A Heartfelt Farewellfull story >>>

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

A Heartfelt Farewell

Suresh Garimella

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Dear UVM community,

Even before I arrived as president at UVM, I marveled at the charm and mystique of this special place. And as we have come to know each other over the past five years, any mystery about the source of that charm has evaporated and the mystique remains every bit as real as our beloved Green Mountains. There is much to look forward to in my next opportunity at the University of Arizona, and yet I am sad to say goodbye to the University of Vermont community.

We have accomplished so much together.

The University of Vermont has always drawn promising and talented students from across the state and around the world. With five consecutive years of frozen tuition along with a sixth for Vermonters and the implementation of the UVM Promise, more students than ever have access to the affordable, world-class education we offer. Our amazing students seize opportunities for learning in our classrooms and laboratories, but also in forests and on farms across Vermont. Our incredible Catamount student-athletes are achieving historic success in competitions and in academic achievement. I could not be more proud of our campus community.

We set a goal as I arrived to raise our ambition and our accomplishments for the research enterprise at UVM and invest in our distinctive strengths advancing the health of our environment and the health of our societies. Thanks to the talent and dedication of so many faculty, staff, and students, and all of our supporters, we have doubled external research funding and stand poised for recognition as an R1 institution. I could not be more proud of all who contribute to our research mission.

The mystique of Vermont itself, this Brave Little State, is as rich and strong as that of UVM. We have strengthened partnerships and built new ones, shared challenges and shared solutions, and demonstrated that the success of UVM is inextricably tied to the success of Vermont. Through meaningful engagement and innovative thinking, we have deepened that connection in all 14 counties of the state. With the outstanding young people who choose UVM each year looking to communities around Vermont to build their careers and make their homes, our university is adding more than 1,100 people to the Vermont workforce each year. I could not be more proud of all who have engaged as partners throughout the state.

And while global challenges of great significance reached our campus in important ways, our UVM community has consistently demonstrated its strength, resilience, and deep commitment to the Our Common Ground values that distinguish us. I could not be more proud of you, and of all we have accomplished together.

It has been a true pleasure to see those values practiced and upheld by so many kind and committed campus leaders throughout these five years. I am grateful especially for the partnership of the presidents and vice presidents of the Student Government Association, the Graduate Student Senate, the Faculty Senate, and the Staff Council, and of course, of our thoughtful and wise Board of Trustees. My sincere thanks to our devoted faculty and staff for your crucial role in shaping the great history and dynamic future of this university.

There are so many special people and places around campus and in the community we will miss, but I especially note the students in my annual Presidential Leadership Conversations, the fellowship and warmth of friends at the Catholic Center, our always cheerful and encouraging neighbors across the street in Sigma Phi, and the much-needed joy and light on display at the annual Diwali Celebrations. And of course there is the Morgan Horse Farm, my refuge when I needed one!

Though our time at UVM is coming to an end, Lakshmi and I will hold the university and its people close to our hearts and in the highest esteem for years to come. The team of leaders here is remarkably strong, and the months of transition ahead are sure to be full of growth and warmth thanks to the steady guidance of my outstanding colleague and friend Patty Prelock. You are in good hands, Catamounts. I wish each of you great success and see a bright future ahead for the UVM community.

Be well and Go Cats Go!

Suresh