President’s Common Ground Scholarship
UVM is initiating a focused fundraising campaign to establish a scholarship program for students from historically underrepresented and underserved groups to attend UVM. This scholarship will build upon our shared principles to further extend the opportunities presented by a vibrant, equitable, affordable and accessible education. See President Garimella’s August 27, 2020 memo.
Catamount Commitment
Initiated in 2017, the Catamount Commitment Program aims to remove financial barriers to higher education that many limited-income Vermont students and families face. The program provides access to an excellent educational environment to high-achieving students who have significant financial need. Beyond financial resources, the Commitment focuses on the day-to-day success of students through the provision of valuable academic and personal support offerings. These offerings provide guidance and serve to enhance the student's experience throughout their entire time at the university.
Academic Success Goals
Included in the Academic Success Goals (ASG) established by the Provost’s Office is an ASG to increase the diversity of perspectives, experiences, and thought on our campus. This includes increasing our percentage of students of color from the current 12.2% to match that of our combined faculty/staff demographics.
InspirED Project
The InspirED Project is our six-week summer college preparatory program for rising seniors that promotes a college-going culture for students from around the country who may not have access in their high schools or resources at home, and so may not consider higher education as a viable option. Through workshops covering SAT test prep, essay writing, financial aid, and navigating the virtual college search process, among others, students leave with an understanding of the admissions and aid process for any institution of higher education, and with continued access to their InspirED mentors as they consider their futures. InspirED instills confidence that, for those who choose to pursue it, higher education can be a possibility.
Abenaki Summer Happening Program at UVM
The University of Vermont and the Abenaki community have partnered since 1985 to implement the Summer Happening Program. The program brings high school students to UVM for two days to experience campus life. Focused on empowering Abenaki students to take pride in their native heritage, while exposing them to the academic rigor of college with scholarly lectures and activities, the Summer Happening Program offers students opportunities to establish relationships, and provides support to seek post-secondary education.
Urban Partnership Program
Four high schools in New York, along with newer additions in Chicago and Philadelphia, make up the Urban Partnership Program, a fifteen-year-old UVM effort that has attracted talented students who very likely would not have considered UVM an option for college. Over the years, UVM has successfully brought students from the Bronx to campus in an initiative that begins grooming future Catamounts soon after they start high school. Prospective students get an intensive exposure to UVM over four years of high school. Admitted students benefit from scholarships aimed at making the university more diverse.