UVM leaders delivered a campus update to employees on Wednesday, April 29, during a one‑hour virtual event, sharing progress on new leaders joining the university, academic affairs, finance and operations, enrollment management, research, athletics, government affairs, safety initiatives, IT, and the implementation of the university’s new strategic plan, Green, Gold, and Bold.
President Marlene Tromp opened the update by emphasizing her deep commitment to community, communication, and connection at a time when higher education – and the broader world – faces growing complexity and uncertainty. She acknowledged the challenges many employees are experiencing and expressed hope that continued dialogue and collaboration would help the university navigate them together. She underscored that the strategic planning process itself reflected that commitment, noting that more than 1,000 people participated in over 50 listening sessions to shape Green, Gold, and Bold.
President Tromp shared several leadership updates, beginning with the search for the next CEO of the UVM Foundation. She said promising candidates will be visiting campus soon and emphasized that the role will be critical in advancing UVM’s mission by expanding access, strengthening philanthropic partnerships, supporting student scholarships, and driving investment in faculty research. She also highlighted renewed momentum for the Multi‑Purpose Center project and emphasized that the MPC is not solely an athletics facility, but a venue intended to attract visitors to campus, contribute to statewide economic development, and respond to student government’s call to complete the project in support of student wellbeing.
The president also announced the appointment of Dr. Rick Page, dean of the Larner College of Medicine, as UVM’s new chief medical affairs officer, noting the importance of coordinated leadership as the university and the state face ongoing healthcare challenges. She confirmed that the national search for a permanent provost is moving forward and expressed gratitude for Interim Provost Linda Schadler’s steady leadership. The president encouraged community members to help identify strong candidates who could lead UVM’s academic enterprise into the future.
President Tromp closed her remarks by celebrating the Board of Trustees’ February approval of Green, Gold, and Bold, describing the plan as a bold, values‑driven roadmap that has already energized the campus community.
Interim Provost Linda Schadler focused on academic leadership, student success, and innovation. She announced the appointments of three new deans – Dr. Vikas Anand to the Grossman School of Business, Dr. Dain LaRoche to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Dr. Mandar Dewoolkar to the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences – while noting that searches are ongoing for several other leadership roles. Schadler also previewed Ask UVM, a new one‑stop student services hub opening in fall 2026 in the Davis Center and outlined a range of curricular initiatives focused on artificial intelligence. She addressed faculty concerns about the standardization of a single course equivalency for federal reporting purposes, emphasizing, as the union has been informed, that the university has no intention of increasing teaching expectations. Finally, she reiterated that incentive‑based budgeting is a financial tool that continues to support collaboration and innovation across colleges.
Vice President for Finance, Administration, and Human Resources Alicia Estey spoke about the university’s financial context, noting persistent pressure from declining enrollment alongside increasing operational costs. She emphasized that UVM must balance efficiency with growth and outlined strategies including Catamount LEAP, incremental based budget model optimization, and strategic investment in student housing and deferred maintenance. Estey underscored that people remain at the heart of the institution’s success, highlighting continued work on a sustainable compensation model, employee wellbeing, systems improvement, and campus culture.
Vice President for Research and Economic Development Kirk Dombrowski reported that UVM remains well positioned for continued R1 classification, with sustained growth in research expenditures and doctoral production above anticipated thresholds. He acknowledged a more complex federal funding environment, noting modest declines in award dollars paired with increased proposal activity, and explained how large institutes and centers are helping stabilize the research enterprise. Dombrowski emphasized efforts to ensure that the scale and resources of these initiatives also support individual faculty and early‑career researchers, and previewed the 2026 RISE Summit on June 16 focused on rural prosperity and university-community partnerships.
Vice President for Enrollment Management Jay Jacobs emphasized that enrollment is a year‑round, campuswide responsibility. As expected, enrollment remains a challenge due to the national decline in traditional aged high school graduates. He said that while it is still early to project outcomes for the fall 2026 first‑year class, we may see a decline, which necessitates even greater focus on retaining current students and supporting them through graduation. Jacobs shared there is a steady admit pool for graduate students and pointed to significant gains in affordability for Vermont students, noting that nearly 40 percent of current in‑state first‑year students attend tuition‑free through the expanded UVM Promise program. He also announced a comprehensive review of tuition and fee structures across programs and modalities to ensure long‑term competitiveness and flexibility.
Executive Director of Government Relations Wendy Koenig provided updates on UVM’s federal, state, and local engagement. She highlighted gains in federal appropriations, a 3-percent increase in state funding, and progress on securing state support for the Multi‑Purpose Center. Koenig also pointed to strengthened relationships with the City of Burlington, particularly around housing, public safety, and student‑community issues, and encouraged employees to reach out to her office with questions related to government processes or policy.
Chief Information Officer Kellie Campbell updated the community on the progress of UVM’s Enterprise Technology Services directional plan, noting that the vast majority of initiatives are complete or underway. She highlighted two major components of Catamount LEAP: the ongoing evaluation of an enterprise resource planning system and a portfolio of operational excellence projects drawn from more than 100 campus submissions. Campbell also shared updates from the UVM AI Taskforce, including the awarding of 20 innovation grants to support experimentation and pilot projects across the university.
Chief Safety and Compliance Officer Michael Schirling outlined continued work to strengthen campus safety through coordinated teams, upgraded tools and technology, and expanded training opportunities. He highlighted visible improvements such as expanded CatECare stations and campuswide changes to exterior door security. Schirling also addressed questions related to federal enforcement actions, emphasizing that there is no information suggesting targeted activity on campus, and reviewed available resources, protocols, and points of contact to support community members.
Director of Athletics Jeff Schulman shared highlights from another successful year for UVM Athletics, including conference championships, strong academic performance by student‑athletes, Olympic participation, and new coaching hires in men’s soccer and women’s basketball. He also reported progress on the Pizzagalli Support Building and renewed momentum on the Multi‑Purpose Center, while emphasizing UVM’s commitment to student‑athlete wellbeing, academic success, and values‑aligned competitive excellence.
Dean of the College of Education and Social Services Katie Shepherd, who is also serving as Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning, concluded the formal presentations by outlining the implementation phase of Green, Gold, and Bold. She explained that all colleges and major administrative units are developing Strategic Alignment Plans that connect local initiatives to the four pillars of the university plan and to the values articulated in Our Common Ground. These plans will guide priorities for resources, communications, and fundraising and will be reviewed over the summer, with final versions due in September.
President Tromp closed the town hall by thanking employees for their dedication, inviting the community to UVM’s 225th Commencement, and previewing a State of the University Address scheduled for August.