Latest news with #UVM
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UVM nurses practice at state-of-the art 'virtual hospital'
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – The practice nursing students can get has always been limited by the number of patients, and by real-world limits on space and resources. But in the University of Vermont's (UVM's) Clinical Simulation Laboratory, these limits are a thing of the past. This spring, the Department of Nursing at UVM introduced training using virtual reality, or VR for short. With the lab's 16 new VR headsets, nursing students can interact with simulated patients and train on specific surgical tasks. Sarah Manacek, the department's director of simulation education, explained why VR is ground-breaking for trainees. 'Virtual reality is full immersion into a digital world. Students experience complete immersion into a virtual hospital, where avatars are the same size as humans, follow students with their eyes, and respond using natural language processing and machine learning. 'The goal of simulation is to replicate reality as closely as possible.' The 12,600 square-foot facility, which opened in 2011, already includes complex mannequins who use electrical stimuli to 'react' as if they were human, 3D body-part models for skills training, and a program where community members ranging from 18 to over 80 years old play the roles of 'standardized patients'. But Manacek thinks that VR can provide something other methods can't. 'By turning to VR, we've been able to increase simulation opportunities without expanding our physical space … Simulations that require time to set up and repeat, like a patient hemorrhage, are a great opportunity for VR scenarios, and VR also excels for scenarios that require critical thinking and decision-making.' Julia Otterbein, a UVM Nursing graduate, said the new VR techology has been a positive aspect of her learning experience. 'I am a very hands-on learner, and I figure out new skills by trying them out. Being able to run through different patient experiences and diagnoses via this program has been amazing.' To date, the nursing program at UVM has completed over a thousand VR sessions, totaling 321 hours of active simulation. This fall, VR will also become part of the graduate nursing curriculum. UVM Nursing celebrated its annual Nurses Week last week, celebrating the impact nurses have on patients and nursing trainees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
UVM announces commencement speaker, two other honorary degree recipients: Who are they?
The University of Vermont has announced James Betts as the 2025 Commencement speaker. The former Olympic doctor, pediatric surgeon and firefighter will address UVM's newest graduates at the University Commencement Ceremony Sunday, May 18. The UVM alumnus is one of three individuals receiving a 2025 UVM honorary degree. The university will also present its highest honor to former UVM board chair David A. Daigle, whose leadership provided STEM facilities for UVM faculty and students; and Roy V. Hill II, for contributions to Vermont's faith-based, educational and community institutions. 'In their distinctiveways, JamesBetts, David Daigle and Roy Hill reflect UVM's commitment to people and planet - each of them has made UVM a better place through their vision, leadership and dedication to our shared values," UVM Interim President Patricia Prelock said. Born and raised in Bennington, Betts graduated from UVM in 1969 and became a Doctor of Medicine in 1973. His career took him to pediatric surgery and urology at the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, where he became the founding director of the hospital's pediatric trauma program. He responded to multiple crises in California including the 1989 Bay Area earthquake and 1991 Oakland Hills Fire, rendering urgent medical treatment to victims. He found himself drawn to the challenge of responding to needs of patients caught up in natural emergencies. He began serving the Big Sur Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter, the department's medical director and a member of their search and rescue team. In 2015 he received the Department's Firefighter of the Year honor. He currently serves as a duty officer with the fire department on the weekends when he is not on trauma call at the hospital. Betts was one of the volunteer United States Olympic Commitee physicians in Colorado Springs between 1979 and 1983. He was a founding member of the USOC Anti-Doping Commitee and served on it from 1984 to 2000. Through his illustrious career, he has maintained connection with UVM and the Larner School of Medicine, serving in multiple roles, including President of the Larner College Medical Alumni Executive Committee, the Board of Trustees and the Dean's Advisory Board. UVM honorary degree recipients are recognized for "outstanding achievement or service for the benefit of the University of Vermont, the state of Vermont, the nation and beyond." Each of the 2025 recipients either attended the university as a student or made significant contributions to UVM as a volunteer or employee. Daigle, a Burlington native, became a first-generation college graduate when he earned a degree in business administration in 1989. He went on to earn