Dear faculty and staff,
It was a delight to see so many of you at President Tromp’s State of the University Address and President’s Picnic on Tuesday. It was an incredible way to open the academic year, and the President’s remarks set just the right tone. A tone that acknowledges the very real challenges we face—declining demographics, resource constraints, heightened competition for students, the impact of AI on our work, and the public perception of higher education—tempered with optimism and resolve, celebrating our many accomplishments, and expressing full confidence in our ability to come together, solve problems, and build a better university.
I share in her confidence. The challenges ahead are real, and frankly, reflect a magnitude and convergence the likes of which we’ve never before experienced. And our assets are many: we are a community that is values-driven, smart, strong, creative, innovative, and determined. But our current environment also requires speed, courage, and thinking beyond incremental improvements. We need to act as one university and work across units to craft impactful university-wide strategies that lead to real change. We must be bold. We may make mistakes, but we need to make room for experimentation when our current approaches are not producing the results we so urgently need.
I am asking for your engagement, your breadth of knowledge, your commitment to our students, and your creativity as part of the many working groups and discussions we will have this year to find solutions, pilot ideas, and make the changes necessary to ensure the continued success of our university for generations to come.
I hope the following information and updates will be helpful and will prompt you to learn more and find opportunities to connect and contribute to our work this year.
Welcome, Class of 2030!
I’m pleased to introduce our newest undergraduate class to you:
- We received over 25,000 applications for fall 2026, reflecting the fifth highest number of applications in university history
- Over 50% of the valedictorians within Vermont are enrolling at UVM
- 27% of enrolled Vermonters are first generation and 34% of Vermonters are Pell-eligible
- Over 52% of our first-time first-year (FTFY) students hail from outside of New England; this is especially important as we broaden our reach in response to demographic shifts that will be especially challenging in New England
- 48 states and 38 countries are represented
- 16% of new FTFY students identify as BIPOC; this is the second most diverse class in university history
- 13% are first generation, and will be the first in their families to receive a bachelor’s degree
This is a talented and accomplished class and they are looking forward to the incredible UVM experience that I know you will provide.
Welcome, New Academic Leaders
We have a number of new members of our academic leadership team, several of whom were announced last year, but I wanted to take this opportunity again to welcome them to our community. Mandar Dewoolkar was appointed Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences last spring. Vikas Anand is the new Dean of the Grossman School of Business and Dain LaRoche is the new Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, both started in July. Other appointments that occurred in late May and over the summer include Chris Berger, who has been appointed Dean of the Graduate College, Aaron Nichols, who has been appointed Interim Dean of Libraries, Larry Granillo, who is serving as Interim Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and most recently, Mark Wheeler, who was named the Interim Chief PACE Professional and Continuing Education Officer.
Provost’s Search
We are in the midst of a national search for our next Provost and Senior Vice President, led by Abby McGowan, Professor of History and President of the Faculty Senate and Alicia Estey, Senior Vice President for Finance, Administration, and Human Resources, in partnership with the search firm WittKieffer. The search has been active over the summer months and we expect that candidates will be on campus this fall. You can find updates on the Provost’s search website.
Strategic Alignment Plans
I have reviewed early drafts of the college, school, and vice provost divisional strategic alignment plans in support of our new strategic plan, Green, Gold, and Bold. The plans look strong, and as you participate in conversations around them early this fall, ask yourselves whether the plans are bold enough to create meaningful change, and whether we are taking advantage of opportunities to build a stronger, more resilient and nimble university. I am also developing a set of campus-wide academic success goals that will help align our efforts.
Finding Efficiencies: New Faculty Affairs and Curricular Programs Software
We are in the process of identifying, procuring, and then implementing two software platforms that will make all of our lives easier. The first is software to support (not change) the processes around the full lifecycle of faculty activities, including reappointment, promotion and tenure, annual review, workload planning, and sabbaticals. The goal is to move these into a system that supports greater efficiency, transparency, and accuracy, freeing up time for more meaningful work. You can learn more about this in the August 25 email from Jane Okech, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. The email also includes a link to a brief survey to gather perspectives on current challenges and related needs. We have also recently purchased the curricular programs module from our existing course action form vendor. This module will allow us to submit new and revised curricular program proposals through an electronic workflow and will subsequently populate the catalogue with the new/revised program information. We hope to go live with this module in fall 2027.
AI Fellows and Preparing Students for an AI-Enabled Future
The AI Fellows program announced last December is off and running. We have 47 fellows who are developing or updating a significant component of an existing undergraduate upper-level course (or modules that can be used in multiple courses) that will be available to students this year. The goal is for all students to have an intentional and thoughtful engagement with AI relevant to their field. Last May, Susanmarie Harrington and Jenn Karson facilitated a workshop for the fellows to introduce them to campus resources and provide time for faculty to share ideas across disciplines about critical AI literacy for new curricula. I understand that it was an exciting set of conversations!
