This commentary is by David Silverman, president and CEO of Union Bank, based in Morrisville. He is a member of the Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees, and chairs its finance committee.
I graduated from what was then Johnson State College in 1985 with a degree in business management. A lot of change has taken place in the ensuing years. This month, as I watch the Class of 2022 receive their degrees, I also look forward to a new chapter — for Vermont State University.
Last week, the Vermont State Colleges Systems unveiled the new, unified brand identity and logo for Vermont State University in an event that brought together leaders, faculty, staff and students. What they revealed is fresh, exciting and modern — a nod to the innovative thinking and doing that will take place at Vermont State University — yet, there is also a nod to tradition and legacy.
To me, the new brand identity and logo are a symbol — a beacon — of unification. The new Vermont State University — which brings together Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College — will channel resources in ways that will be beneficial to students and the state alike.
We can best serve Vermonters’ education and training needs for workforce development to strengthen our economic vitality. It will foster financial sustainability for the future. Vermont State University is on strong footing and is making serious transformation to become a truly groundbreaking institution.
At Union Bank, 10 percent of our employees are graduates of a Vermont States Colleges System institution. That speaks to how important Vermont State University is to Vermont — this is a system that prepares the next generation of nurses, social workers, teachers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and so much more. It cuts across every segment.
It’s how we give students from all backgrounds the opportunity to bend the arc of their lives and their families’ lives through accessible and affordable, high-quality education. And when we do that, we change the collective story of our state for the better.
Simply put, we are better together.
We want Vermont to be able to compete in the modern world — and for our skilled and talented graduates to stay here and be part of our communities and our economy. The dedicated, mission-driven people of the new Vermont State University are putting their shoulders to the wheel to make this happen.
Let’s celebrate them in this moment, and join together to support this good work as it takes our state forward.
