UVM Gift Societies and Clubs

Green Mountain Circle 
Green Mountain Circle, UVM's newest giving society, encompasses a special group of alumni who have demonstrated their commitment to UVM though consistent financial support. The Green Mountain Circle recognizes alumni who provide financial support to UVM, at any giving level, for at least five consecutive years and each year thereafter, acknowledging that each and every gift, regardless of size, truly makes a difference to UVM. 

The 1791 Society (Lifetime Achievements in Giving)
The 1791 Society is The University of Vermont's most prestigious leadership giving society. Now in its third year, and growing in number each year, its members stand out as leaders in private support to the University. Their cumulative financial commitments have had a lasting impact on the institution by providing critical resources to enhance current programs and fund special University initiatives. Interim President Edwin Colodny and the Board of Trustees greatly appreciate their dedication to UVM and its priorities.

Membership categories include cumulative lifetime giving of $250,000-$499,999; $500,000-$999,999; $1,000,000-$2,499,999; and this year, The University of Vermont has reached a new historic pinnacle of cumulative giving of $2,500,000+.

We are all very proud of and grateful to the members of this Society.

University Society  ($100,000+)
The University of Vermont's history is not just that of an institution. Nor is it simply a history of programs and ideas and classrooms. It is a history of people. Our history is populated by pioneers: the early students for whom higher learning was itself an adventure; the first professors who worked long hours for minimal pay to share their knowledge; and the early donors who gave their support not to a thriving, growing, highly respected university, but to an idea, a vision of what such a college could be and what it could contribute to a young nation. 

Today, due to the generous commitments of alumni, parents, and friends, UVM is a thriving, growing university enjoying great respect among institutions of higher education. 

Founders' Society ($50,000 - $99,999)
Not only did the founders of the independent Republic of Vermont recognize the value of higher education, they incorporated it into the Constitution of 1777 by writing that a "university in this state ought to be established by direction of the General Assembly." By 1791, Vermont's first year of statehood, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the Corporation of The University of Vermont. The University appointed its first trustees and defined its rights and responsibilities. Despite the diligence of the founders, it took another ten years to begin instruction at the University due to challenges procuring funds to operate such an institution. Ira Allen donated some of the land on which the University is now located, but hard cash was hard to come by in a land rich with wheat, livestock, and natural resources. By the late 1790s the Corporation had built a house intended for the president of the college. Reverend Daniel Clarke Sanders moved into the house in 1799 at the invitation of the trustees. The trustees elected Sanders president in October 1800, and a year later he presided over the first college sessions for the class of 1804. 

The vision of the early founders continues today through generous support by UVM alumni, parents, and friends.

President's Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
The President's Society was formed to honor the significant impact of UVM's presidents. Although not all UVM presidents were exemplary leaders, they have served and continue to serve as the custodians of the University's ideals. The list reflects those who not only led the institution, but also helped shape The University of Vermont. 

John Dewey Society ($10,000 - $24,999)
Perhaps the most famous individual to graduate from UVM, John Dewey was born and raised in Burlington. He graduated from The University of Vermont in 1879 and pursued a career in education, philosophy, and psychology. After receiving his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1884 and teaching at various universities, Dewey became professor of philosophy at Columbia University in 1904, continuing in that position until 1931. During these years he changed the course of modern philosophy and education by his insistence upon taking the whole of human experience for the subject matter of philosophy and upon using experience as a proving ground for theory. Today the Psychology Department resides in John Dewey Hall honoring one of the great graduates of The University of Vermont. 

Your gift of $10,000 to $24,999 makes you a member of this prestigious society of donors whose commitments to higher education are essential to UVM's continued success.

"Education is not preparation for life. Education is life itself."
--John Dewey, UVM Class of 1879

Grace Goodhue Coolidge Society ($5,000 - $9,999 )
Following graduation from The University of Vermont in 1902, Grace Goodhue moved to Northampton, Massachusetts and worked as a teacher at the Clarke School for the Deaf. While there she met fellow Vermonter Calvin Coolidge, who was practicing law. The two married in the Goodhue home in Burlington in 1905. During her husband's term as Governor of Massachusetts, Grace remained in Northampton to raise their two sons. After Calvin was elected Vice President in 1920, the family moved to Washington, D.C. Following President Warren G. Harding's death in 1923, Calvin Coolidge succeeded to the Presidency, serving in this capacity until 1929. During his tenure as President, Grace served faithfully by his side and is considered the most popular of all the First Ladies to preside in the White House. The Coolidges returned to Northampton, where Calvin died in 1933. Grace remained in Northampton and continued to support the Clarke School for the Deaf until her death on July 8, 1957. She is buried beside her husband and younger son in a little cemetery at Plymouth Notch, Vermont. 

