UVM interim president pitches state funding for tech hub, cancer center and student supports

Interim University of Vermont President Patty Prelock told the House Education Committee on Feb. 7 that the university is “thriving and doing well” and asked the Legislature to back a 3% base funding increase in the governor’s budget and two one-time investments: $1 million to support a state tech hub and $5 million spread over five years for a Vermont Cancer Center initiative.

Prelock said the $1 million would be matched by GlobalFoundries and used to help Vermont companies build nitride semiconductor technologies, support workforce training in engineering and manufacturing, and expand workforce development tied to UVM’s College of Engineering. She described the $5 million cancer center request as part of an effort to pursue National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation and to expand cancer prevention and care in rural communities.

Why it matters: Prelock emphasized UVM’s role in Vermont’s economy and workforce, noting the university’s direct and indirect economic impact and ties to statewide health and rural initiatives. She said access and affordability remain priorities through the UVM Promise, which currently waives tuition for Vermont households earning less than $100,000.

Key details and context

• Enrollment and Vermont students: Prelock said about 3,664 Vermont students attend UVM — roughly 25% of the cohort — and that 91% of Vermont students receive scholarships or financial aid. She said 46% of Vermont undergraduates attend tuition-free through direct financial support.

• Retention and graduation: Prelock said Vermont students have a 93% retention rate and a 70% four-year graduation rate, which she contrasted with national averages.

• Nursing workforce: Prelock told the committee UVM and other statewide institutions are forming a nursing consortium to scale training; she said the state needs to graduate roughly 9,000 nurses over the next 10 years while current capacity amounts to about 500 graduates per year.

• Planetary health and research: Prelock outlined several research and outreach efforts under UVM’s planetary health initiative, including studies on nature and student stress, impacts of forest fires on childhood asthma, water-quality and algae-bloom research, and links between forests and food security.

• Affordability and tuition trends: Prelock said UVM held Vermonter tuition flat for six years and that a 2% tuition increase for in-state students is planned for the coming year while out-of-state tuition increases will be larger.

Committee follow-up and next steps

Committee members asked for additional documentation tying the cancer center proposal to the state contribution and for details on the tech-hub match and workforce plan. Prelock said she would provide the materials. She also said the university’s presidential search remains confidential and is expected to conclude in a matter of weeks.

Quotes

“The university is thriving and doing well, and we appreciate your contribution to our continued success,” said Patty Prelock, interim president of the University of Vermont.

“We realized that we need to graduate about 9,000 nurses in the next 10 years, and we’re only at about 500 a year,” Prelock said, describing the rationale for a statewide nursing consortium.

Ending

Prelock concluded by asking the committee to consider the university’s budget requests as investments in Vermont students, research and workforce development. Committee members requested the written cancer-center proposal and additional budget detail to evaluate the one-time funding asks.