an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He currently works as a partner and fixed income portfolio manager with Capital Group in New York City. Daigle served on UVM's Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2020 and chaired the Board from 2016 to 2020. He is described by colleagues as 'one of the most impactful alumni in UVM history.' Daigle played a leadership role in the "Move Mountains: The Campaign for the University of Vermont," which raised over $581 million. Daigle presided over construction of buildings that reshaped campus life, including the Central Campus Residence Hall, and Discovery and Innovation Halls, which provide state-of-the art facilities for students and researchers in the STEM fields. Hill, a Tennessee native, earned a bachelor's degree from Talladega College and a master's degree from Washington University before moving to Vermont. Prior to that move to the Green Mountain State, Hill held leadership positions at Washington University, Dartmouth College and Brown University, and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education before he was recruited as director of corporate and foundation relations at UVM. He spearheaded UVM's educational, research and cultural partnership with Jackson State University, a historically Black institution in Mississippi. Hill has supported many Vermont community, faith-based and educational institutions. He is a charter member of the Burlington Vermont Area Chapter of the NAACP, past president of the Vermont Ecumenical Council and Bible Society and former program director for Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Vermont. In addition, he was asked to serve as the Vermont Governor's representative to the National Black Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@ This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: UVM announces commencement speaker, honorary degree recipients
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Boise State's Marlene Tromp appointed next president of the University of Vermont
Boise State University President Marlene Tromp delivers her fourth state of the university address on Aug. 17, 2022. (Courtesy of John Kelly/Boise State University) This story was originally posted on on March 20, 2025. Boise State University President Marlene Tromp will become the University of Vermont's 28th president, the university's Board of Trustees announced today. She will assume the post later this summer. Tromp had led Boise State since 2019. 'It gives me great pleasure to welcome Dr. Marlene Tromp as the 28th president of the University of Vermont,' said Cynthia Barnhart, Board of Trustees chair and co-chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. 'She has demonstrated excellence as a leader and a scholar who can foster deep and meaningful connections across the university and beyond.' Tromp was the lone finalist and visited UVM for an on-campus interview process on March 18-21. 'I came to Vermont with a clear feeling for UVM's strength in research, its focus on student success, and the fulfillment of its land grant mission to Vermont and the nation,' Tromp said in a press release posted on the university's website. 'This is a university that has the power to truly lead the nation and even the world on several fronts, and I'm so excited to work with my colleagues, the students, alumni, and friends to improve individual lives and the life of the community.' Tromp will succeed Suresh Garimella, who led UVM from 2019 until October 2024, when he became president of the University of Arizona. Provost Patricia Prelock has served as interim president of UVM since October. The State Board of Education is responsible for hiring a successor at Boise State. 'I want to thank her for her service to Boise State,' said State Board President Linda Clark. 'Dr. Tromp and her team found ways to significantly increase enrollment; improve student retention and graduation rates; increase fund raising and promote Boise State throughout the country – all of which are top State Board priorities. Dr. Tromp has much of which to be proud during her tenure at Boise State and I wish her the very best in the next phase of her career at the University of Vermont.' Tromp led Boise State during a period of enrollment growth — and enrollment rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin Richert reported earlier this week. The state's largest four-year university, Boise State's fall student headcount was 27,198 last fall, up nearly 4% from 2019. Tromp also has presided over a period of growth in in-state enrollment. Boise State has also seen an improvement in graduation rates. In 2022-23, Boise State's four-year graduation rate was 42.7%, up from 38.1% three years earlier. Click here to read more about Tromp's time in Boise. Tromp posted a farewell statement to students and colleagues on Boise State's website. 'I am so proud of all that we've accomplished in the last nearly-six years, outcomes I celebrate as I prepare to wish this beloved community farewell,' she wrote. 'Boise State now has a very strong national and international presence well beyond our stellar athletics programs. … Together, we have faced real and serious challenges, and, as a community, taken them on. In an often difficult environment, we still made dazzling things happen.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UVM is ready to announce its 28th president: What Marlene Tromp says tops her resume
