Academic success goals, development of housing among other topics at winter meeting
Apresentation on the Vermont Gallium Nitride (V-GaN) Tech Hub and its importance to the University of Vermont’s research enterprise was among the highlights of the UVM Board of Trustees’ annual winter meeting Friday and Saturday at the Dudley H. Davis Center.

Kirk Dombrowski, UVM’s Vice President for Research and Economic Development, delivered an overview of the V-GaN Tech Hub — a consortium led by UVM with Global Foundries and the State of Vermont — that was designated as one of 31 Tech Hubs by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) in the Fall of 2023.

“Through the V-GaN Tech Hub we will work to bring more federal funding to semiconductor research, technology advancement, and economic development in Vermont,” Dombrowski said. “The Tech Hub will create high-compensation jobs that provide incentives for tech workers and young people to come and stay in Vermont and will enable unique opportunities to advance technology in both green energy and national security.”

Dombrowski outlined other initiatives connecting UVM’s growing research enterprise with key partners for economic development, including the university’s work exploring the creation of an “incubator” for bio-tech research and development that would serve an important role supporting innovation in medical, environmental, and agricultural technologies in the state.
Academic Success Goals

UVM Provost Patricia Prelock’s update to the Board included a presentation on the University’s refreshed Academic Success Goals (ASGs), which were first established during the Spring 2020 semester.

The result of ideas, suggestions, and feedback from members of the Academic Leadership Council and the faculty and staff in their respective units, the goals provide standards against which the Provost’s Office can measure UVM’s progress annually.

“A number of the original ASGs reflected 3-year goals, and it made sense to refresh them last Fall to see what goals needed refinement and whether anything was missing,” Prelock said.

The update to the ASGs includes several clarifications and additions, including the implementation of Catamount Experience and a new goal exclusive to graduate education.
Housing update

Associate Directors for Planning, Design and Construction David Blatchley and Lisa Kingsbury provided the Board with updates on housing projects currently in development.

Catamount Run, a partnership with Snyder-Braverman, is designed for UVM graduate students, faculty, and staff. The project, located in South Burlington, encompasses around 620 beds in various configurations from studios to three-bedroom apartments, with occupancy planned in two phases: Phase I in summer 2024 and Phase II in summer 2025.

Catamount Woods, a project in partnership with AAM 15 (owners of the DoubleTree Hotel) is designed to serve UVM undergraduates. The residence building will be located on the edge of campus near Centennial Woods and will house approximately 540 students, with occupancy planned for summer 2026.

Blatchley and Kingsbury noted that the planning for Catamount Woods involved input from three student groups: the Disabled Student Union, the Resident Advisors Advisory Board, and the Student Government Association.
NECHE accreditation report

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Jennifer Dickinson provided an overview of the University’s routine interim report to its accreditor, the New England Commission for Higher Education (NECHE).

Submitted in January, the report provided NECHE with updates in the areas of general education, academic and career advising, institutional planning including the Campus Plan, and support for assessment of student learning outcomes. The report also outlines key goals UVM will work toward until the next comprehensive reaccreditation review in 2029. These plans include further development of UVM’s research infrastructure, a focus on enhancing graduate education, increasing international partnerships, and the fulfilment of its first Comprehensive Inclusive Excellence Action Plan.

In other business conducted at the Board’s winter meeting:

The Budget, Finance and Investment committee conducted its annual review of debt policy.
The Educational Policy and Institutional Resources (EPIR) committee considered and approved several curricular measures, including the establishment of bachelor’s degrees in Geosciences as well as several undergraduate minors and health-related graduate micro-certificates.
The EPIR committee also endorsed the university’s plans for a day of alternative instruction related to the solar eclipse on April 8.
The Board approved a resolution to adapt a uniform variable tuition rate for both in-state and out-of-state students in its Sustainable Innovation – Master of Business Administration (SI-MBA) program.
The UVM Board appointed Matt Devost (M ’95) and Stanton Dodge (’90) as trustees for a six-year term. They will succeed Otto Berkes and Rob Brennan, who complete their terms on the Board at the end of February. Graduate student Jennifer Ha was appointed by the Associated Directors for the Appointment of Student Trustees for a two-year term and succeeds medical student Kenny Nguyen. Incoming trustees officially join the Board on March 1, 2024.