Author Archives: Afterword

My First Year Out: Jordan Redell ’14

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Jordan Redell Picture with name Afterword 2016.04.07

In a few sentences can you tell the Class of 2015 a little about yourself.

My name is Jordan and I am a graduate of the Class of 2014 majoring in Art History and Visual Arts. I work for the City of Burlington in the Mayor’s Office.

What was your first year out like?

Living in Burlington was really important to me – I had spent the past four years here and developed many relationships and connections. I knew that I had the best shot at finding a career-path job was to stay here and continue to network.

Towards the end of my senior year, I started working at Hotel Vermont I worked there for over a year while looking for other jobs. Shortly after beginning my “second-year-out,” I landed a job working for the City of Burlington.

What was your biggest challenge that year and how did you overcome it?

I think that opportunities for success are somewhat lined up for you in college, and I was disappointed when I couldn’t find a more stable and career-oriented job right after graduation.

I wasn’t engaging anything I cared about and was rather going through the motions of having a job and managing basic responsibilities.

That fall, I emailed a local screen printing company, New Duds, and asked if I could intern for them in my free time. They were actually looking to hire someone part time so I was able to start working with them in addition to my job at Hotel Vermont. I learned a lot about running a small business and industrial screen printing.

While I wasn’t paid much, I was happy to engage an interest I cared about.

What surprised you the most about that year?

Vermont is a huge place outside of UVM! And I can imagine that Vermonters cringe when they hear people say that. As difficult as it is to admit it, UVM is a bubble, even if you are living off campus.

Working in a restaurant, I learned about the importance of local food and visited farms around the state. It was great to see all of the different things going on in Vermont outside of Burlington.

What’s one thing you wish someone told you your first year out?

Give yourself some time to adjust to a new lifestyle! I didn’t want to waitress forever, but I found a way to enjoy it and find value in it. I also got to go to the beach every day.

Do you have any advice for the Class of 2015?

I cannot emphasize the importance of networking! Sometimes, doing job searches online works, but I think you will have a much better shot at finding a job that you are happy with if you ask the people with whom you have relationships to help you. And they will!

It’s definitely hard to ask but almost always, people are really excited to help you find a job or connect you with a person also willing to help.

4 UVM Stories Stirring Up Emotions

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We’re never ones to shy away from controversy, so here are four on-going news stories involving UVM that have stirred up a lot of emotions. 

You may have missed them, particularly if you don’t live in Burlington. But, they each involve important conversations that will shape UVM for years to come.

As always, let us know if you have comments or questions at afterword@uvm.edu.

1. Taxing Fraternity and Sorority Houses
greekhousetaxPhoto credit: James Buck, Seven Days

This topic has come up for many years, but in 2014 the Vermont Legislature passed a new law repealing the property tax exemption for the 10 fraternity and sorority houses starting in 2017.

Here’s the latest on the topic:

2. Building a New UVM Sports and Events Center in South Burlington

UVM events center_plaza_front_view6

At the end of February, the City of South Burlington held a press conference about the possibility of a building brand-new multi-purpose events center in collaboration with UVM.

What does that mean? It means a new facility for our basketball and hockey teams and more fitness facilities for all students, since Gutterson and Patrick would be re-purposed.

Of course, it’s not that easy. There are big, huge questions to be answered first and lots of conversations to be had before anything happens.

Here’s the scoop on this story:

3. Construction on Campus

BUILDINGUVM_FINAL

This one is a hot topic on campus and off-campus. Here’s a quick list of all the construction current and upcoming projects.

  • STEM Complex. Angell Hall is gone, Cook will be gone very soon, and Votey will be completely renovated. Two new buildings will replace them and house science, technology, engineering, and mathematics labs, classrooms, and offices.
  • New Residence Hall.  The shoeboxes are gone and no other class will know the love and hate those little gems evoked. The new residence hall will house a large portion of first-year students and offer a new dining hall.
  • UVM Medical Center Expansion. The hospital needed improved spaces for patients, so they are expanding in the area near shoeboxes and Converse Hall (don’t worry, Converse isn’t being touched).
  • Alumni House. We’ve mentioned this a few times, but construction and renovations are almost done on a historic house on Summit Street. It will be a space just for you on campus.
  • Billings Renovation. Because of millions in alumni donations, the most famous building on campus is getting a serious makeover, which will restore much of its architectural glory and house important academic programs on campus.
  • Taft School Renovation. Also because of a generous donation, an old school on the corner of S. Williams St. and Pearl St. will be renovated to house all of the visual arts at UVM.

There’s construction everywhere and it certainly disrupts the daily schedules of thousands of students — but, there’s a lot of promise in all those trucks and cranes.

4. How UVM serves Vermonters

admissions

This is a perpetual topic of conversation on campus, in the community, and Vermont politics. And it’s filled with gray-areas, messy politics, and tons of statistics that tell a variety of stories.

Here are a few sides to the story.

3 questions we always get about the UVM Foundation

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3 things about uvmf & aa
1. What is the UVM Foundation?

Yep, most alums don’t know who we are…we’ve learned to hold back our tears. But, in reality, everyone knows what we do, they just might not connect the name.

