University of Vermont

TheUniversity of Vermont(UVM),officially titled asUniversity of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is apublicland-grantresearch universityinBurlington, Vermont, United States.Founded in 1791, the university is the oldest in Vermont and the fifth-oldest inNew England, making it among the oldest in the United States.
UVM comprises ten colleges and schools, including theRobert Larner College of Medicine, and offers more than 100 undergraduate majors alongside a range of graduate and professional programs. Vermont's largest hospital complex, theUniversity of Vermont Medical Center, has its primary facility on campus.
Known as one of the most sustainable campuses in the U.S, the university has pledged to achievecarbon neutralityby 2030.UVM is also recognized by a longstanding tradition ofstudent-led activism,playing a key role in movements forcivil rights,environmental justice, anddivestment from fossil fuels. It isclassifiedamong "R1: Doctoral Universities—Very high research activity".In 2024, the university attracted $266 million inresearch and developmentfunding.It is one of the original eightPublic Ivies.
Athletically, UVM's teams, known as theCatamounts, compete inNCAA Division I, primarily in theAmerica East ConferenceandHockey East Association. The university fields 18 varsity teams, and has a strong reputation inalpine skiing. UVM has produced numerousOlympians, as well as notable alumni in politics, along with being a producer ofFulbright Scholars,Truman Scholars,Goldwater Scholars,and aNobel Peace Prizelaureate.
The University of Vermont was founded as a private university in 1791, the same year Vermont became the fourteenth U.S. state. The university enrolled its first students ten years later. Its first president, Daniel C. Sanders, was hired in 1800, and served as the sole faculty member for seven years. Instruction began in 1801, and the first class graduated in 1804. In 1865, the university merged with Vermont Agricultural College (chartered November 22, 1864, after the passage of theMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862), emerging as the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. The university was granted 150,000 acres, which it sold for $122,626.
Much of the initial funding and planning for the university was undertaken byIra Allen, who is honored as UVM's founder. Allen donated a 50-acre (20 ha) parcel of land for establishment of the university. Most of this land has been maintained as the university's main green, where stands a statue of Allen.
The citizens of Burlington helped fund the university's first edifice. When it was destroyed by fire in 1824, they also paid for its replacement. This building came to be known as "Old Mill" for its resemblance to New England mills of the time. TheMarquis de Lafayette, a French general who became a commander in the American Revolution, while in Vermont laid the cornerstone of Old Mill, which stands on University Row along withIra Allen Chapel,Billings Library, Williams Hall, Royall Tyler Theatre, andMorrill Hall. A statue of Lafayette stands at the north end of the main green.
UVM was the first American institution of higher education with a charter declaring that the "rules, regulations, and by-laws shall not tend to give preference to any religious sect or denomination whatsoever".
In 1871, UVM defied custom and admitted two women as students. It was the first American university to admit women (1875) andAfrican Americans(1877) intoPhi Beta Kappa, the country's oldest collegiate academic honor society.
Justin Smith Morrill, a U.S. Representative (1855–1867), and Senator (1867–1898) from Vermont, author of theMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Actthat created federal funding for establishing the U.S. land-grant colleges and universities, served as a trustee of the university from 1865 to 1898.
In 1924, UVM's WCAX, now calledWVMT, sent out the first radio broadcast in Vermont. It was run by UVM students and faculty before being sold in 1931. WCAX is now the call sign of acommercial television station.A new radio station was set up in 1955, dubbedWRUV. It currently runs a FM broadcast at 90.1 MHz and an internet stream atwruv.org. The station, run by students, faculty, and local community members, dubs itselfBurlington's Better Alternative.It is known for playing a wide range of music, boasting "the largest catalog in the State of Vermont" at over 50,000 albums.
In the second half of the 20th century, UVM gained a reputation for itspolitical activism, and struggles ensued on campus between student and faculty activists and the university administration. In 1953, the university's board of trustees oustedAlex B. Novikoff, a tenured professor and cell biologist in theCollege of Medicine, over his association with theCommunist Party.
In March 1957, student protests against a motel owner whorefused serviceto an African-American woman led theVermont General Assemblyto outlaw discrimination in public accommodations.For 73 years, UVM held an annual "Kake Walk" where students woreblackface, until the practice was abolished in 1969 under pressure from the student body and the community.
