Over the past few months, I have had the privilege and honor of witnessing great bravery, adaptability, and selflessness in my colleagues. UVM’s essential staff continue to come to work each day to ensure the University is safely maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside the rest of the UVM community, staff working from home have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in all corners of the virtual campus, even while they have each had to manage the balancing act of working remotely during a pandemic. Despite the difficulties, frustrations, and fears they must often experience my colleagues are continuously and impressively rising to the occasion.

And it is this which I wish to point to — that our staff provide the rich soil for every endeavor at UVM. We amplify UVM’s impact by consistently offering an adaptable and experienced base on which to plant and grow all missions, whether in student success, research, or fulfilling our land grant mission. And the challenges of the pandemic have shown that we are reliable, even under all manner of pressures. We are loyal, even amid the fog of uncertainty. And we are here, each day, holding up all UVM community members as they reach, grow, and succeed.

I’ll list a few specific examples:

Student Success:

• With the sudden switch to near-universal telecommuting, one of the most important software implementations was Microsoft Teams, which allows users to swiftly share documents, keep in touch moment-to-moment, and attend virtual meetings. Staff not only switched to this platform quickly and adeptly, but in many cases helped train their units and departments so that less secure platforms would not be relied on. The Professional Development and Training team also responded rapidly to the changing landscape and have been providing much-needed instruction. And UVM’s Enterprise Technology Services have really stood out, both in their pre-pandemic vision and preparation for the future of telecommuting, and in their excellent customer service during the pandemic. This streamlined, universal adoption of a common platform has allowed service to students to continue smoothly and unhindered.
   
• Engaged, passionate staff at each of the five identity centers have long supported students in discovering themselves and their voices. During the pandemic, staff at these centers—in addition to the UVM Mindfulness department and the Athletic Center—have continued to reach out and engage with students in meaningful ways, providing help, ideas, resources, and healthy activities. Building confidence and maintaining physical and mental health are essential components of holistic student success. 

Research:

Staff support for the UVM Medical Center and the College of Medicine’s medical research in recent months has been strong campus-wide:

• At the start of the pandemic, staff from the Physical Plant, Athletics maintenance crews, Custodial Services, and Event Services teamed up with the National Guard to create surge medical facilities on campus in case they would be needed.
   
• Many UVM lab supervisors rapidly shifted their focus to COVID-19 research without missing a beat. Staff on the research team in the Vermont Lung Center in the Larner College of Medicine developed novel ways to collect biological samples from hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infections, that conserve PPE for hospital personnel. They also modified consenting practices to eliminate the need for face-to-face meetings with patients and their family members in quarantine, which has resulted in efficient enrollments in their new COVID-19 study. 
   
• Staff in the Clinical Simulation Lab have not only loaned equipment and supplies to the UVM Medical Center to serve as back-up to UVMMC’s supply inventory, they have also developed and implemented a telemedicine course that is already working with third- and fourth-year students, which will also be made available to residents and attending physicians at the medical center, as well as care providers all over the state.

Fulfillment of UVM’s Land Grant Mission:

• The staff in UVM Extension have been quick to respond to local farms’ sudden need for extra support. They’ve created a website for farmers to find resources, get essential information, and engage with customers during the Stay Home – Stay Safe order. They’ve also teamed up with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Vermont Fresh Network, Vermont Farm to Plate, and other farming peers to share strategies in a series of online conversations about sourcing and selling Vermont food during the pandemic. The series has covered eCommerce, online sales, accepting SNAP and EBT, navigating regulations, licenses, and aggregation opportunities, safely selling local food at Farm Stands and CSAs, and keeping a focus on equity and access. These virtual conversations are helping farmers adapt in real-time to the rapidly evolving situation, and are a key component of the broader community response to help Vermont’s farm and food system build and maintain resiliency in these challenging times.
   
• Additionally, UVM continues to graduate talented new lieutenants to serve in our military through the ROTC program, which according to their website is the oldest in the country.  All in all, I think Senator Morrill would be very pleased with UVM’s progress as a Land Grant University.

In closing, UVM staff’s contributions have been tightly woven in between each project and professional relationship for 229 years. I am proud of my colleagues and the vital roles they play in amplifying UVM’s positive and growing impact on the community and the world.