Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jenny Backus, who is a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School and current board member of World Learning. She is also the daughter of former Windham and Chittenden state Sen. Jan Blodgett and Dr. Bob Backus, a Vermont physician and former Peace Corps volunteer who trained at SIT in the 1960s.
This week the Vermont Senate has the opportunity to send a powerful message about the future of our state when they vote on a House-approved proposal to support emergency coronavirus relief funding for our independent colleges across the state.
As a proud graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, daughter, wife and sister to UVM graduates and granddaughter to one of the founders of World Learning’s School for International Training in Windham County, I am a strong and fervent supporter of Vermont higher education institutions and I urge the Senate to approve this request to support these institutions as they deal with the impact of Covid-19.
It is so critical for the economic future of our state that we strengthen and preserve our colleges and universities. Not only do they provide essential opportunities for higher education for Vermont kids, they also serve as a vital source of jobs in communities across the state.
One of our greatest challenges in Vermont is creating high-skilled jobs to ensure our young people can stay, work and raise families in their home state. We can’t grow our economy nationally and globally if our kids keep leaving. This is especially true in the smaller counties around the state. The Legislature and the governor are doing an excellent job during the Covid response and more and more people are thinking about coming to the state and settling down. One of the best ways we can attract new businesses and new high-skilled workers and maintain this trend is by strengthening our educational infrastructure and opening the doors of our state to the world.
World Learning’s Experiment for International Living first opened its doors in Southern Vermont in 1932. In 1964, my grandfather, Dr. Jack Wallace, started World Learning’s School for International Training or SIT in Dummerston, an accredited institution for higher learning that has created a generation of leaders around the world that includes four Nobel Peace Prize winners and inspiring community leaders across Vermont. Our mission and our educational philosophy is dedicated to breaking down biases and creating pathways for understanding, rebuilding, and resilience. We provide exactly the skills that are needed to put Vermont and the world on a better path after this devastating era of pandemics and polarization.
Windham County, Vermont and the world can’t afford for Vermont colleges like SIT to shut our doors. In addition to my lifelong support for Vermont schools, I am also the daughter of a former Vermont state senator, who represented both Windham and Chittenden counties. I know from watching my mom how seriously state senators work to spend their budget dollars wisely and to provide opportunities for their constituents. There is no better investment in our collective future than funding our educational system across the board.
By approving funding for Vermont’s independent colleges, the Vermont Senate will be sending a powerful message to the world that Vermont is not only a beautiful place to visit but a place where beautiful minds can flourish for generations to come.
