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.

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.

They 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.

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)

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.

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.

• Discovery. Innovation. Impact. This report showcases research in science and medical fields.
• Humanities at UVM. Showcases research by humanities and social science professors.
• Service-learning Report. Research isn’t limited to books and articles. Professors are changing lives through action in the community as well.

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

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.