Prospective students and their families expect a curriculum that will prepare them for success in an AI-enabled future. We all need to be thinking about how we evolve curriculum, pedagogy, and learning experiences to ensure UVM graduates thrive in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. We need to identify the new competencies students should develop, and where AI literacy, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and human-centered leadership should fit within the educational experience. Thank you for creating opportunities for our students to consider the use of AI responsibly, ethically, and effectively.
On a related note, please encourage your first-year students to complete the student AI Literacy and Ethics Module in Brightspace. The module culminates in a certificate of completion. You could ask your students to submit it with their first assignment as a way to ensure they have completed the module.
Ask UVM
Ask UVM, our “one-stop shop” for students to get connected—promoting academic success, involvement, health, and career readiness—is open for business in the Davis Center (on the 3rd floor, right across from the Bookstore). Staffed by two professionals and a team of highly trained students, Ask UVM will play an important role in supporting our retention efforts. I want to thank everyone, and there were lots of you, who helped move Ask UVM from concept to reality in less than a year. This is an example of the kind of swift innovation we will need moving forward, and we’re committed to assessment and a continuous improvement mindset for Ask UVM.
Online Undergraduate Programs
Pillar three of our new strategic plan, Green, Gold, and Bold, calls on us to broaden access to the University of Vermont by, “opening new doors and building pathways for learners of all backgrounds and cultures with flexible curricula and modalities, including robust online options.” Increased online offerings support a number of important aims. Chief among them is enhancing access and keeping pace with innovative pedagogy and trends, as well as supporting student enrollment, diversifying revenue streams, and strengthening the university’s financial sustainability. Last May, I charged the Associate Deans for Undergraduate Education/Academic Affairs in the colleges and schools with developing online versions of existing undergraduate majors, with the goal of a fully online major in each college/school ready for launch in fall 2027. Online learners can help offset the impact of the decline in 18-year-olds, and there are 75,000 people in Vermont alone with some college and no degree who we could be better serving. As your college/school works to build an online major, please support this effort, help remove barriers, and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
Enrollment Challenges and Increased Competition for Students
Many of you have heard leaders in higher education talk about the demographic cliff for some time now. It’s the result of declining birth rates beginning with the Great Recession in 2007 and falling rates since then. The number of high school graduates peaked last year and is projected to decline through the 2040s. The demographics in New England are particularly challenging. The cliff is unequivocally here, and the University of Vermont has not been spared. We must find ways to respond to the decline in the population of 18-year-olds and the increased competition for them. While this is certainly a sobering reality, there is much we can do, and are doing, to position UVM for continued success in our increasingly challenging environment.
To help increase our applicant pool, among many other strategies, the Division of Enrollment Management is working to enhance the prospective student visit experience by providing greater opportunities for visitors to engage more deeply with faculty, academic and student support staff, and current students. If you’re willing to be part of a small team that will meet with interested students on a regular basis (a predetermined day/time each week), please let your Dean’s Office know. Enrollment Management is also looking for dynamic community members who are willing to meet with prospective students virtually.
Focus on Retention
Retention is a critical measure of our university’s health, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability. The vice provosts will be working with colleagues across the university to focus on four specific retention efforts this year.
- Early Intervention Program—We are building a dashboard that will help us identify students who are retention risks, and will trigger an immediate intervention/support. Navigate alerts issued by faculty members will be critical to the success of this project. Please use Navigate early and often to let students (and us) know how they are doing.
- Pre-Orientation Programs—We retain students who participate in pre-orientation programs (e.g., UVM Go, Trek) at a greater rate than those who do not. We’re working to increase student participation in pre-orientation programs, as well as to improve the efficiency of their delivery.
- Academic Recovery—We are working to further develop programs to support academic recovery/skills, including targeted proactive outreach to students we suspect (based on data) may need extra support.
- Faculty Role in Student Wellness—Health and wellness are critical to student success, and faculty can play an important role in promoting physical and mental health. We’re working on opportunities to help faculty see how small changes in practices and policies can support student wellness.
My team knows how much I love a good hike—one with a blaze now and then, while also offering the challenge of finding my way. One that provides opportunities for deep thought, and sometimes mindless wandering, that gives rise to fresh perspectives and big ideas. And one that’s tough enough to make me wonder why I am pushing so hard to get to the top, and rewards me with an incredible view when I do. We have some steep, steep hills ahead of us, but I know we’re up for the climb. We have to be open to new ideas, we’ve got to work hard, and we’ve got to find our UVM way. When we do, we’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve contributed to something great, and lasting, that will serve so many people who come after us.
Lace up your boots, and let’s go!
Linda Schadler
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President