Dear UVM Faculty and Staff,

Our campus is keenly aware that Gary Derr, in his role as vice president for operations and public safety, has expertly helped UVM to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, now in its 20th month. Thanks to Gary’s leadership and the hard work and cooperation of everyone on campus, we have been able to safely offer an in-person educational experience last year and have returned to on-site learning and working this fall.

However, operations nationally and locally continue to be impacted by the pandemic, requiring testing, public health education, adaptation of spaces, elevated cleaning protocols, and numerous decisions to be made daily. It is also clear that the course of the pandemic remains unpredictable, and it could continue for a while longer. Thus, we must continue to be vigilant and take every step possible to keep UVM safe and healthy.

One such step is to keep our tried and tested leader of campus safety in his role through the remainder of the 2021-22 academic year. I have asked Gary to postpone his planned retirement until then and I could not be more pleased that he has agreed. Gary will continue to offer us his steady hand for a while longer. Gary agrees with me that it would not be prudent to make a major change in leadership with pandemic conditions changing so often.

I am thankful to the Chief Public Safety Officer search committee, expertly chaired by Jan Carney and Wendy Koenig. The committee identified a highly capable and diverse set of finalists, and this decision to maintain the status quo was not taken lightly.

Please join me in expressing appreciation to Gary for his continued service and willingness to postpone his retirement for the benefit of us all.

Suresh Garimella
President