The University of Vermont 222nd Commencement on May 21, 2023, was a day of inspiration, achievement, and celebration. The weather was sunny and cool for the morning outdoor ceremony, during which Commencement Speaker and National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan presented a "mneumonic" version of Vermont to make his address more memorable. Ending with “T” for transformation, he stated, "As much as you transform yourself, you also want to transform the community, the society, and everyone around you, and lift them all up."

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Class of 2023 persevered through their challenges, succeeded in their quests, and celebrated in the afternoon that day at Patrick Gymnasium, which was fully attended by family and friends. Among the many decorated mortar board caps students wore, "Seize the Moo-Ment" was appropriate for the occasion.

Prior to the ceremony, a reception was held at Simpson Hall on campus with a buffet and refreshments. Afterward, students assembled by departments for the procession to the ceremony hall.

The commencement speaker was Kristof Grina, a CALS 2012 graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Ecological Agriculture. He co-founded Up Top Acres, a Washington DC-based company that designs, builds, and maintains rooftop, soil-based farms and gardens. Kristof’s speech to graduates began with a reminiscence of the days before his graduation from UVM, which brought a round of laughter from the audience. He then recognized the hard work and perseverance it takes to graduate, and how essential it is to celebrate this momentous life moment. “There are many more chapters still to be written, but this is a momentous one,” he stated.

Grina praised UVM for its strong sense of community and how it benefits graduates in the real world. Community and cooperation became the focus for the rest of his speech, reflecting on how remarkable the support network students build at UVM “allows you to spread your wings, take risks, and pull at all the threads of so many unique experiences.” It was his experiences during a semester abroad, visiting cooperatives of multi-generational communities, that reframed his worldview and changed the trajectory of his life.

Returning to UVM, he studied different styles of community-centered businesses in Vermont. Grina stated, “The most lasting impact of my time here at UVM was a galactic expansion of my understanding of the immense potential of community cooperation and self-governance to improve our society.” Returning to Washington, DC where he grew up, he became involved with urban agriculture, working toward starting his own venture by partnering with two other “23-year-olds” to grow food on urban rooftops. He said, “It was during those first few years that I personally experienced the monumental power of community and cooperation.” Since then, Up Top Acres has covered 25 rooftops with growing space, and the partners filter all of their decisions through a lens of community benefit and resilience.

A posthumous degree was presented to the family of Kayla Noonan, a community entrepreneurship major in the Community Development and Applied Economics Department (CDAE), who passed away unexpectedly during the summer of 2022. CDAE Professor Jane Kolodinsky presented the degree to Kayla’s family and said, “Kayla is remembered by instructors and friends as someone with a beautiful smile, a sense of humor and a heart of gold. She was driven to reach her goals, which included earning her degree and working in business.” Kolodinsky ended by stating, “A limb has fallen from our tree, but the contributions Kayla made here will be forever rooted in UVM.”

For the CALS Class of 2023, 307 students received bachelor’s degrees, and over 40 received their master’s and doctoral degrees. Thirty-seven students were members of the Honors College, and 30 students received Distinguished Undergraduate Research awards. CALS department awards were given to 74 students.

The ceremony also included the recognition of several retiring faculty members. This year’s Emeriti faculty include:

• David Barrington, Professor, Department of Plant Biology.
• Cynthia Belliveau, Research Faculty and Lecturer, Nutrition and Food Sciences.
• Paul Kindstedt, Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.
• Christopher Koliba, Professor, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics.
• Cathy Paris, Senior Lecturer, Department of Plant Biology.
• Timothy Perkins, Research Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Director of the Proctor Maple Research Center.

The complete CALS ceremony recording and commencement program guide are available at https://www.uvmcommencement.com.