In her first “State of the University” presentation, delivered Tuesday to an overflow audience in the University of Vermont’s Davis Center, UVM President Marlene Tromp emphasized the challenges and opportunities facing Vermont’s land-grant university, the accomplishments of its faculty, students, and staff, and the work that lies ahead for the institution, guided by its “Green, Gold, and Bold” strategic plan.
Tromp reviewed what she termed the “headwinds” facing higher education, the State of Vermont and the entire Northeast region. These include enrollment pressures caused by the decreasing number of college-aged students in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states, and financial pressures of limited state funding and inflation. Tromp noted the university’s careful, three-year budget planning process to deal with these challenges, guided by the values of the institution.
“One of the things that makes me the proudest to be at this university is a deep and profound commitment to our values,” Tromp said. “We are a values-driven university, and Our Common Ground values guide us to find our path through these difficult periods.”
Tromp noted several leading rankings the university has garnered in the past year, including being chosen by the Princeton Review as the No. 1 school in the nation for making an impact, and being ranked by the Peace Corps as third in the nation among medium-size universities for producing Peace Corps volunteers.
"We care about our impact on the world, and we want to make the world a better place. It's one of our distinguishing characteristics."
– UVM President Marlene Tromp
Don't be surprised by those statistics, Tromp told the audience. "We train our students to think like our researchers think, to think how our faculty think. They choose us because of this: we care about our impact on the world, and we want to make the world a better place. It's one of our distinguishing characteristics.”
Tromp then reviewed the four “pillars” of the University’s strategic plan, noting many instances from UVM’s record of producing innovation in science and the humanities, and the positive impact, both social and economic, that the university has on the state of Vermont and the nation.
She noted that for every Vermonter UVM graduates, two of the university’s out-of-state students stay and make their lives and careers in the Green Mountain State, joining the roughly 36,500 alumni who live there now.
“With optimism and purpose, the UVM community leads boldly to solve complex challenges,” Tromp said. “We will not be daunted in the face of the challenges before us. We will not be bent by the hardships that we will have to face. We will come together and solve our common problems. We will build a better university, and we will build a better future for the state of Vermont.”
Key to the State of the University presentation were several major announcements by Tromp, including:
UVM Promise Expands
Admitted students from Vermont households with a combined annual income up to $125,000 in adjusted gross annual income will attend UVM tuition-free beginning in Fall 2027. This increase of the UVM Promise’s income threshold will expand affordability and access to Vermont families. For admitted students with family incomes under $125,000, the UVM Promise will cover their tuition and comprehensive fee with Federal, state, and other secured grants and scholarships. Since the program’s 2022 introduction, the parental gross income qualifying level has more than doubled, significantly increasing access to an affordable UVM education for Vermonters.
UVM Launches ‘Vermont Listens’ to Advance Civic Dialogue and Engagement
What if, for a moment, we stopped trying to respond and simply listened? Vermont Listens is a new statewide initiative from UVM that brings people together across backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to share what they value and why. By creating space for people to be heard without debate or persuasion, Vermont Listens seeks to strengthen understanding, connection, and civil discourse across our campus and communities. The first Vermont Listens events will take place this fall in Bennington and Burlington.
Research Funding Tops $222 Million—Up $15 Million from Previous Year
UVM researchers attracted $222.6 million in extramural research funding for the FY26 fiscal year—an increase of roughly $15 million over the previous year. UVM attracted 600 awards supporting 900 projects across the institution, including 24 awards worth $1 million or more.
Philanthropic Gifts to UVM Exceeded $96 Million in FY26
Fiscal year 2026 was the second-best fundraising year in UVM’s history. The UVM Foundation secured $96.39 million in commitments, with more than 20,000 donors contributing to nearly 900 different areas on campus.
UVM and New England Team Awarded $5.9 Million to Advance Research on Snow and Outdoor Economy
A team of northern New England universities and institutions led by UVM has been awarded $5.9 million from the National Science Foundation to advance snow research and explore connections between winter weather and the outdoor recreation economy in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. UVM has received $3.3 million, and the University of New Hampshire is the recipient of an additional $2.6 million as a collaborator. The project will include the University of Maine and eight other regional institutions.
Driving Research, Innovation, and Economic Development
President Tromp announced the formation of a new Division of Statewide Economic Development, alongside the university’s Division of Research and Innovation–an outgrowth of UVM’s prioritization of economic development across Vermont and the wider region.
2026 Our Common Ground Awardees
The newest recipients of the UVM Our Common Ground Staff Award, which honors staff members who embody the spirit of Our Common Ground values of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility, were named during the State of the University presentation. The 2026 awardees are: Lise Larose of the College of Arts and Sciences; Ali Mahmood of the Division of Intercultural Excellence; John Sama of Academic Affairs and Student Success; and Christine Gallese and Vicki Gilwee of the Larner College of Medicine.
A video of the 2026 State of the University presentation will be available in the near future.