We have two clear purposes: (1) connect and engage with alumni and (2) raise money for UVM.

That’s it.

When you get invited to events — that’s us. When you become an admissions or career volunteer — that’s us.  When you get an email asking you to make a gift to your favorite club on campus — that’s us.  When you get Afterword emails — that’s us.

2. Is the alumni association the same as the Foundation?

Yep, the Alumni Association and the Foundation are one-in-the-same. We all work together to engage alumni and fundraise for a multitude of projects across campus.

3. Why should I care?

To be perfectly honest, this is the most difficult question we get asked. We know you don’t think about UVM every day and we know you can stay connected to your UVM friends without us.

But, we still want to be relevant to you (and not a bother), so here are a few important reasons you should keep us in mind from time to time:

  • We genuinely want to be a part of your life. Graduating from UVM means you are part of a big and loving community and that relationship has no end date. So, when you need us, we’ll be here.
  • You have a community wherever you go. Regardless of where you live, UVM is there. Whether it’s seeing people at an event, connecting through LinkedIn, or following UVM on Snapchat, there is always a community you can plug into.
  • You always have a place to come home. It doesn’t matter you live in California or on Henry Street in Burlington, UVM is a place you can call home. In fact, every year we have alumni come back for their 75th reunion (yeah, they are 95 years old and still coming back). And with the opening of the Alumni House this summer, there will actually be a place just for you on campus.
  • Reputation matters. The better the reputation of UVM, the easier it is for you to get a job, change careers, and find success. Perception matters and you can help influence how people view UVM with your pride and participation as an alum.
  • Without fundraising, UVM is in big trouble. It’s not everyone’s favorite topic, but UVM needs to fundraise. We’re a non-profit organization that needs private support to operate. UVM relies on nearly $20 million dollars a year in donations from thousands of donors and that money touches every area of campus. If everyone stopped giving, students and faculty would be in big trouble.

Any questions?

Do you have questions about UVM or the UVM Foundation? Is there anything you’d like us to clarify? We’re knee deep in the work we do and we don’t know what we don’t know. So feel free to ask us anything.

You can submit any questions, concerns, comments here.

5 Things Alums Should Know About UVM

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This month we’re going to pepper you with some tidbits of information you should know as an alum of UVM.  The 5 things below are important because UVM is your place and you should know how it operates, inside and out.

1. President Tom Sullivan and the Board of Trustees are in charge.

tom sullivanThey run this place, advocate for UVM locally and nationally, and make decisions big and small.

Find out more about President Sullivan here and here.  Also, his wife, Leslie Black Sullivan, is a UVM alum just like you (and, yes, they have a super-cute dog)

The Board of Trustees is almost evenly divided between State legislators and non-legislators (mostly alumni) and there are two student trustees as well.

Check out who serves on the Board of Trustees here and find out what they discussed at their most recent meeting in February here.

2. It’s easy to find out how UVM spends money.

budget chart

OK, definitely not the most glamorous thing we’ve ever told you, but it’s important! UVM has a big budget and it’s important for you to know how it gets spent.

In fact, how UVM spends its money is one of the most common discussion topics we have with fellow alumni. Everyone has an opinion, but we’ve realized that not everyone has dug into the details.

Well, you can. Because UVM is a public institution, the all the budget information is available at the click of a button.

  • UVM Sourcebook. A huge amount of data that will tell you everything about the student body, faculty and staff, revenue, expenses, budgets, on and on and on…
  • Detailed Operating Budget. If you are training to be an accountant, this report is for you. It lists budget lines for nearly all departments on campus.
  • UVM Fact Sheet. For the skimmer in all of us. This summarizes some of the key items from the first two and puts them into one page.

3. UVM makes a huge impact on Vermont (and vice versa)

Lake and Burlington

You might not have realized it as a student, but UVM is a huge economic driver for the State of Vermont. Alumni like you contribute to every job sector in Vermont and the spending of UVM and its alumni represents a huge portion of our economy.

In fact, last year the direct and indirect economic impact of UVM on Vermont was over $1 billion dollars.

With more than 31,000 alumni live in Vermont, so it is also home for many of us. Vermont an amazing place to live and work and UVM wouldn’t be UVM without this spectacular state.

4. Your professors are rock stars.

Faculty

In addition to being teachers and mentors, your faculty members are also rock-star researchers. They are tackling huge world problems, thinking through some of the toughest moral quandaries, and changing the world with their ideas.

Don’t believe us?  Check out these recent publications to see what a big impact faculty members are making every day.

5. Alumni have driven the future of UVM for more than 200 years.

UVM 1930

Without engaged alumni, there would be no UVM. Every generation of alumni has contributed something different as this place has evolved.

Many have volunteered countless hours to serving on boards and committees. Many have mentored students and hired fellow alumni in all types of professions.

Many have come back as professors or staff members. Many have given gifts in support of programs, scholarships, and new buildings.

If you want to check out a list of some fellow alumni who have been honored for their achievements, check out Alumni Achievement Award winners here.

And that’s what makes this community special.