In 1972, the board of trustees intervened again to deny tenure toMichael Parenti, a popularMarxistpolitical scienceprofessor who drew ire from the authorities due to his participation in anti-war demonstrations. The board overrode the recommendation of the faculty, the deans' council and the administration. Parenti later brought a federal suit against the university, which was settled out of court for $15,000.
In the 1980s, the university faced increasing pressure from the student body todivestfrom companies doing business inapartheidSouth Africa.Student protests against investment in apartheid culminated in the construction of a "shantytown" on the green across from the Waterman building on October 12, 1985. On December 6, the board voted 12-7 to divest.
UVM has undertaken several other divestment actions due to advocacy from student groups, including divestment from "Sudan-friendly" companies in 2006, during theDarfur genocide,and divestment fromcluster munitionsanddepleted uraniumweapons in 2009, during theIraqandAfghanistan wars.In 2013 and 2016, trustees rejected calls to divest from fossil fuels.
On July 1, 2019,Suresh Garimellawas appointed UVM's 27th president.Under his tenure, the university faced record enrollment and a 50 percent increase in research funding to $250 million; however, he has been criticized for hispublic relationswith students and faculty.In 2021, the university administration imposed budget cuts that terminated three departments, 12 majors, 11 minors and four master's degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences.
In 2020, under pressure from a student campaign, UVM trustees voted unanimously to divest from fossil fuels by July 2023.
In 2022, theU.S. Department of Educationopened an investigation into the university's response toantisemitismon campus based on a Title VI complaint filed byThe Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under LawandJewish on Campus.The investigation concluded in April 2023, after the university and the Office of Civil Rights settled in a voluntary resolution. A press release from the Department of Education stated that the university failed to adequately respond to incidents.University administrators denied the allegations, insisting that they responded appropriately.The university agreed to adopt new practices around bias reporting, edit their discrimination and harassment policies, and provide extra training to staff and students,but it did not adopt the demands of the complainant. The Department of Education did not make a finding of guilt or wrongdoing or create new federal policy in closing the investigation.
In October 2023, UVM's Division of Safety and Compliance abruptly canceled a planned guest lecture byPalestinianauthorMohammed El-Kurd, citing an inability to provide adequate "safety and security" for the event. An investigative report bySeven Daysfound no evidence of threats related to the event.
The university's graduate students voted tounionizewith theUAWin March 2024.In April 2024, UVM's chapter ofStudents for Justice in Palestineestablished a protest encampment on the Andrew Harris Commons, demanding transparency in the university's endowment and divestment from "all weapons manufacturers, Israeli companies, and companies involved in the occupation of historic Palestine." They also demanded that the university cancel a planned commencement speech byLinda Thomas-Greenfield.
The university first adopted an official seal in 1807. The seal depicts the sun rising over the Green Mountains with the original college edifice, now the remodeled Old Mill. It includes a diagram ofEuclid's "windmill proof" of thePythagorean theorem, a globe, and asextant. It includes the motto "Universitas V. Montis. A.D. 1791" in the outer ring "Collegiumque Agriculturae" in the inner one, noting the establishment of the College of Agriculture in 1865.
Offering over 100 undergraduate majors, the university comprises seven undergraduate colleges, an honors college, a graduate college, and a medical college.The University of Vermont isaccreditedby theNew England Commission of Higher Education.Bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs are offered through theRobert Larner College of Medicine, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Social Services, the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Graduate College, the Grossman School of Business, and theRubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.The Patrick Leahy Honors College does not confer its own degrees; instead, students concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges.
As of 2024,U.S. News & World Report's annual university rankings place UVM as tied for 61st among public universities and tied for 121st nationally.
In 2024,Forbes'America's Top Collegeslist ranked UVM 181st overall out of 500 private and public colleges and universities in America, and also ranks it 79th among public universities and 129th among research universities.
The University of Vermont was ranked 40th on a list published by BusinessWeek.com of the top 50 U.S. colleges and universities whose bachelor's degree graduates earn the highest salaries.
Undergraduate admissions areclassifiedas "more selective", indicating that test score data for first-year students is in the 80th to 100th percentile of selectivity among all baccalaureate institutions.
For the class of 2026, UVM received 28,236 applications, accepting 16,947 (60.0%). Of those accepted, 2,896 enrolled, ayield rate(the percentage of accepted students who chose to attend) of 17.1%. UVM's first-yearretention rateis 88.25%, with 77.5% graduating within six years.
