The skies above the University of Vermont’s 224th Commencement Ceremony on the morning of Sunday, May 18 once again proved two longstanding Vermont maxims:
1.) if it’s a weekend day in Vermont in the spring, expect a little precipitation, and
2.) if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.
A light rain ceased almost as if on cue as just under 3,000 members of the Class of 2025, precededing university administrators and members of the faculty, processed through an overflow crowd of family members and well-wishers onto the historic University Green for the ceremony that celebrated the students’ accomplishments at UVM and the formal conferring of their new academic degrees.
“I am so proud of all that you have achieved over the last four years,” said Interim President Patricia A. Prelock in her welcoming remarks. “And I know you were able to do so because of your sheer determination to experience all that you could while at UVM.”
Prelock recognized the broad geographical depth of the class, which includes graduates from 34 different countries and 46 states of the union. She also noted the presence of Liana Leavitt, a class of ’25 member, who is a direct descendant of UVM’s founder, Ira Allen.
Prelock recognized several memorable moments from the past academic year, including the validation of UVM’s robust research enterprise with its designation as an R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and the launch of the university’s Planetary Health Initiative. Also noted was UVM ROTC’s winning of the prestigious General Douglas McArthur Award for Leadership, and the men’s soccer team’s NCAA Division 1 championship.
“There are so many more examples of student excellence on our campus–you amaze me with the impact you have already made in your young lives,” said Prelock.
To emphasize the abiding importance of UVM’s Our Common Ground values throughout the student experience and on into post-graduate life Prelock, an amateur magician, pulled out a bag containing six separate rings representing each of the six values. With a wave of her wand and shouts of “abracadabra” from the crowd, she turned them first into six interlinked rings, and then, as she said, “to be truly One UVM united across a common purpose,” into one seamlessly connected strand. Prelock received an ovation for her trick, and for her heartfelt farewell to the university she has served for 30 years, as she transitions to her new role as provost and senior vice president at the University of Arizona.
Also speaking at the ceremony were UVM Board of Trustees Chair Cynthia Barnhart, who greeted the attendees on behalf of the board, Thomas Borchert, professor of religion and president of the UVM Faculty Senate, and outgoing Student Government Association President Mahder Teferra.
The 2025 Commencement Address was given by James M. Betts, a member of UVM’s Class of 1969 and a 1973 graduate of what is now the UVM Larner College of Medicine. Betts, a native of Bennington, Vt., is a pediatric surgeon in Oakland, Calif., a volunteer firefighter, and a former U.S. Olympic Team physician.
“I am forever indebted to UVM for offering me a foundation of learning and instilling a devotion to serve,” said Betts. “Whichever road you choose, consider one that encourages a passion for caring,” he said. “Class of 2025, embrace the challenge! Your mission individually, and collectively, is to help right the ship, green up the environment, cool down the climate, figuratively and actually, and become an ambassador for positive change.”
Besides the main Commencement Ceremony on the University Green, degrees were also conferred by UVM’s Larner College of Medicine Sunday afternoon in Ira Allen Chapel, and by the Graduate College at a ceremony held at the Champlain Valley Exposition on Saturday. All of UVM’s colleges or schools held separate ceremonies at the Champlain Valley Exposition this weekend at which Bachelor’s graduates received their diplomas.
Honorary Degrees
The university conferred honorary degrees upon Dr. Betts and two other exceptional individuals, David A. Daigle and Roy V. Hill II.
Daigle is a native of Burlington, Vt., and a member of UVM’s Class of 1989 who later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business before beginning a long career with the New York City-based Capital Group. Daigle was a UVM Board of Trustees member for ten years, and chaired the board from 2016 to 2020. He played a key role in the university’s successful fundraising campaign, and presided over the construction of infrastructure, including the Central Campus Residence Hall and UVM’s STEM facilities, that transformed campus life.
Hill is a prominent advocate for building bridges through community service who spearheaded UVM’s educational, research, and cultural partnership with Jackson State University, a historically Black institution in Mississippi. He is a charter member of the Burlington Vermont Area Chapter of the NAACP, past president of the Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society, and former program director for Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Vermont. In addition, he was asked to serve as the Vermont Governor’s representative to the National Black Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Hill earned a bachelor’s degree from Talladega College and a master’s degree from Washington University.
More extensive information about the latest honorary degree recipients can be found here.
Recognizing Outstanding Students and Faculty
The university conferred Outstanding Student Leader Awards upon six members of the Class of 2025, all of whom were nominated by fellow members of the campus community, including students, faculty, and staff, for their leadership, scholarship, and service to the University. The 2025 awardees were:
• Ayden Carpenter, a Public Communication and Community & International Development major, who received the Keith M. Miser Leadership Award.
• Zenllaze Gomez Merlo, a Mechanical Engineering major with a Computer Science minor, who received the Mary Jean Simpson Award.
• Elijah Tierney, a Wildlife Biology major with Animal Science and Studio Art minors, who received the Elmer Nicholson Achievement Prize.
• Marleyla Wiltz, a Forestry major in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, who received the Class of ’67 Award.
• Allison Cohen, a Social Work major in the College of Education and Social Services, who received the Katheine Anne Kelly Award.
• Zane Zupan, a triple-major in Political Science, Sociology, and Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, with a minor in Behavioral Change & Health Studies and an accelerated Master of Public Administration, who received the F.T. Kidder Medal.
UVM also formally added one of its faculty members to the roster of University Distinguished Professors– the highest academic honor the institution bestows upon a member of the faculty. Holders of this title are recognized as not only having achieved international eminence within their respective fields of study, but for the truly transformative nature of their contributions to the advancement of knowledge. The latest honoree was Nicholas J. Gotelli, the George H. Perkins Professor of Zoology. Gotelli is a globally renowned ecologist whose work is recognized as significantly transforming the field of community ecology. Gotelli has been a member of the UVM faculty since1992.
