Senator James M. Jeffords has a long history of public service, protecting the interests of the citizens of Vermont and the American people. Throughout his tenure, Senator Jeffords championed legislation to strengthen our nation's education system, promoted health care quality and patient safety, and was a leading advocate for environmental protection. Upon his retirement in 2006, Senator Jeffords provided UVM with several resources that support engagement with the world of policy. The Senator's papers, now held at the UVM Library, are a resource for scholarly work at UVM and for other scholars around the world in the future.

There are three entities at the University that bear Senator Jeffords name: Jeffords Hall, home to Agriculture and Life Sciences, The Jeffords Institute for Quality and Operational Effectiveness in the College of Medicine, and The Jeffords Center for Policy Research, located in Farrell Hall and reporting to the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College.

Supporting Graduate Education and Research

From its founding in 2008 through the present the Jeffords Center has been engaged in the development of graduate education and research with faculty and graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Rubenstein School, the Gund Institute, College of Education and Social Services, Complex Systems Spire, Transportation Research Center, College of Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, and the Neuroscience and Behavior Spire. Twenty-eight graduate and undergraduate students have completed research projects and theses under the direction of faculty associates of the Jeffords Center.

The Center has also produced independent policy studies for the Vermont Legislature, Department (now Agency) of Education and the Agency of Human Services. Faculty who have received Jeffords Center grant awards have in turn been funded by government agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and several private foundations. One of the Jeffords Center's signature award programs has led to the establishment of an affiliated institute, the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security.

Three New Efforts

The Jeffords Center supports graduate education and research in the policy areas of education, environment, health and governance. The next phase of development for the Jeffords Center will emphasize the focus on environmental policy that constitutes a large part of the legacy of the Senator's legislative record. There are three major efforts emphasizing environmental policy, including:

Proposed Ph.D. in Policy and Governance
Graduate education in the social sciences has received major support from the Jeffords Center in the writing and submission of a new Ph.D. program in Policy and Governance with an emphasis on Environmental Policy. The proposal for this new degree program, developed with the Vermont Law School, is currently under review by the Provost's Office and will then move to full review by the University Senate and Board of Trustees. The program is scheduled for opening in the fall of 2014 and will seek grant funding for graduate students and research upon approval by the UVM Board of Trustees. Faculty for the new program will be drawn from across colleges and departments in the social sciences and the Vermont Law School where courses in environmental law and policy will be important components of the degree.

Scan of Environmental Policy Issues
The Jeffords Center is conducting a scan of environmental policy issues to identify new research priorities and support the development of grant applications. We are asking for perspectives of policy actors in the public and private sectors, as well as scholars in the various UVM academic programs to identify issues and research questions that will represent our priority areas for the next five years.

Support for Development of Grant Applications
The Jeffords Center will to support interdisciplinary research teams in areas of environmental policy by providing funding for the development of grant applications to government agencies and private foundations. Faculty members interested in developing joint proposals to support environmental policy research should contact the JeffordsCenter@uvm.edu.

For more information about Senator Jeffords and the work of the Jeffords Center for Policy Research at UVM, visit our website at www.uvm.edu/~jeffords