNA license enables her to work at the UVM Medical Center in the Urology and Orthopedics Departments. She is co-founder and vice president of the UVM Pre-PA Club (physician assistant) and a founding member of the UVM student-run madrigal choir, MadCats.
Lawrence K. Forcier Outstanding Senior Award: CAITLIN M. BEAUDET ‘18
A 2014 Valedictorian at Williamstown Middle High School, Caitlin M. Beaudet has excelled in her studies of Molecular Genetics at CALS while shadowing physicians in UVM’s Pre-Medical Enhancement Program. Beaudet works as a Nutrition Care Representative at UVM Medical Center and has held leadership positions in many campus organizations, including the Pre-Medical Club, Alternative Spring Break, Volunteers in Action, the Mortar Board Senior Honors Society and Campus Kitchens. In 2017, Beaudet received the Alex Kende Academic Merit Award and the Nicole J. Ferland Award. She is a Green and Gold Scholar, an Honors College Scholar, and a member of the Alpha Zeta Honors Fraternity, Mortar Board Senior Honors Society, Tower Society, and the Golden Key Honors Society.
CALS New Achiever Alumni Award: LINDSEY E. KING ‘04
San Diego Zoo senior zoo keeper Lindsey E. King received her B.S. in Animal Science from UVM in 2004 and has dedicated her career to supporting animal well-being and conservation efforts around the world. Through San Diego Zoo Global, King worked with Eastern barred bandicoots at the Melbourne Zoo in Australia and is presently the primary keeper of the largest collection of koalas outside of Australia. She is a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers and served as its vice president from 2015-2017. She is an active member of several animal care and conservation programs throughout California and around the globe.
Outstanding Alumni Award: JAMES R. CARPENTER ’67 & MICHAEL M. LIZOTTE ‘97
James R. Carpenter received his B.S. in Agriculture in 1967 from UVM, his M.S. in Animal Science in 1969 from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, and his Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition in 1976 from Cornell University. Hawaii beckoned and he returned to begin his academic career in the Animal Science Department at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu. An active graduate committee chair or member, Carpenter oversaw 57 undergraduate and graduate committees. His extramural research funding totaled over $2.25 million on a broad range of projects and he has received many University and national teaching awards. Simultaneously, Carpenter served with the Hawaii Army National Guard, leading a stellar military career until his retirement in 2009 as Brigadier General.
Michael M. Lizotte, a 1997 graduate of the Community Development and Applied Economics Department, has taken his business and entrepreneurial acumen over the past 20 years to move up the ranks as owner of Vermont-based American Meadows. The company has grown to over 50 employees and is known as a sustainable horticultural company providing seeds and bulbs to the gardening public. Lizotte gives back to the community, locally and beyond, and has received national accolades for his efforts to enhance the environment by sustaining and expanding landscapes for native pollinators and nonnative honeybees all to benefit local economies and ecologies.
The Robert O. Sinclair Cup: KATE HOWRIGAN BALDWIN ‘78
Born into a family well-known for its large dairy and maple sugar farm, Kate Howrigan Baldwin completed her B.S. degree at UVM in 1978. While working her first job at Planned Parenthood, Baldwin served on the first Burlington Women’s Council under Mayor Bernie Sanders. She began her UVM career in 1985 as Director of the Vermont Council and was later promoted to Director of UVM’s Vermont Relations Office, while also serving on the Vermont Governor’s Commission on Women under Governor Richard Snelling. She was a founding board member for the Vermont Women’s Fund and she was appointed to the first UVM President’s Commission on Women. In 2007, Baldwin joined the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources as Manager of the Northeastern States Research Cooperative and retired in 2016 after a career contributing to the well-being of Vermonters and beyond.