Of the 35% of the incoming first-year class who submittedSATscores; the middle 50% composite scores were 1270-1410. Of the 11% of enrolled first-years in 2023who submittedACTscores; the middle 50% composite scores were between 29 and 32. The average high school GPA was 3.85.
UVM isclassifiedamong "R1: Doctoral Universities—Very high research activity".For the 2025fiscal year, UVM attracted $266 million inresearch and developmentfunding.Research expenditures topped $216 million in 2022.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college, with the greatest number of students, faculty, and staff. The college also offers the bulk of the foundational courses to help ensure that students all over campus have the tools to succeed in all academic endeavors. It offers 45 areas of study in the humanities, fine arts, formal sciences, social sciences, and natural sciences.
UVM's Grossman School of Business is accredited by the AACSB International and offers undergraduate and graduate programs.In 2015, the school was renamed Grossman School of Business in honor of a $20 million gift from alumnus Steven Grossman, the largest single gift in the university's history.
In 2023,Corporate Knightsranked the Grossman School as the 5th best MBA program in the world for social and environmental impact.
As of 2024, according to thePrinceton Review, the Grossman School has the 2nd best Green MBA in the United States.
CEMS is home to five ABET-accredited engineering programs—Biomedical, Civil, Environmental, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering—in addition to the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. It also features three research centers: the Transportation Research Center, the Complex Systems Center and the Vermont Advanced Computing Center. The college has about 1400 undergraduate students, 250 graduate students, and 85 faculty members.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) offers programs in animal science (early admission to theCummings School of Veterinary MedicineatTufts Universityis available); biochemistry; biological science; community entrepreneurship; community and international development; dietetics, nutrition and food sciences; ecological agriculture; environmental science; environmental studies; microbiology; molecular genetics; plant biology; public communication; and sustainable landscape horticulture. The college is also home to the Center for Rural Studies.
The college also offers programs in conjunction with the college of arts and sciences. Students who choose these majors, such as Biological Sciences, can choose between either college.
As a land-grant college, UVM receives an annual grant under theCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Serviceto provide agricultural research services to the state of Vermont.
UVM's College of Education and Social Services (CESS) offers degrees in teacher education, human development & family science, and social work. Minors are also available in American Sign Language, special education, and education for cultural and linguistic diversity. The college comprises the Department of Leadership and Developmental Sciences, Department of Education, Department of Social Work, and the Center on Disability and Community Inclusion. Studies leading to a master's degree or doctorate (Ed.D. or Ph.D.) also are offered.
In 1804, John Pomeroy began teaching students in his house in Burlington, as the firstmedicaldepartment at astate college or university. In 1822, theCollege of Medicinewas established as the seventhmedical schoolin the United States, founded by Pomeroy and the medical educatorNathan Smith.
UVM enrolls approximately 100 medical students in each class; there are approximately 400 medical students. The University of Vermont Medical Center is the primary site of clinical education.
The College of Medicine currently ranks tied for 29th for overall quality inprimary caretraining among the country's 89 programs ranked byU.S. News & World Reportfor 2016 and 43rd out of 120 in 2019.
On October 21, 2016,Joe Bidenvisited the university campus to discussCancer Moonshot.
The largestmedical libraryin Vermont, the Charles A. Dana Library, is the Vermont Resource Library of the National Network of Libraries of Medicineand serves the information needs of the Academic Health Center at the University of Vermont. The Academic Health Center is composed of the faculty, staff and students at UVM's College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, as well as thephysicians, and otherhealth care providersat the University of Vermont Medical Center. The library also meets the health sciences information needs of the university's undergraduate and graduate programs and is open to the residents of the state of Vermont withhealth sciencesinformation questions.
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at UVM comprises four departments: Biomedical and Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing, and Rehabilitation and Movement Science, as well as the Institute of Integrative Health, a shared program with theRobert Larner College of Medicineoffering a Certificate in Integrative Healthcare.Some of these undergraduate degrees prepare students to enter graduate degree programs for Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, or a doctorate of physical therapy program. The college also utilizes clinical facilities at the UVM Medical Center (formerly known as Fletcher Allen Health Care).
The Patrick Leahy Honors College sponsors opportunities for students to participate in co-curricular programs and extracurricular activities — special symposia, dinners with visiting scholars, and trips to museums and theaters in Montreal and Boston.
Faculty are selected from throughout the university to participate in the college as lecturers in a first-year ethics course and advanced seminars, as participants in reading groups, as speakers at the Plenary Lecture Series, and as mentors to honors students conducting research.