A gift of $5,000 to $9,999 makes you a member of this distinguished society of donors whose leadership and generosity have helped shape The University of Vermont and continue to ensure its future success.

Frederick Billings Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Frederick Billings, born in Royalton, Vermont, graduated from UVM in 1844. Upon graduation he pursued a career in law. In 1848, Billings caught the gold fever and moved to California, where he established a law practice to meet the inevitable demand for legal services. His law practice quickly became the leading firm in San Francisco and Billings acquired wealth, prominence, and political influence as a result. In 1864, Billings returned to Woodstock, Vermont and purchased the famous Marsh estate, which he enlarged and improved. Billings then became interested in the Northern Pacific railway by buying one of the original twelfth interests in the company. In May 1879 Billings became president of the company and remained until 1881, when Henry Villard, a large holder of Northern Pacific stock, took over the helm. Although the railroad was completed under Villard's leadership, credit for making its completion possible belongs chiefly to Billings. Billings, now with a rather sizeable fortune, devoted himself to philanthropy. His religious zeal led him to construct a chapel for the Congregational Church of Woodstock and also to build a church in Billings, Montana, a town named for him. He built and endowed at a cost of $250,000 a library for The University of Vermont and purchased the valuable George Perkins Marsh collection of 12,000 volumes for the library. Billings Library, completed in 1885, currently houses UVM's Student Center. 

Like Frederick Billings, current members of the Billings Society share a common desire to support the future of The University of Vermont and its students.

Ira Allen Society ($1,000 - $2,499)
Originally from Cornwall, Connecticut, Ira Allen was actively interested in the affairs of Vermont, where he had received grants of land and was a member of the Green Mountain Boys. A prominent figure in the development of the state constitution, Allen was also elected a member of the Governor's Council and first treasurer of the state in March 1778. In addition, Allen was the author of the Vermont Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. He often represented Vermont in negotiations with New Hampshire and other states for the recognition of Vermont's independence. Vermont remained an independent republic until being admitted as a state in 1791. 

Allen also had great interest in establishing a university in Burlington, Vermont. In 1789 he pledged £4,000 and donated land for such a purpose. He became one of the university's trustees in 1791. In 1795 Allen went to England to buy arms for the Vermont militia. After purchasing munitions in France, he was captured by the British and questioned about the purpose for which the arms were purchased. Allen was forced to spend large sums of money to fight his case in the British courts before returning to America in 1801. Upon his return, Allen found his party had lost power and most of his land had been seized. He was immediately arrested and thrown into prison in Burlington, but was released by order of the legislature and granted immunity from arrest for one year. He fled to Philadelphia, where he lived in poverty and obscurity until his death in 1814. 

His memory was long neglected until James B. Wilbur, of Manchester, Vermont, donated funds to erect a statue of Ira Allen that now stands on the Campus Green. Wilbur also provided the funds to build the Ira Allen Chapel, erected in 1927 in honor of the founder of The University of Vermont. 

UVM's commitment to excellence in education is a tradition made possible by alumni, parents, and friends who share the vision of its founder, Ira Allen.  A gift of $1,000 to $2,499 admits you into the Ira Allen Society.

Daniel Clarke Sanders Club ($500 - $999)
Daniel Clarke Sanders was the first president of UVM, serving from 1800 to 1814. He was also the first of nine Congregational ministers to serve successively as president. A native of Sturbridge, Massachusetts and a 1788 graduate of Harvard, Sanders moved to Vergennes, Vermont in 1792 to become the pastor of the Vergennes Congregational Church, where he commanded the largest salary in Vermont of $400 per year, a salary he never fully received. In 1799 Sanders moved to Burlington to preside over the Congregational church. October 17, 1800 he was elected President of The University of Vermont by the board of trustees at a meeting chaired by Governor Tichenor. 

