The Center for Research on Vermont was founded in 1974 by an interdisciplinary group of UVM faculty members. Former director George Bryan’s history of the first 20 years details the Center’s wide-ranging publications, events, and discourse, a tradition that carried on, in various forms, into the 21st century. The CRVT’s collaborative and student-driven contributions to the state’s cultural, historical, social, environmental, economic, and policy research have continued in recent decades.
Communities of Practice Internships:
The CRVT originated the Communities of Practice internship program at UVM. Now run by the Office of Experiential Learning & Discovery in the College of Arts and Sciences, these internships are meaningful opportunities for students to get hands-on experience in a field of their interest, under the guidance of experienced professionals and UVM instructors.
Community News Service:
Launched within the CRVT, the Community News Service is now a standalone UVM center. Its student interns report for local outlets around the state under the guidance of professional editors and UVM instructors. The Community News Service partners with nearly two dozen hyperlocal print publications along with statewide news organizations and broadcasters to provide hands-on journalism experience to students and critical news coverage to Vermonters.
Local Democracy and Vermont Research Internship Program:
This program offered students opportunities to work with Vermont town municipal offices to assist with communications, day-to-day operations, resident engagement, special projects, events, and more. These internships offered students a chance to contribute to civic functions and democracy here in our state.
Vermont Legislative Internship Program:
This is another CRVT initiative that has now moved into the College of Arts and Science’s Office of Experiential Learning & Discovery. The Vermont Legislative Internship Program pairs students with legislators to do a range of work from responding to constituents, policy research, event coordination, and logistics support.
Gender Bias in Vermont Media Report:
This 2020 report, compiled by a CRVT student intern, analyzes gender bias in six months of reporting by Vermont print news media.
The Lake Between:
The Lake Between/Le lac qui nous relie was a 2019 international conference that brought together leading academics, business leaders, policymakers, outdoor enthusiasts, musicians and artists to examine Lake Champlain, an international body of water that links our histories, our economies, and the shared management of our natural environment.
Energy Action Seminar Series:
The Energy Action Seminar series, funded by UVM’s Clean Energy Fund, was a multiyear speaker series that examined solutions to our energy impacts, providing students direct access to policymakers, scientists, advocates, and entrepreneurs. Students were also introduced to internship and work opportunities in the energy field.
French Connections: Franconnexions:
This 2017 international conference highlighted the historical, cultural and economic contributions of French Canadians from Québec to Vermont and New England.
Power From the North Conference:
Power from the North was a 2015 conference that explored the past, present, and future of Vermont and Quebec's electricity relationships. This was a joint project of UVM's Center for Canadian Studies, the Energy Transitions Research Group, and CRVT.