Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.35
Liaison Gioia Thompson
Submission Date March 19, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

University of Vermont
ER-16: Faculty Engaged in Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 10.00 / 10.00 Gioia Thompson
Sustainability Strategist
UVM Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

The number of faculty members engaged in sustainability research:
350

The total number of faculty members engaged in research:
1,098

Names and department affiliations of faculty engaged in sustainability research:

Per the 2013 Envisioning Environment Work Group Report, a campus-wide (all disciplines) survey showed that, of 231 respondents to the survey, 172 (74.5%) of faculty self-categorized themselves as being involved in ESH activities, and 72, or about one-third (0.31) of that total self-categorized specifically as “sustainability” focused. Of these, 32% indicated that they actively conducted research and 49% indicated that they actively supervised graduate research. Using the 32% value for faculty engaged in research, the number of ESH-engaged research faculty is approximately 32% of the 1098 UVM faculty or approximately 350 faculty at UVM. If we only count the percentage (31%) who self-identified with the narrower “sustainability” identification, the number of faculty is approximately 31% of 350 or 109 faculty at UVM. UVM has not yet done a campus-wide inventory of specific faculty involved in ESH research at this level of detail (name and department affiliation). However, the 2013 Envisioning Environment Work Group Report did identify departments engaged in sustainability research (see ER-17) and found strong support for an ESH Inventory to be created and published on-line. The survey also showed that over 50% of faculty respondents indicated that they would like to be included in a public database of UVM ESH expertise when it was completed. For these reasons we have chosen 350 as a fair portrayal of the number of faculty members engaged in sustainability research.


The website URL where the sustainability research inventory that includes the names and department affiliations of faculty engaged in sustainability research is posted :
A copy of the sustainability research inventory that includes the names and department affiliations of faculty engaged in sustainability research:
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Brief descriptions of up to 4 recent notable accomplishments by faculty engaged in sustainability research, including names and department affiliations:

• Taylor Ricketts, Professor & Director, UVM Gund Institute for Ecological Economics
Dr. Ricketts directs an institute dedicated to studies of ecosystem services, with his own research focused on understanding the ecological importance and economic value of crop pollination services with a global group of collaborators. The team develops simple models that predict pollination services across agricultural landscapes and will use them to support sustainable land use decisions and policies both in Vermont and around the world.
• William Cats-Baril, Associate Professor, School of Business Administration, Information & Decision Sciences
Dr. Cats-Baril and the UVM School of Business have just launched a new, accelerated (one-year) Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA (SEMBA) program at the University of Vermont. This signature program for the school intends to “prepare a new breed of business leaders to shape the future of sustainable global commerce” and provide both hands-on & experiential learning with companies and entrepreneurs from Vermont and around the world.
• Sarah Abrams, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Department of Nursing
Each year, Dr. Abrams takes University of Vermont students to get hands-on public health experience through summer travel to Uganda where they work and study in the rural village of Kamuli, about three hours north of the capital, Kampala. New students pick up where previous UVM nursing students have left off, working directly with community members on projects that improve public health and promote sustainable practices.
• Stephanie Hurley, Assistant Professor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Plant & Soil Sciences
Dr. Hurley’s research in watershed management, stormwater hydrology, landscape restoration, and urban design integrates the fields of landscape architecture, land use planning, ecological restoration, and watershed protection. Taking a holistic approach to sustainable landscape design, her work recognizes the inherent diversity of landscapes and practicing the art of place-making, while aiming to facilitate healthy societal and ecological interactions through design.


The website URL where information about sustainability research is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

See also the ESH survey data in the UVM Envisioning Environment Work Group Report, February 25, 2013

See also the UVM Office of Sustainability Faculty Fellows Website: http://ctl.uvm.edu/?Page=services-programs/sustainabilityfellows/index.php&SM=m_sp.html


See also the ESH survey data in the UVM Envisioning Environment Work Group Report, February 25, 2013

See also the UVM Office of Sustainability Faculty Fellows Website: http://ctl.uvm.edu/?Page=services-programs/sustainabilityfellows/index.php&SM=m_sp.html

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.