Prospective University of Vermont president Marlene Tromp said she is coming to Vermont with a willingness to lead the university, and an impressive resume to back that up. Tromp began her journey into higher education as a first-generation college student, her father working "triple overtime" at his job in the coal mines to pay for her to attend Creighton University in Nebraska. Tromp, the Boise State University president, said the job she has held for the past six years was "an opportunity to help communities similar to how I grew up." Tromp is the sole finalist for the UVM presidency and spoke publicly on campus Wednesday. She received her Bachelor of Arts undergrad degree, then attended the University of Wyoming to earn a Master of Arts in English. Tromp then earned a PhD in English from the University of Florida. Tromp has been president at Boise State since July 2019 - the first woman to hold that role there. She has presided during a period of enrollment growth - the student body has grown between 20% and 50% each of the past five years - when national rates of college enrollment have declined in some places by 50%. Idaho's largest four-year university, Boise State's fall student headcount was 27,198 last fall. Boise State has also grown its research portfolio over the past five years. Research awards totaled $83 million in 2024. While student numbers have grown, Boise State has also seen an improvement in graduation rates. In 2022-23, Boise State's four-year graduation rate was 42.7%, up from 38.1% three years earlier. Other accomplishments included a campaign to raise $80 million in endowed funds, providing 1,500 scholarships. She said she was also able to keep Bosie's tuition the sixth lowest in the country. She spoke to Vermont's more rural areas when she said socioeconomic factors cannot be a roadblock to having an education. In her time at Boise, and especially since the change in the legislature in the recent months, Tromp has been at the forefront in an ongoing Statehouse debate over social justice as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. In September, an Ada County jury awarded Big City Coffee owner Sarah Jo Fendley nearly $4 million in a First Amendment lawsuit against Boise State; Tromp testified in the trial. Tromp served as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and dean at Arizona State University New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. She started her career at Denison University. In a public forum Wednesday with faculty, staff and students, Tromp answered a plethora of questions. In many of her answers, she referred back to past relevant experiences in higher education institutions. She said Santa Cruz had a "profound dedication to social justice and social change." She saw that work as a commitment to excellence and a clear example of collaboration between staff and students, something she wants to bring into her time at UVM. In Arizona she served as provost and dean to a school of 170,000 students. While many were part-time, she said having to serve such a large populus forced her to be decisive and think in new ways. Arizona State University ranked No. 1 in innovation for the tenth year in a row, in the annual 'Best Colleges' 2025 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Tromp said that experience will heed well in her approach to UVM's research focus. Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@ This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Marlene Tromp, UVM's presidential finalist, shares her experience
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Boise State president is sole finalist to lead UVM
The finalist for the next president of the University of Vermont will begin a two-day visit to campus Tuesday to meet with students, faculty and staff. The UVM Board of Trustees named Marlene Tromp the sole finalist for the position on Monday, capping a six-month national search to replace Suresh Garimella, who resigned last August to become president of the University of Arizona. Tromp will take part in on-campus interviews at UVM on Tuesday and Wednesday. The university will host an open forum in the Silver Maple Ballroom of the Dudley H. Davis Center at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Tromp has been president at Boise State University since 2019. According to UVM, she led the university to 'historic advances in graduation rate, research awards, and philanthropy' Her background includes serving as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and as a dean and vice provost at Arizona State University. An English professor and widely published scholar of Victorian literature and culture, Trompe began her career in academic leadership at Denison University, UVM said. Boise State has seen a 39% increase in its graduation rate since Trompe became president; a 71% increase in research awards; and the highest enrollment in university history. UVM said its Presidential Search Advisory Committee fielded more than 100 expressions of interest for the top job. The committee conducted individual interviews with 10 candidates for individual interviews. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
