UVM Office of Engagement

The 60th anniversary conference at Vermont’s School for International Training (SIT) was a dynamic exploration of international education and its impact on local and global scales. With a focus on enhancing global education, increasing internationalization, and promoting rural development, the event underscored the importance of experiential learning and intercultural exchange.

SIT welcomed Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife, Marcelle to their Brattleboro campus to discuss strategies for growing an expanding Vermont’s global future. The event celebrated Sen. Leahy’s decades-long experience in the United States senate and highlighted his commitment to fostering peaceful cross-cultural relationships throughout his career.

The event also featured two panels of speakers who discussed the challenges and opportunities for sustainable rural development. The panel on rural development from local to global featured our Engagement Initiatives Coordinator, Emma Spett.

Of rural development at home and abroad, Emma noted that “deep listening skills, the ability to observe and not come to conclusions, making sure you’re conferring with the people that have lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and insights that you need—these are all critical elements in rural development in Vermont and across the world.”

A few weeks ago, Director Tricia Coates, and Engagement Initiatives Coordinator, Emma Spett, had the opportunity to visit Madison, Wisconsin for the Rural Sociological Society annual conference. Tricia joined Glenda Gillaspy, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Science at from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Kelli Russell, Extension Professor from Auburn University on a panel that highlighted the collaborative efforts of the three Rural Partnership Institutes, and our contributions to rural development in our respective states. Tricia and Emma also had the chance to pay a visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research and enjoyed a sunset at Lake Mendota.

Thank you University of Wisconsin-Madison for hosting us. We look forward to continued collaboration in the future!

On July 31st, Emma Spett joined UVM Extension faculty members Chris Callahan and Mariya Shcheglovitova, and Windham Regional Commission Executive Director Chris Campany for a day of learning about wastewater infrastructure developments across the border in Hoosick Falls and Cambridge, NY. As our research on Vermont's wastewater infrastructure progresses, it's exciting to learn about how our neighbors are innovating to develop their communities in a sustainable way. Special thank you to MSK Engineers and Brown's Brewing Company for hosting us!

You can learn more about our Vermont Wastewater Infrastructure mapping project, and all of our other funded projects, here: https://ow.ly/3Y8650SW9iZ

As of June 24th, The Leahy Institute’s second round of grant funding officially began!

Through this funding initiative, the Leahy Institute joins as partners with Vermont leaders who are working towards impactful solutions to rural challenges in a variety of focus areas including regenerative agriculture, community schools, transit and housing, policy and governance, rural health care, and resilient energy.

We are eager to award Capacity Grants (up to $10,000 per organization), an entry track for organizations who have a vision for positive rural impact, and Partnership Grants (up to $250,000) to fund research, stakeholder engagement initiatives, student internships and service-learning experiences, and business plan development for early-stage start-ups. Letters of intent are due September 13th!

Check out our webinar on the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships homepage to learn more about our grant and application process (link in bio), or reach out to [email protected] for questions.

Calling all town and municipal leaders in Vermont!

We are thrilled to be supporting professional development programming that provides training for municipal leaders in Vermont, led by UVM Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.

The Local Government Institute was developed to help municipal and local government managers and assistant managers gain the essential skills to lead their teams and support their communities. Taught by experienced managers and local government experts, this eight-course certificate program will impart real-life experience, best practices, and sound advice in the areas most important to municipal government.

To learn more about the program and how to register, click here: https://learn.uvm.edu/employer-partnerships/VLCT/

Vermont communities need continuous volunteer support following the floods on July 11th and 12th. Mutual aid and community groups are actively assessing needs and organizing flood relief efforts in the state’s most vulnerable areas.

For those interested in volunteering around the state, please visit http://www.vermont.gov/volunteer (linked in bio) and for specific volunteer information/questions reach out to [email protected].

Exactly one year after the July 2023 floods that devastated much of Vermont, heavy rainfall caused catastrophic flooding and damage to roads, bridges, and buildings across much of Northern Vermont. In partnership with experts, and local, state, and federal agency partners, UVM Extension has developed resources and materials to address the critical needs throughout the state.

Additionally, the UVM Spatial Analysis Lab’s Unmaned Aircraft System (UAS) team was deployed early Thursday morning and have been working with the Emergency Operations Center to document the impact of flooding on local communities.

To view UVM Extension disaster and flood recovery resources, click here: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/disaster-resources

📸 UVM Spatial Analysis Lab

We wanted to make sure we were grounding our RISE summit “in place”- and there was no one better to guide us through our two-day conference than Rose Friedman, the founder and executive director of The Civic Standard in Hardwick, Vermont. She was also joined on stage by other members of The Civic Standard, who gave us a thoughtful and hilarious slice of civic theater.

The Civic Standard is a dynamic non-profit mobile cultural center. They offer a wide range of programs including live performances, karaoke, free soup nights, and open call band practices. The organization was established as a collaborative effort to connect unlikely partners, give community members a place to gather and convene, and establish strong partnerships amongst Hardwick residents.

We want to extend a huge thank you to Rose Friedman and the members of The Civic Standard for their invaluable participation in this year’s RISE Summit. The Leahy Institute looks forward to building upon this collaboration in the future.

You can learn more about The Civic Standard here: https://www.thecivicstandard.org/

That’s a wrap on our 2024 RISE Summit!

We'll have more content to come, but for now we want to express our gratitude to our panelists, speakers, and all those who attended both in person and virtually. If you were inspired by what you heard and saw, drop us a line at [email protected]

Introducing our Keynote Speaker on the second day of RISE, Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young.

Appointed by President Biden, Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young serves as the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE), and as the USDA’s Chief Scientist.

Dr. Jacobs-Young has played a principal role in advancing agricultural science and innovation, and providing economic opportunities to rural citizens, communities, and society as a whole.

For more info on the RISE Summit and our speakers, click this link: https://www.uvm.edu/rise/

We’ve just published our June newsletter and there are lots of good nuggets about what we’re up to at the Office of Engagement and the Leahy Institute, with a big emphasis on our upcoming RISE Summit!

This year, we’ll bring our focus to community-university partnerships that support health, prosperity and purpose in our rural places.

Among many topics, we’ll explore:

- Unique approaches to refugee resettlement in rural communities
- A new model of mental health services in Vermont’s five community schools
- A new water quality solution to support farm income and the environment.

We hope you’ll join us at UVM on June 24 and 25!

Click here for more info: https://www.uvm.edu/rise/