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.

 

My First Year Out: Andrew Kaufman ’12

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We had a chance to catch up with young alum Andrew Kaufman ’12 to hear about his first year out. Check out our conversation below.

Ryan and Derrick: What was your first year after graduation like for you?

Andrew: My first year was a bit odd, as I missed everything about UVM. Luckily, I had plenty of friends who stayed in the area and there were plenty of opportunities from UVM to get involved as an alum. I now serve on UVM’s Vermont Regional Board.

Getting my job definitely involved a bit of luck, as I managed to convert my senior internship into a job offer in the final month of school, in my field of study — marketing. Believe it or not, that was actually a stressful choice at the time. I accepted the position and have been with the company ever since.

After graduation I had a week off before I was thrust into the working world. Naturally, like many others, I moved back in with my parents — I guess that’s one of the benefits of being local. I lived at home for a couple months and saved up some money while I figured out how the “real world” actually worked. I then ventured out on my own and moved to Winooski, where I’ve lived ever since.

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So in short, my first year was surprisingly relaxed. I envied my friends who had the ability to travel the country and the world, but I was able to jump start my career and I’ve been with my company almost four years now. I guess there’s something to be said for that.

R & D: What did you do to land your job right after graduation?

Andrew: It really came down to networking. I networked daily during my four years at school. I remember, my senior year, I spent countless days calling companies and contacts I had met looking for “advice”. When it came down to it, I met my future employer through a friend of my dad’s friend’s son! Crazy how it ends up working out…

R & D: What’s one thing you wish someone told you your first year out?

Andrew: Don’t rush — you’ll find a job. There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back, reflecting on the past couple years and traveling around. Take that time to begin figuring out what you want to do and move ahead from there.

Networking isn’t over. There are lots of young professional groups, sports groups, etc. in the area. It’s still important to get out and get involved. The benefit about staying in the area is that there are always other students doing the same thing, so you still know people locally. I’ve since joined marketing groups, young professional groups, etc. and have been able to meet many other business people in the area. One never knows when a new contact will lead to a new and exciting opportunity!

You’ve got mail (from us!)

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By now you should have received an envelope that looks like this:
Records update_outerenvelopeWhat is it? It’s a quick list of your contact information as it’s recorded in the UVM alumni database. This is your chance to easily make any updates or changes.

Why does it matter? Well, if your name is Roger but you go by Tim and don’t let us know, UVM will call you the wrong name for the rest of eternity.

Or, if we have you living with in Massachusetts but you’ve moved to New York City, UVM will keep sending you invitations to Boston events and you’ll miss out on what’s happening near you.

We did our best to make it easy for you, and we’ll walk you through it now.

1. Grab it off your mail pile and open it up! Inside will look like this:
Records update_checkingin

2. Unfold the page and that’s where the fun starts:
Records update_nameemailphone

3. Check the white boxes to let us know what’s correct and use the lines below to make any changes or add in any missing information.Records update_addressactivities

4. Once you’ve confirmed and corrected your contact information you’ll find one more section.

In this yellow “Anything Else?” box you can write in any group or activity you were involved in at UVM. For example, if you were on the Women’s Field Hockey team or part of an awesome SGA club, write it in. We can tag these activities/teams/clubs to your alumni record.

That way when your A Capella group is celebrating their 35th reunion (like the Top Cats are this weekend), we know to include you in the invitation.

5. Now that you’ve completed the form, drop it in the enclosed envelope and stick it in the mail – the postage is already paid. So you don’t even need to find a stamp!
Records update_qbrm

If you prefer to update your contact information online you do so here.

As always if you have any questions feel free to contact us: derrick.dubois@uvm.edu or ryan.chartier@uvm.edu.

101 Things: 10 things in under a minute

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We’re back with another edition of 101 Things. So far we’ve crossed 9 things off the list this year. Instead of crossing off one more to make 10, we decided to speed things up and cross off 10 things in one sitting.
101poster with crossoffs

Check out the video below to see us tackle the following:
6. Tie-dye
28. Drink out of mason jar
38. Try sugar on snow
50. Learn a foreign language
69. Use a spork
73. Have a cider donut
76. Eat real maple syrup
79. Learn the UVM fight song
81. Compost
100. Own at least one piece of UVM apparel

Like any good movie, the behind the scenes are the best part.

Here’s Derrick showing off his extensive collection of UVM paraphernalia:

And here we are learning the fight song:

Now we’re off to take a nap courtesy of the sugar on snow, cider donut and maple syrup combo.

101poster with crossoffs