During his first year as president, the first class of four students enrolled at UVM, each paying tuition of $12 a year. Sanders served as the entire faculty for seven years, teaching Latin and Greek, chemistry and mineralogy, anatomy, surgery, and belles-lettres. He catalogued the university's first library of 31 volumes and helped plan the construction of the first "college edifice" while also serving as pastor of his Burlington church. In 1804 the College Edifice (Old Mill) was completed. It was four stories high and 160 feet. long containing a chapel, 7 large public rooms, and 45 chambers for students. 

During Sanders tenure, UVM's first full professor of math and natural philosophy, James Dean, a Dartmouth graduate, was elected in 1809. In addition, Royall Tyler was appointed professor of jurisprudence and Rev. Jason Chamberlain was appointed professor of Greek and Latin. Despite the assistance such professionals provided, Sanders continued to teach and write. In 1812 his major scholarly study, A History of the Indian Wars, was published, detailing conflicts between the European colonists and the Native Americans of New England. His account significantly contributed to New England history and was the first such account to express a degree of sympathy for the Native Americans. 

During the War of 1812, the U.S. Army seized the College Edifice and turned it into an army barracks. As a result, instruction at the university was suspended, and Sanders was forced to send students to other colleges. He resigned in 1814 and returned to Massachusetts to serve as pastor of the Congregational Church in Medfield and later served in the legislature. During his tenure as president, more than 120 students attended UVM. Sanders died on October 18, 1850. 

Members of the Daniel Clark Sanders Club help provide the vital resources UVM needs to continue to provide its students with ample opportunities in the classroom, through fieldwork, internships, and hands-on research with faculty mentors. UVM invites you to join the ranks of alumni, parents, and friends already members of the Daniel Clark Sanders Club by making a gift of $500 to $999 today.

Lafayette Club ($250 - $499)
Lafayette Hall, dedicated in June 1959, was built in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette who laid the cornerstone of the Old Mill while on his historic tour of the land he helped free from British rule. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French general who became a commander in the American Revolution. The building was constructed to provide additional classroom space and is located behind and connected to the Old Mill. The $17 million renovation completed in 1997 involved the restoration of the Old Mill, revitalization of Lafayette Hall, and creation of UVM's new Center for Excellence. The project was funded by generous appropriations from the Vermont legislature, private donations, and university sources. 

A $250 to $499 donation makes you a member of the Lafayette Club and helps provide the vital resources UVM needs to maintain our classrooms, libraries, dormitories, athletic facilities, and research laboratories. 

Old Mill Club ($100 - $249)
Twice destroyed by fire and each time rebuilt through the generosity of Burlington residents, the Old Mill, the original campus building, represents the vision, determination, and partnership that continue to shape The University of Vermont. Originally built in 1801 and completed in 1804, the building provided classrooms, living quarters, a library, laboratory, and chapel. In 1824, a devastating fire destroyed the building. Local residents quickly rallied to provide funds to begin reconstruction of the Old Mill. On June 29, 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone of the Old Mill while on his historic tour of the land he helped free from British rule. The building was built in three separate sections-North College, South College, and Middle College-to limit the risk of fire. The sections were joined in 1846 to create what is thought to have been the largest building in Vermont. The Old Mill has undergone several major renovations, the most recent completed in 1997 and included the restoration of the Old Mill, revitalization of Lafayette Hall, and creation of UVM's new Center for Excellence. 

The history of Old Mill demonstrates the generosity and commitment of alumni and friends and recognizes the importance of the partnership essential to maintaining a quality institution. If you have graduated in the last ten years, your gift of $100 to $249 makes you a member of the Old Mill Club. Your membership is critically important to UVM and inspires others to support our vision for UVM's future.

Wilbur Society
Early in the century, James B. Wilbur established a scholarship fund for The University of Vermont through a provision in his will. From an initial gift of $1.5 million in 1929, the fund has grown to more than $12 million and now provides financial aid to more than 300 students annually. The University of Vermont's Wilbur Society honors individuals who have made gifts to UVM through wills, trusts, the UVM Pooled Income Fund, or the UVM Gift Annuity program. 

Currently, more than 460 individuals hold membership in The Wilbur Society. Their support of the University through deferred gifts ensures that UVM will maintain its excellence into the future. Like James B. Wilbur, current members of The Wilbur Society share a common desire to support the future of the University and its students. UVM invites you to join this effort.

For more information about UVM giving societies contact:
Office of Alumni & Parent Programs
(888) 458-8691
alumni@uvm.edu.

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