Howard Dean Addresses the Class of 2009 (up^)
Six-term Vermont governor, one-time presidential candidate, and recent leader of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean told the 2009 graduating class of the University that, "your generation has remade America already." "This country has been multicultural for a long, long time," Dean said to the more than 9,000 people gathered on the University Green for UVM’s 205th Commencement Ceremony, "but you are the first multicultural generation that see itself as multicultural — and the first thing you did was to elect a multicultural president." President Daniel Mark Fogel spoke to the graduates about change and its impact on people’s lives and also commented on the last presidential election. “You will long remember that when history was made in 2008 and 2009 you were in your senior year at the University of Vermont." he said. Read more and view the Commencement video at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14325.
UVM Names Three Leadership Appointments (up^)
University of Vermont president Daniel Mark Fogel announced three key appointments Friday, May 15. Jane Knodell, associate provost for budget and capital planning, has been named interim provost; Domenico Grasso, dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, has been tapped for the position of vice president for research and dean of the Graduate College; and Larry Shirland, professor and associate dean for undergraduate programs in the School of Business Administration, will be interim dean of that school. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14319.
Reunion Weekend Features Music, Speakers, Events (up^)
Faculty, staff and the general public are invited to join UVM alumni for the annual reunion weekend speakers series and other events, Thursday-Sunday, June 4-7. Upwards of 2,000 UVM alumni and families representing more than 70 years of UVM history will return to the campus over the course of the weekend to renew their ties to the university and take part in reunion activities, which this year have a decidedly jazzy flair. Musical highlights include the debut performance of the UVM Jazz Collective, featuring UVM music faculty, at the Davis Center and a Discover Jazz reunion performance of the '90s era band Belizbeha at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. Other highlights of the weekend include the "Voices of Vermont" speaker series featuring faculty and alumni, campus tours, the alumni awards ceremony, and Saturday's annual picnic on the green. More information on Reunion Weekend, including a complete schedule of events, is available online: alumni.uvm.edu/reunion, or by calling (888) 458-8691.
Board Passes Level-Funded Budget (up^)
The UVM Board of Trustees passed a level-funded budget for 2010 at its May 14-16 meeting that included a four percent increase for academic units, increased financial aid and one of the lowest tuition increases in the nation among public institutions. "Our proposed six percent tuition increase for next year appears to be the lowest among our public peers in New England and among the lowest nationally," said President Daniel Mark Fogel. "Many publics are going to double-digit tuition increases, and doing so without remotely approaching our high level of institutional financial aid, which amounts to a 33 percent tuition discount, netting us less than four percent on our six percent increase. Remember, too, that in FY 08 nearly 30 percent of our Vermont undergraduates paid zero for tuition and fees — and that percentage has been steadily rising." Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14343.
Elaine McCrate Wins 2009 Kidder Award (up^)
Upon accepting the 2009 George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award at Commencement, Professor Elaine McCrate commented on the marriage between effective teaching and good scholarship. Teaching, she said, is an acquired skill that has taken her 25 years to develop. Professor McCrate began her tenure at The University of Vermont in 1985. She is a member of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty with a joint appointment in Economics and Women’s and Gender Studies. She has been a highly-respected teacher and researcher in both departments and a valued advisor. Full Story at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14339.
New Honorary Program Recognizes Top Professors (up^)
The university's 205th commencement ceremony bestowed degrees on an estimated 2,781 graduates — and a new title on four of UVM's top professors. At the May 17 ceremony, Burton Sobel in medicine, Mark Nelson in pharmacology, Rex Forehand in psychology, and Judith Van Houten in biology, became the first faculty members to be named University Distinguished Professors, a new honorific title conferred upon a select number of professors who have attained an international reputation in the areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service.
The program honors faculty who have brought distinction to the university over an extended period of service; only those with the rank of professor are considered for the award. Nominations, submitted by deans, chairs and full-time faculty, supplemented by curriculum vitae and supporting letters from distinguished scholars around the world, are reviewed by the Faculty Senate. The final selection is made by the university provost. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14324.
Met Show Features Faculty Artist’s Work (up^)
Artwork by UVM faculty member Nancy Dwyer appears in "The Pictures Generation: 1974-1984," an exhibit on view at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art through August 2, 2009. Dwyer, associate professor of art, and a circle of friends lived the life of young artists in downtown Manhattan in the mid- to late-1970s. Across the years since, critics, collectors, and art historians have affirmed that not only was this circle serious about their art, they were serious artists. Their movement has come to be known as the Pictures Generation, named for a 1977 group exhibit titled "Pictures" at Artist's Space in SoHo. Dwyer, a member of the UVM faculty for the past five years, has two pieces on display in the 30-artist show. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14271.