Through a required ethics course, small seminars, informal gatherings, and special research projects, students work alongside scholars from a section of the university's academic disciplines in the humanities, the sciences, engineering, nursing, medicine, education, business and more.
In May 2023, the college was renamed in honor of former U.S. senatorPatrick Leahy.
From its origins in the School of Natural Resources (originally established in 1973), theRubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources(RSENR) was created in 2003. The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources seeks to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of ecological and social processes and values aimed at maintaining the integrity of natural systems and achieving a sustainable human community in harmony with the natural environment. The Rubenstein School targets three general areas of emphasis for scholarly pursuit: 1. Applied Ecology; 2. Environment & Society; and 3. Development & Use of Innovative Tools (e.g. GIS, spatial analysis, and modeling).
The main building hosting RSENR is located at the George D. Aiken Center, which was renovated in 2012 and received aU.S. Green Building CouncilLEED Platinumcertification.
In 2007, the university won a $6.7 million grant to research the pollution problems ofLake Champlain.
The athletic teams at UVM are known as theCatamounts. The university offers 18 varsity sports. Women's teams include basketball, cross country, field hockey,ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, swimming and diving, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). Men's teams include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). All teams compete at theNCAADivisionI level. Most teams compete in theAmerica East Conference. Men's and women's hockey teams compete in theHockey EastAssociation. The alpine and Nordic ski teams compete in the E.I.S.A. (Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association).
UVM's athletic teams won seven straight America East Academic Cups (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011) for the best overall combined GPA among its student-athletes. UVM is the first school in the America East Conference to win three straight years and four times overall.
Highlights of recent varsity athletic seasons include the men's hockey teams trip to the Frozen Four in 2009; the women's and men's basketball teams advancing to the 2010 NCAA Tournament following America East Tournament titles; the ski team winning its sixth NCAA National Championship in 2012 in Bozeman, Montana; in 2014, the men's hockey team earned its third trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2009 and the men's basketball team won the America East Regular Season title for the sixth time. The university has discontinued several major sports programs in its history, including football, softball and baseball. The softball and baseball programs were eliminated in 2009.
Thirty-six former UVM athletes have competed in 16 Olympic Games (13 winter, 3 summer) and combined have won six Olympic medals.The UVM fight song was written in 1938 and is entitled "Vermont Victorious."
On December 16, 2024, the UVM men's soccer team defeated theMarshall Universityto win the2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament. This is the first championship appearance and win by any UVM Division I sports team.It was also the first national championship for anyAmerica Eastteam in history.
UVM sponsors many club sports teams. The UVM sailing team was competitively ranked 8th in the nation as of November 15, 2009.UVM crew competes in theHead of the Charles RegattaandDad Vail Regatta, winning bronze for the men's coxed four in the 2015 ACRA national club rowing championship. The cycling team competes against other collegiate varsity teams and has won multiple national titles.
UVM's School of the Arts sponsors instrumental and choral performances throughout the year. The Royall Tyler Theatre presentstheatreproductions on itsmainstage. In addition to the Department of Theatre's approximately three mainstage shows each year, a group of student-directed one acts are also performed.
Notable mainstage shows in recent years have includedStraight White MenandBat Boy: The Musical(2022/2023);It's a Wonderful LifeandShe Kills Monsters(2021/2022);An Enemy of the People(2020/2021);The WolvesandThe Normal Heart(2019/2020);Pippin(2018/2019);Sense and SensibilityandPeter and The Starcatcher(2017/2018);Spring Awakening(2016/2017);The 39 StepsandNoises Off(2015/2016);Much Ado About Nothing(2014/2015);The MousetrapandUrinetown(2013/2014). From 1991-2018, the Theatre performedThe Toys Take Over Christmas,a holiday tradition in Burlington.
The Lane Series, the university's public performing arts program, began in 1955. Presenting nationally and internationally-known artists, the series offers twenty-five events per academic year, including performances in classical, jazz, folk, chamber, and choral music, as well as theater, film, and dance. Most events are held at the UVM Recital Hallon the Redstone Campus.
TheFleming Museum of Artis the university'smuseum. Its permanent collection of 24,000 objects includes works of art as well asanthropologicalandethnographicartifacts. The museum also features various visiting exhibits and special events.
