The University of Vermont is a winner of this year’s Handshake Career Spark Awards which recognizes the top 2% of career centers in their list of clients across the country. The award celebrates these institutions as doing exceptional work to drive strong student career outcomes and recognizes UVM as a national leader in career services.

The winners were evaluated on how effectively they use Handshake to support students’ career journeys over three categories—student engagement; employer engagement and curation; and reporting and analytics. Out of over 1,500 colleges, 40 colleges were selected, with UVM recognized among ten 4-year public colleges.

“Universities need to take responsibility for supporting students' efforts to find their place in the world beyond the university,” said Dr. Marlene Tromp, President of University of Vermont. “This is a sign that we are making a real impact.”

“This wonderful honor really recognizes the outstanding work our team is doing here in the Career Center, as well as the invaluable partnerships we are building across campus with faculty, advisors, and staff,” added Sarah Heath, UVM Career Center Director. “This level of success would not be possible without the hard work of everyone on our team and our allied career champions across campus.”

Handshake is the largest, most diverse early talent network in the US, connecting 75% of all US college students through their school's career center with one million employers actively recruiting on the platform. Students at UVM use Handshake to discover jobs and internships, connect with recruiters, apply for positions, and explore career events & resources.

“UVM’s team is a joy to partner with—curious, communicative, and always open to new initiatives to better serve their students,” said Phoebe Mellinger, Strategic Relationship Manager with Handshake. “Their drive to create student experiences that are meaningful and inclusive is truly inspiring.”

Thanks to the Career Center’s creative efforts (like the Orientation Mingler) and its monthly learn-to-network events throughout the academic year, UVM students are utilizing their Handshake accounts more effectively than ever, with an activation rate eight points higher than national average (which is 54%), and employers are noticing.

Natalie Boyle, Director of Communications at EIV Technical Services shared after the 2025 Engineering and Technology Fair that UVM’s fair attendees, “were very prepared, having ‘done their homework,’ either perusing our website and/or checking our Handshake posting, and came with specific questions for us. We left the fair with a record number of resumes.”

To see the full list of awardees, please go to Handshake's website.

For more information on Handshake and job searching resources, please see Handshake's website. 

For more information on services at the UVM Career Center please see their website.