UVM Student-Athletes Post Highest GPA Ever (up^)
The student-athletes at the University of Vermont continue to excel in the classroom. They combined to earn a 3.20 grade point average for the spring semester of 2009, the highest GPA the athletic department has ever achieved and the 14th consecutive semester the UVM athletic department has earned a 3.0 GPA or better. Vermont, which has won four straight America East Academic Cups (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), had 14 teams earn GPA's of 3.0 or better this spring. The women's teams combined to post a 3.317 GPA, while the men's teams were not far behind, registering a 3.039 GPA. The men's ski team and field hockey team took top honors among all Vermont teams. The men's ski team posted a GPA of 3.370, while the field hockey squad had a department best 3.539 team GPA. In addition, the Vermont field hockey, men's hockey and softball teams were honored among the top 10 percent in their respective sports nationally in the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR was established by the NCAA to measure the success or failure of collegiate athletic teams in moving student-athletes towards graduation. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/?Page=News&storyID=14347.
UVM Cyclists Win Two at Nationals (up^)
University of Vermont cyclists again proved themselves as one of the best teams in the country at the 2009 Collegiate National Championships, held May 8-11 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Jamey Driscoll won the men's Division I road race on Friday, with teammate Will Dugan sprinting in to take second place. The next day, Vermont's Colin Jaskiewicz carried the green-and-gold across the line first with a victory in the men's Division I criterium. Impressive team strength and strategy by the Vermont riders put Jaskiewicz into position to win at the race's final corner, where he pulled away in the sprint to the finish. The Vermont women's team also excelled in the criterium, as Natana Hotimsky took eighth in the Division I women's race. More at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14289.
In Memoriam (up^)
The university community mourns the sudden May 21 death of Glen Elder, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of geography. Elder died unexpectedly while jogging near his home in the Old North End of Burlington, leaving a void for his family, friends, and colleagues. Information about a campus memorial service is forthcoming. Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=14359.
Campus Kudos (up^)
A book review by Robert Costanza, director of the Gund Institute, appeared in Nature on April 30. Costanza weighs in on Nicholas Stern's book, A Blueprint for a Safer Planet: How to Manage Climate Change and Create a New Era of Progress and Prosperity. Read the article.
Sylvie Doublié, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, and Susan Wallace, professor and chair of microbiology and molecular genetics, are co-lead authors of a study in the May Structure titled, "Crystal structures of two archaeal 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylases of the Ogg2 family provide structural insight into guanine/8-oxoguanine distinction."
Cambridge University Press recently published a collection of original essays co-edited by Alec Ewald, assistant professor of political science. In Criminal Disenfranchisement in an International Perspective leading scholars and advocates offer the first international examination of the nature, causes and effects of laws regulating voting by people with criminal convictions — vital questions about democratic self-definition, constitutional values, and, increasingly, the scope of judicial power.
Jennifer Jewiss, research assistant professor of education, has been re-elected as co-chair of the Qualitative Methods Topical Interest Group of the American Evaluation Association. She is also a co-editor of a book under contract with Jossey-Bass, Qualitative Inquiry in the Practice of Evaluation.
Richard Johnson III, assistant professor of education, is editor of the recently released book, The Queer Community: Continuing the Struggle for Social Justice.
David Jones, assistant professor in the School of Business Administration, had an article published in the May issue of the Journal of Organizational Behavior, titled "Getting even with one's supervisor and one's organization: Relationships among types of injustice, desires for revenge, and counterproductive work behaviors."
Jerold Lucey, professor of pediatrics and Wallace Professor of Neonatology, received the 2009 American Pediatric Society (APS) Howland Medal Award at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Baltimore and was honored at a special APS Members' Dinner on May 4. The John Howland Medal, the APS's highest award, has been given since 1952 to honor those who, by their contribution to pediatrics, have aided in its advancement.
The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health highlighted the College of Medicine's Vermont Integrated Curriculum and Robert Macauley, assistant professor of pediatrics, in its winter 2009 newsletter in an article titled "Spirituality . . . New England Style." Macauley, who also serves as clinical director of ethics at Fletcher Allen, teaches a class in the Generations course titled "Spirituality in Childhood."
Would You Like to Subscribe to Dateline via Email? Click here and make sure the top box is checked.
Can't Get Enough UVM News? You may receive UVM news releases via e-mail by signing on to the UVMNEWS listserv. To do so:
* Send an e-mail message to listserv@list.uvm.edu. No need to include a subject line.
* In the body of the e-mail message, write:
subscribe uvmnews yourfirstname yourlastname
(EXAMPLE: subscribe uvmnews jill jones)
* Turn off your signature so it doesn't appear in the message to the listserv.
UVM Sports Fans: Keep track of your favorite UVM sports, including news, seasonal schedules, and outcomes, at http://www.uvm.edu/athletics/
Dateline UVM Would Like to Hear from You: Send comments, questions, and address changes to Dateline UVM Editor Jay Goyette (jay.goyette@uvm.edu)
(for UVM staff)