TheVermont Mozart Festival, now defunct, developed at UVM, and its first festivals also were held at UVM. The festival was incorporated as an independentnonprofit organizationin 1976 but retained ties to UVM throughout its existence.
Student clubs and organizations, totaling more than 250, span student interests and receive sponsorship from the Student Government Association. Clubs with longstanding history and the largest memberships include: Volunteers in Action, the UVM Outing Club,Ski & Snowboard Club. Hillel also has a strong presence on the UVM campus.UVM also is home to the oldest FeelGood chapter in the nation, started in 2006, with the chapter raising over $100,000 since its inception for the end of extreme poverty by 2030 through on-campus grilled cheese delis.
In 2015, the university launched a wellness program called the Wellness Environment, or WE, a substance-free residential program that gives interested students access to fitness and nutrition coaches, has daily yoga instruction, round-the-clock meditation sessions, and a mentorship program that pairs them with a Burlington youth.In the fall of 2017, the Central Campus Residence Hall completed construction, and now houses nearly 700 residents in the Wellness Environment.
Thanks to an organization known as GIRT, or Gender Inclusive Restroom Taskforce, the University of Vermont has a growing number of single-occupancy, gender-neutral bathrooms for use by non-binary and gender non-conforming students, faculty, and visitors.
The UVM Outing Club was established in 1913 and is the largest outing club in the country. The club is student-run and offers kayaking, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and nordic skiing trips.The club has assisted with the formation of TREK, an outdoor pre-orientation student program that takes incoming freshman on 5 day excursions to connect them to the UVM community and the State of Vermont.Annually, the club runs the Catamountain Classic event, in which participants hike all 272 miles of the Long Trail in one weekend.
UVM Program Board (UPB) is responsible for bringing campus events and activities to the UVM community.In recent years, UPB has organized events like the annual SpringFest featuring comedianMichelle Wolf,Two Door Cinema ClubandLaverne Cox. It also runsbattles of the bands, weekly pub quiz tournaments, and international film and food events.
In addition to campus events, UPB organizes live musical entertainment featuring acts from across the country as well as local bands. UPB is composed of four committees, one of which is a concerts committee. The concerts committee learns about various aspects of the music industry by putting on shows and working with local sound and production professionals. Students are in charge of choosing and booking bands and are responsible for all production aspects on the day of the show.
The Concert Bureau was established in 1971, inviting artists such asR.E.M.,Phish(three of its four members attended UVM in the 1980s),Red Hot Chili Peppers,Sting,Lou Reed,Primus,The String Cheese Incident,James Brown,Bob Dylan,The Allman Brothers Band,Death Cab for Cutie,Jurassic 5, theDisco Biscuits,The Grateful Dead,Guster, andThe Flaming Lips.
Since 2001, the annual SpringFest is held in April. Headliners have includedVida Blue,The Roots,Cake,Keller Williams,Gov't Mule, co-headlinersRobert Randolph & the Family Band,Ziggy Marley, andTalib Kweli. Other acts to perform at various SpringFests have includedThe Meditations,Toots & the Maytals,Soulive,Rjd2,Apollo Sunshine,Ratatatin 2009,MSTRKRFTin 2010,The RootsandThievery Corporationin 2011,Dillon Francisin 2012,MGMTin 2013,Atmospherein 2014,The Disco Biscuitsin 2015,The Head and the Heartin 2016,Two Door Cinema Clubin 2017, andPlayboi Cartiin 2018.
The University of Vermont Greek community is one of the oldest in the nation, with the first fraternal organization starting in 1836. 5% of male students and 5% of female students join Greek life. Fraternity and sorority members become involved in Student Government Association (SGA) and work as Orientation Leaders, advocates, and Residence Assistants.
ThePhi Gamma Deltafraternity, also known as FIJI, was suspended for four years in 2017 due tohazingandalcohol abuse. One of the fraternity's pledges had stolen aBlack Lives Matterflag from a flagpole as part of a hazing ritual.
The University of Vermont has a long history of environmental sustainability on its campus.In 2024,The Princeton Reviewplaced UVM in 16th place among the "Top 50 Green Colleges" in the country.
