This commentary is by Sidney JB Hilker, who attended the University of Vermont medical school and has been a student member of the UVM Board of Trustees.
I came to the University of Vermont for its strong academic medical center, nationally ranked medical school, and the welcoming, service-oriented community. Not to mention the opportunity to learn in a place that educated my aunts, uncle, mother, brother, and grandfather.
I was born here in Vermont, left for undergraduate studies and came back to the University of Vermont for medical school. In my four years as a medical student, administrators went out of their way to get to know each student by name and the curriculum was constantly improved to reflect the latest research.
In a time of political divisions, racial injustice, a global pandemic, and economic hardship, I want to share my story as someone who has seen the University of Vermont inside and out as a student and a former student trustee.
On the day we realized that a global pandemic would mean immediately moving to remote instruction, I received calls from deans asking for a student perspective. Within days, we had the latest technology at our fingertips to continue learning. Within weeks, we had regular testing available, easy access to flu vaccines, and social-emotional support for learning remotely. I felt that UVM was there for me and prioritizing my needs as a student.
Just days after Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Vermont, administrators advocated for students working in the hospital to have access to protect students and Vermonters. This has been hard on students. The stress of school, work, isolation, missed holidays with family has been overwhelming at times. What has helped to get us through has been the support of leadership.
When I joined the board of trustees, I was introduced to all that goes on to create this exceptional student experience. Even before the pandemic, we faced hard decisions — decisions that were going to require courage and leadership to address.
Students’ academic interests were shifting. Older buildings needed maintenance. We wanted to make our campus environmentally friendly and inclusive. We aimed to attract the most accomplished educators. We needed to keep tuition low so we could be accessible to more students, but also innovate and grow.
As a student, I felt the challenges of paying tuition in today’s economy. As a trustee, I also came to recognize that employing faculty and staff, keeping up a modern campus, and creating educational opportunities for the 21st century is expensive. Even with all these demands and seemingly competing interests, leadership and trustees put students first when making decisions.
As we look to the future, what matters most is that the University of Vermont continues to be a welcoming and innovative place. That will mean change, which I know can be hard. In order to create the new courses and majors and meet the needs of students today, we must reassess what and how we have taught in the past.
I want UVM to be a place that I am proud to show my children and that I encourage them to attend. My experience as a student and a trustee gave me confidence that those at the helm are putting today’s students first and thinking about the future. At my reunion 10 years from now, I hope to walk through campus to see students sharing ideas across disciplines, building the skills needed for today’s economy, and learning to make our community more equitable, healthy, and innovative.
The University of Vermont of the future may offer different courses in new formats, but this is just what I would hope for.