In 1995, the Environmental Council at UVM was established to fill a gap regarding a bridge between operations and academics on campus greening issues.The council's first project was to hear presentations from the various environmental programs on campus to provide a baseline scan of campus operation environmental impact. Greening UVM was published in 1998 by the council to establish a baseline on the environmental impact of the campus' operations. During the same year, a recycled paper policy was created and was implemented in 1999.As a community stakeholder in the Lab-XL project, the Environmental Council received an EPA grant to support theTracking UVMproject and publication to assess the relative environmental impact and community interest in laboratory chemical waste. Tracking UVM,a follow-up to the Greening UVM report, was published in 2002 and reported on the environmental progress of the university from 1990 to 2000. The University of Vermont's commitment to tracking its environmental performance was recognized in 2004 with Vermont's Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for this 2002 environmental report card. Tracking UVM is one of the first report cards that track the environmental impact of campus operations in an institution of higher education.
In 2005, UVM's President Daniel M. Fogel signed the institution's Green Building Policy.The recycled paper policy was updated in 2006 after two students pushed for the university to commit to purchasing 100% post-consumer, chlorine-free paper for routine copying and printing.
In 2007, President Fogel signs on to the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment.The American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is a high-visibility effort to address global climate disruption undertaken by a network of colleges and universities that have made institutional commitments to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from specified campus operations, and to promote the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate. Its mission is to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability by empowering the higher education sector to educate students, create solutions, and provide leadership by example for the rest of society.In 2008, UVM dissolved the Environmental Council and established the Office of Sustainability.The Office of Sustainability aims to foster sustainable development and promote environmental responsibility at the University of Vermont by strategically bridging the academic activities of teaching, research, and outreach with the operations of the university.The sustainability office reports jointly to the Provost and to the Vice President for Finance & Administration, who supervises the director. There are two full-time staff and four Graduate Fellows, plus an Academic Advisor and a team of supporters.
In 2011, UVM released its Climate Action Planto the American College & University President's Climate Commitment. The Climate Action Plan focuses on the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the institution's operations. The target dates for UVM's Climate Action Plan were 2015 for 100% carbon neutral electricity (Scope 1)and 2020 for carbon neutral heating, cooling, and fleet (Scope 2).UVM aims to target the net zero emissions for its "Scope 3"sources by 2025.
In 2012, UVM became one of the first institutions nationwide to end the sale of bottled water on campus and mandate that one third of drinks offered in vending machines be healthy options.During the same year, UVM's Board of Trustees passed a resolution to earmark $13 million for the fund, making it the largest challenge to date. Harvard's $12 million green loan fund had been the largest.In March 2012, UVM became fifth school in the nation to sign the "Real Food Campus Commitment",pledging to purchase 20% "real food" by 2020. In April 2017, UVM announced it had surpassed this goal and set a new goal to source 25% "real food" by 2020.
TheCertification for Sustainable Transportation(CST) was founded in 2012 to help improve economic, environmental, and energy efficiency within the passenger transportation sector. The CST is a direct outgrowth of work that began at the University of Vermont in 2005 and now houses the eRating certification, driver trainings, and an array of awareness and education programs. It is a nonprofit operating out of UVM's Extensions office.
In May 2015, UVM introduced a sustainability requirement for all undergraduates, allowing students to choose from pre-approved sustainability classes.
In April 2023, the university committed to carbon neutrality by 2030.It would pursue investments in renewable energy, electrified buildings and vehicles, reduced vehicle fleets, andgeothermal exploration.
The Lawrence Debate Union (LDU) has been UVM's official debate team since 1899.Competing inBritish parliamentary debate,policy debate, and social justice-oriented debate, it is one of the oldest organizations on campus, receiving funding from a private grant established in 1899.The LDU has sent students to international competitions, fromSlovenia,Malaysia, andThailand(2007) to Greece and South Africa.The school has also sent students to theWorld Universities Debating Championshipheld inIreland,Turkey,Botswana,Manila,Berlin, andChennai, breaking into elimination rounds in the 2011World University Debating Championship.Debaters from the LDU have also regularly competed in tournaments hosted byOxford UniversityandCambridge University, and in 2013 won the title of the Budapest IV and Vienna IV in consecutive tournaments. Domestically, the LDU has also won the title of Northeast Universities Debating Sweepstakes champion for four consecutive years.The program is currently ranked seventh in the top schools for British Parliamentary debate in the world, and is the third-ranked American university on the list, behind onlyYaleandCornell.It encourages participation of all interested UVM students, and sponsors public debates at UVM and for the Burlington community.Alfred C. Snider, who coached the LDU for over thirty years, was one of the most decorated debate coaches in the world. He also coached the National Speech and Debate Organization's national high school debate team to compete in the world championships.